"New Zealand Winegrowers is excited to look forward and pursue activities that more strongly benefit a wider range of our membership and the industry as a whole."
NZW announced in July that the industry-owned event, previously the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, would no longer be held. "An extensive review process, including a members' survey and 50 one-on-one interviews, showed limited interest in the competition which we had already seen through reduced entries over the past five years," says Charlotte.
There was nonetheless strong support among members for an industry celebration of some sort, the ability to benchmark against peers, and a desire for the knowledge sharing and judging mentorship afforded by an awards format, she says. "We believe there is a better way to deliver on these priorities rather than holding the competition... It's time to reposition what we do to meet the changing times and to better fulfill our members' needs."
With that in mind, NZW plans to hold an annual awards "gathering" to celebrate all aspects of the industry, including sustainability, marketing and diversity, as well as winegrowing and winemaking excellence. Charlotte says it is possible a small-scale version of this event will follow on from November's Wine Business Forum in Wellington.
Meanwhile, the organisation plans to expand the scope of NZW's annual Blind Tasting and to continue its sponsorship of varietal member initiatives, such as the Southern Pinot Workshop and the New Zealand Syrah Workshop.
Charlotte says the New Zealand Wine of the Year has served "an incredibly important role" in the development of the New Zealand wine industry, but NZW is excited to look forward to new opportunities, "and pursue activities that more strongly benefit a wider range of our membership and the industry as a whole."
