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| Sydney Top 100 award Champion Riesling to Waipara Hills |  |
| 1 MARCH 2003 | |
|
Christchurch-based Waipara Hills Wine Estate Ltd is enjoying an excellent harvest of awards in international wine shows and is now stepping up its presence in Australia.
Following a Double Gold award for its 2002 Riesling at the 2003 Sydney International Wine Show, Waipara Hills has now won the trophy for “Best Aromatic Wine” at the final judging of the Sydney International Top 100 wines from that show. This international competition attracted some 1,922 entries from fifteen countries.
Waipara Hills Export Manager Mr Ian Blowers described this as a “tremendous achievement for a young company which has yet to release all the wines from its second vintage.”
This top award follows closely on the inclusion of Waipara Hills’ 2002 Dry Riesling in the Food and Beverage Magazine Top 100 wines of 2002 and Air New Zealand’s choice of Waipara Hills 2002 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for inclusion on its Pacific Class flights.
The new wine producer is expanding its offshore representation with appointment of Sydney-based Combined Wines and Foods as distributor for its wines in NSW and the Australian Territories.
“We expect recent awards and accolades for our wines, and especially this Top 100 trophy, to have a very positive effect on the development of our export markets,” said Mr Blowers. “The new distributorship also means the entire 2002 vintage and much of the upcoming 2003 vintage is now committed to the market.”
Combined Wines and Foods is an experienced distributor of New Zealand wines. The company’s managing director Joe Molinari said, “We’ve been in the Australian wine and food industry for almost 30 years now and we know there is a strong market for good quality, well-priced New Zealand wine led by Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Waipara Hills has the required wine portfolio.
“We’re confident that the plans we have with Waipara Hills for growth in the Australian market will make this a very successful brand here.”
The agency appointment follows the NZ distribution agreement reached between Waipara Hills and Glengarry Hancocks Ltd in September 2002.
Waipara Hills is New Zealand’s youngest public wine company having been launched in September 2001. The company’s has won several gold medals for its 2002 wines made under the guidance of consultant winemaker Alan McCorkindale. Waipara Hills shares are tradeable on the secondary sharemarket.
For Further Information Please Contact: Ian Blowers |
