Wine Search
Search for award-winning wines from the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. You may search by keyword, award type, variety, region, vintage, price and award year (or a combination thereof) using the controls on this page. The search covers awards since 2005.
If you prefer, you may browse the award-winning wines by wine style or variety.
Wine Guide
The Trophy Awards: This is awarded to the top wine in each variety. Once the gold medals have been decided for each variety judges hold a taste-off comparing all of the gold medal wines to decide the ultimate category winner.
Trophies are awarded for Champion Wine of the Show, Sustainable Wine trophy, Best Open White Wine, Best Open Red Wine, Best Exhibtion White or Sparkling Wine and Best Exhibition Red Wine as well as the 13 individual variety trophies.
To be awarded the Champion Wine of the Show, Best Open White Wine, Best Open Red wine or one of the 14 varietal trophies each winery must have at least 250 cases of the wine entered available for sale at the time of the award announcement.
In 2007 three new trophies were introduced. To reward smaller wineries a new Exhibition category has been introduced. To enter the Exhibition category a winery must have a minimum of 50 cases of wine available for sale at the time of the award announcement. The two new trophies in this category are Best Exhibition White or Sparkling Wine and Best Exhibition Red Wine.
Also introduced in 2007 was the Sustainable Wine trophy, replacing the Reserve Wine of the Show trophy. All sustainably grown and produced medal-winning wines can compete to win the Sustainable Wine of the Show trophy.
Awarding Elite Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals
A wine wins a medal when it reaches the medal standard, determined by the score it receives from each of the three senior judges. Each wine is marked out of twenty based on the following system:
- Colour and clarity – 3 points
- Aroma and bouquet – 7 points
- Taste and general impression – 10 points
Elite gold medal: Outstanding quality (19 and above out of 20 points)
Gold medal: Excellent quality (18.5 – 18.99 out of 20 points)
Silver medal: Very good quality (17–18.49 out of 20 points)
Bronze medal: Good quality (16 –16.99 out of 20 points)
In 2007, a new Elite Gold medal was introduced to reflect the truly great wines among the gold medal winners, deserving of special recognition.
Pure Medals
In line with the New Zealand wine industry's commitment to sustainability, a 'pure' range of medals was added to the Air New Zealand Wine Awards in 2007. These medals acknowledge medal-winning wines that are 100% sustainably grown and produced. The medals include Pure Elite Gold, Pure Gold, Pure Silver and Pure Bronze. The Pure Elite Gold and Pure Gold medal winning wines compete for the Champion Sustainable Wine of the Show Trophy.
Tasting Method
Each wine entered is tasted 'blind', that is, it is recognizable to judges only by a unique code it has been given rather than by name or label. Wines are tasted in classes and sub-classes so that judges taste similar wines at the same time.
The wines are tasted and judged by three senior judges and one or two associate(s). The wine is then discussed at the end of the scoring and in some cases re-assessed by the team leader and or the Chair of Judges. The wine is given a score and this is entered into the system under its unique code. Associates' scores are not counted in the final judging but their comments are welcomed in discussion.
Judging dates for the 2010 Air New Zealand Wine Awards are Monday 1 November to Wednesday 3 November.
Availability
To be considered for the Open category, a wine must have more than 2,500 cases available for sale when the awards are announced in November of the judging year. The Limited category is for wines with a minimum of 250 cases available. The Exhibition category is for wines with a minimum of 50 cases available.
Entries in the Open, Limited and Exhibition Classes are eligible for medals and the Sustainable Wine of the Show trophy. Wines entered in the Open and Limited categories are eligible for the varietal/style trophies and the Champion Wine of the Show. Wines entered in the Exhibition Category are eligible for the Exhibition trophies.
If you have difficulty obtaining any of the wines, please contact the winery directly.
Prices
Wineries are asked to supply a recommended retail price for all wines entered into the awards. Prices do vary between various retail outlets, cellar door sales and direct marketing offers and therefore can not be guaranteed. All prices quoted are in New Zealand dollars.