MEDIA RELEASE
21 May 2014
For immediate release
Hawke’s Bay to host 2014 Air New Zealand Wine Awards
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s second largest wine region, will play host to the 28th Air New Zealand Wine Awards this
November.
The annual awards dinner will be held on Saturday 22 November at the Pettigrew Green Arena in Taradale, and will be
attended by New Zealand’s top winemakers and industry figures to celebrate the country’s best wines.
The Hawke’s Bay region has been producing award-winning wine since 1851. The region is best known for its Bordeaux-blend
reds and Chardonnay, with aromatic whites and Syrah also becoming increasingly popular. The region has a well
established wine tourism trail that showcases the region’s art deco architecture and artisan producers.
The awards dinner will culminate in the announcement of the most coveted prize of the competition, the Air New Zealand
Champion Wine of the Show Trophy. Last year, the trophy went to Marlborough winery Nautilus Estate for their Nautilus
Cuvée Brut NV. The O-I New Zealand Reserve Wine of the Show was awarded to the Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay
Chardonnay 2012.
Global Marketing Director for New Zealand Winegrowers, Chris Yorke, says the Air New Zealand Wine Awards dinner is a big
night for New Zealand’s wine industry. "Winning a trophy or medal is recognition of the hard work and skill that goes
into making the wine, and lets consumers know they are drinking some of the finest wine in the world.”
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards is the premier wine competition in New Zealand, recognising excellence in winemaking.
The competition is owned and organised by New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organisation for the country's 1,700
grape growers and winemakers. Entries for the 2014 competition open to New Zealand wineries on Monday 11 August.
For more information visit www.airnzwineawards.co.nz
ENDS