Champion Wine Trophy Awarded to Waipara Hills Riesling

Wines of Canterbury are delighted to announce the winner of the Champion Trophy for the 2014 Wine Show.

At the David Jackson Dinner in Christchurch on Friday 20 June, the 2013 Waipara Hills Waipara Valley Equinox Riesling was declared the top wine in the 2014 show.

The award was collected by Winemaker Simon McGeorge who was elated to accept the prestigious award. “I’m hugely excited to receive the Champion Wine Trophy, particularly given the strong competition this year”, Simon said. “This wine really shows why Waipara is the home of Riesling in New Zealand. Litied and perfumed, yet with a depth that keeps you looking for the next character. The palate has weight and richness, but is also vibrantly fresh”.

The chairman of the judging panel, wine writer and editor Jo Burzynska noted that the “The Waipara Hills Equinox Riesling impressed the judges with the great purity and intensity of its palate, with its fresh notes of lemon and lime and long mineral finish”.

The judges were, Jo Burzynska (Chair), Editor Wine NZ, and Wine Editor for Viva, New Zealand Herald, Kirsten Creasy, Winemaker and Oenologist with Hill Laboratories, and local chef and Restaurateur, Jonny Schwass (Harlequin Public House and Gorilla).

Wines of Canterbury Inc, which supports the region's grapegrowers and winemakers, covers the area bounded by the catchment area of the Waitaki River to that of the Clarence River in the north. Wines must have been made from grapes grown within these boundaries to be entered into the Awards.

For further information please contact Wines of Canterbury at: wineshow@winesofcanterbury.co.nz