Pinot Pioneers
Wairarapa Wine Region's Pinot Pioneers celebration dinner in early August paid homage to Nick Hoskins of Vine Managers and the late Richard Riddiford of Palliser Estate.
Bannockburn producer Felton Road has been named Winery of the Year New Zealand 2024 by The Real Review, a list compiled by New Zealand wine critics Bob Campbell MW, Huon Hooke, and Stephen Wong MW.
Destiny Bay, Church Road, Ata Rangi and Craggy Range were the next four in the ranking, which was established after a tasting of more than 3,500 wines.
"Top Wineries of New Zealand 2024 is the Who's Who of fine wine producers creating new benchmarks as a measure of excellence," says Bob. "It is a one stop shop for the latest and greatest New Zealand wines and we are thrilled to reveal them to New Zealand wine lovers."
Felton Road Winemaker Blair Walter says the company is "blessed" in Bannockburn with four vineyard sites offering consistent and distinctly high-quality wines.
"We've been farming our vineards organically and biodynamically for over 20 years now which brings additional harmony and nuance to the wines."
Within the top 60 wineries, 34 have some or all of their vineyards certified organic.
There are 35 wineries listed with female winemakers at the helm, representing more than 21% of the total, with that proportion increasing year-on-year.
Marlborough’s 2024 vintage was “a return to form for Marlborough summers”, says Astrolabe General Manager Libby Levett.
Collective data from more than 1,000 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc vineyards is helping grow understanding of the region's terroir.
RNA technology could be a gamechanger in vineyards, with the ability to turn gene expression on or off to protect…