‘Competitors’ arrive for the First XV Wine Competition

News Release

For Immediate Release Sept 14 2011

Rivalry builds as ‘Competitors’ arrive for the First XV Wine Competition

The Italian and American contenders for the Nelson Wineart First XV wine competition have now arrived in Nelson ready for the showdown with local wines that happens on September 25th.

A total of 360 bottles were flown into Nelson recently - 180 from Italy and 180 from America, and are now being held at Woollaston Estate in preparation for the judging, the Degustation Dinner held straight after the judging , followed by the Tutored Tasting the day after.

The First XV Competition features 15 chosen wines (the First XV) across three varieties (Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling) from each of the three countries -New Zealand, Italy and USA, with NZ being represented by select Nelson wines. The top wine from each variety and an overall winner will be chosen.

Nelson First XV Chair Patrick Stowe of Rimu Grove Winery says now that the international wines have arrived and are in the cellar, the excitement is starting to build.

“We are immensely proud of our Nelson wines and when you see our bottles lined up beside those from Italy and the United States, it’s becoming very real. I can’t wait for the judging and I’m confident our wines will surprise and delight the judges.”

An independent panel of renowned international wine judges will conduct a blind tasting of the 45 wines in a closed session. The judges are: Sam Kim from New Zealand, Leslie Sbrocco from USA, Riccardo Castaldi from Italy and Ralph Kyte-Powell from Australia as the chair.

Patrick Stowe says tickets to the Degustation Dinner at Woollaston Estate and the Tutored Tasting at the WoW Museum the following day are selling well and they are hoping to entice overseas visitors who are interested in wine as well as rugby to come along. Also, the Nelson New Release Wine Tasting is being held at the Boathouse on Wednesday 28 September, where guests can taste over 100 local wines and chat to the people who made them.

“They will be great events to sit alongside the rugby fervour leading up to the game between Italy and the USA on Tuesday Sept 27. It’s fantastic to be able to host international visitors and introduce them to New Zealand and particularly Nelson wines they may never have tried before.”

To find out more and to buy tickets to the wine events you can go to : www.nelsonwineart.co.nz

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