Rosé reigns in record-breaking year

Monday 7 October 2019

at 2019 New World Wine Awards

The rise of rosé shows no signs of slowing after a record-breaking year for the popular pink drop at the 2019 New World Wine Awards.

Nine rosé wines, including seven still and two sparkling, earned a place in the highly anticipated New World Wine Awards Top 50, and more than 70 rosé wines won a medal in the competition overall.

“This was a phenomenal year for rosé, and one that broke every record in our book,” says Chair of Judges Jim Harré. “Not only did we receive more rosé entries than ever before – with 110 wines from all over the world, the quality was exceptional, earning the most medals for rosé in the awards’ history."

“This tells us that consumers’ love for rosé is still going strong, and that winemakers are responding to that demand. Once seen by many as a passing trend, winemakers now grow and pick their grapes specifically to make rosé and are creating some truly winning wines.”

He said consumers can get excited about the range on offer this year: “Rosé is a style of wine that can be made from many different types of grapes, from many different regions – perhaps that is what makes it so exciting. It is also a really approachable wine, and this year there are lots of great options to choose from.”

The Top 50 winning wines are on shelves in liquor-selling New World stores nationwide from Monday 7 October. All are available for under $25, and over half are priced under $15.

Standout in the class was repeat Champion Rosé winner: Madam Sass Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2019. “Known for its striking bottle artwork, which plays homage to the vineyard’s gold rush past, the wine inside is equally impressive with gorgeous flavour and aromas. It has been quick to become a favourite since its first vintage and Champion win just last year.”

Classic examples of the style include winners the Allan Scott Rosé 2019 and Babich Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé 2019, both from long-standing family-owned wineries in New Zealand. From Southern France comes the Arrogant Frog Rosé 2019, the only winning rosé made from Syrah. Falconhead Rosé 2019 and The Hunting Lodge Expressions Delicate Rosé 2019 are both delicate and fragrant – perfect for summer, while The Doctors' Rosé 2019 is a lighter 9.5% alcohol, but still delivers full flavour.

Te Hana Rosé was named the Champion Sparkling wine, a class which also included the Lindauer Classic Rosé among its winners.

Mr Harré says there is also a trend within the trend, with more and more consumers reaching for rosé over more traditional food-matching wines: “This wine style is fast shedding its reputation as ‘just a stylish summer drink’, to become a go-to food matching wine.

“Whether paired with a casual pizza, Asian cuisine or a rich dessert, rosé is an extremely versatile choice and that’s boosting its appeal even further.”

Gold leads way to best wines of all shades

It is also a fantastic year for consumers to explore the other wines in the New World Wine Awards Top 50. As well as crowd-pleasers like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and repeat winners from well-known wineries across the country, this year’s list boasts exciting new varieties to New Zealand.

“We were very excited to see an Albariño, Tempranillo and Grenache Tempranillo among the Champion wines, as well as a Carmenere in the Top 50. These are grape varieties that have long been popular in traditional wine regions but are relatively new to New Zealand shores and palates.”

Mr Harré says the awards’ robust judging process means consumers can trust a New World Wine Awards medal and have the confidence to try something new.

“To earn a Gold medal, a wine will have been tasted up to 19 times by 11 different judges before being awarded this merit, and Champion wines will have been tasted up to 36 times!”

The New World Wine Awards uses the internationally recognised 100-point system, under which wines are benchmarked and scored against what a perfect wine should be like. All entries are tasted ‘blind’, meaning judges only see the wine in the glass, never a bottle or brand.

Well over a thousand wines entered the 2019 New World Wine Awards. Entries were judged by 17 independent experts over three days to award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals as well as Champion trophies and the Top 50 rankings.

The Champion Wines in the New World Wine Awards 2019

A video featuring some of the winning winemakers can be downloaded here. ‘Clean’ version available on request.

ENDS

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