Time To Raise Your Glass! Entries Open For 20th Annual New World Wine Awards

The New World Wine Awards are now open for entries for 2022, popping the cork on the competition’s 20th year and toasting two decades of seeking and celebrating top-quality, affordable wines.

The competition has attracted a strong following from wineries and wine drinkers alike for its unique approach, which combines the rigour of an international wine show with the opportunity for the Top 50 Gold medal-winning wines to be stocked in New World stores nationwide.

The Top 50 winners will receive extensive promotional support that helps put their brand and Gold medal-winning drop in the spotlight, as well as dedicated displays in more than 140 New World stores.

“The New World Wine Awards have carved out a fantastic opportunity for both local and international wineries looking to boost their brand awareness at the supermarket, where wine-lovers are often on the lookout for trusted recommendations,” says Co-Chair of Judges Sam Kim.

“We have meticulous judging processes and precise standards in place to ensure every Gold medal wine measures up as a perfect example of its variety or style, while the $25 price cap and minimum volume requirements for entry deliver results that a wide range of consumers can engage with and explore,” continues Kim.

As the country’s most customer-focused competition, the long-standing under $25 and minimum volume entry criteria (4,000 bottles for popular varieties) are designed to focus on affordable and widely available wines, with entry classes always expanding in response to emerging trends and developments in the local wine industry.

This year, the minimum volume requirement for niche and emerging variety wines has been reduced to just 1,600 bottles (from 1,800) to enable even more producers to enter these often small batch wines and provide the chance for customers to try something new.

In keeping with the wider industry trends, the award’s focus on zero alcohol wines continues with a dedicated judging round to help find the best examples from this growing segment of the wine aisle.

One thing that hasn't changed though, is the popularity of the Awards and what a medal can mean for winning wineries.

Mikela Dennison Marketing Manager from te Pā says winning a spot in the Top 50 in 2021 for their te Pā Chardonnay 2020 has had massive benefits for the Marlborough-based winery including selling out of their award-winning wine.

“The New World Wine Awards would have to be the Aotearoa-New Zealand wine show that best supports our brand awareness and sales results. Winning Gold for our te Pā Chardonnay two years in a row, and then winning the trophy for ‘White Wine of the Show’ last year has seen the wine sell out each time, which is a fantastic outcome.

“The awards also create a domino effect for other wines in our portfolio too, such as our te Pā Reserve Collection and Montford Estate wines.

“The content creation, media, and social media opportunities that come with winning a medal or trophy in the Awards, all assist in getting our brand out to New World’s passionate and relevant shopper community, and the in-store activations and signage are the cherry on top,” she finishes.

Last year more than 1,100 wines were submitted to be swirled, sniffed, sipped and assessed, and a similar number is expected this year.

Co-Chairs Sam Kim and Jen Parr will oversee an independent panel of 15 wine experts who will judge the entries both individually and in panels over three days in Blenheim, in the heart of New Zealand wine country.

Judging is ‘blind’, meaning no brands are known, to ensure results are based only on the quality of the product in the glass on the day, and entries are scored using the world-recognised 100-point scale.

Opportunities for select New Zealand varieties that retail Over $25 are included in the competition. These wines will be judged alongside Under $25 entries in their class, and judges will not know the price bracket of any entry.

Entries close on Friday 8 July, and judging will take place in August, before the results are announced later in the year.

All entry details can be found online at www.newworld.co.nz/topwines.

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