te Pā strikes again: Gold Medal at Royal Easter Wine Show

4 March 2014

te Pā strikes again: Gold Medal at Royal Easter Wine Show

Wairau Bar based vineyard, te Pā, has been awarded again for its 2013 Sauvignon Blanc with a Gold Medal win at the 2014 Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, racking up a double Gold record in just four months.

The Royal Easter Wine Show win follows up te Pā’s almost perfect score in the Air New Zealand Wine Awards in November, where the Sauvignon Blanc was awarded 19 points out of a possible 20.

Winemaker at te Pā Liam McElhinney says of the win: “The 2013 Sauvignon Blanc offers a rich, full and honest taste, which is due in part to the fact that we source our grapes from a single site. Because of te Pā’s unique position on the Wairau Bar, the soil and climate creates the ideal conditions for the highest quality wine. We create limited volume because we’re about quality and perfection - and this second Gold nod in just a few months shows that critics and consumers love what we are doing.”

te Pā Director and Proprietor Haysley McDonald says: “My family has farmed the land here for more than 800 years, so creating wine is very much a family activity at te Pā. Our roots go back to when Māori first arrived on New Zealand’s shores so to take out the Gold Medal accolade at the iconic Royal Easter Wine Show is recognition of the quality of our wine and the memories it invokes.”

The dynamic te Pā duo recently returned from a successful trade trip to the UK for the New Zealand tastings, where trade media including Jamie Goode’s Wine Anorak blog noted te Pā’s production of “a very distinctive Sauvignon of real interest”, and Off Licence News featured the vineyard, detailing its rich heritage and exceptional position on the Wairau Bar.

McElhinney says the UK trip highlighted the strong international interest in the New Zealand heritage brand: “The te Pā story resonates with international buyers and consumers because of its incredible authenticity and the people behind it. Verified archaeological records show the te Pā site is the oldest known settlement in New Zealand, which gives the vineyard and its wines a special heritage that other wine brands can only dream about.”

McElhinney notes: “Looking ahead, we've got harvest coming up. We are expecting high quality fruit output, so it’s shaping up to be another busy and successful year. We’re also lining up some exciting opportunities in the international markets, where we’ve seen a strong and receptive welcome for our quality wines and strong brand. Our focus is firmly on crafting more of the high quality Marlborough wine that is hitting the spot for local and international wine lovers alike.”

About te Pā Wines
The MacDonald family has ties to the te Pā site that go back 800 years. The family planted grapes in 2003 and now has 150 hectares in vines. te Pā’s emphasis on sustainability and a quality-over-quantity approach has seen the Wairau Bar producer collect a series of prestigious industry awards since releasing its first vintage in 2011. Visit www.tepawines.com to learn more about te Pā’s award winning wines and the people behind them.

ENDS

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