Entries open for Air New Zealand Wine Awards

Entries are open for the 2015 Air New Zealand Wine Awards, a competition which celebrates excellence in New Zealand winemaking and is widely considered to be the country’s most prestigious wine competition.

"This is the 40th year New Zealand Winegrowers have managed the Awards", said Chris Yorke, New Zealand Winegrowers’ Global Marketing Director. "They are an iconic event in the industry calendar and this longevity cements the Awards’ reputation as the best wine competition in the country".

The judging of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards will take place from 2 to 4 November in Auckland by an independent judging panel consisting of some of New Zealand’s most prestigious and experienced wine judges. Two international judges will be joining the panel: Mark Protheroe, head of beverage operations for the Grossi group of restaurants in Melbourne in Australia; and Ronny Lau, an independent wine critic and co-chairman of the Shanghai International Wine Challenge in China.

The gold medal winning wines will be announced on 10 November, and on 28 November, the ‘best of the best’ trophy winning wines will be revealed at a black tie dinner in Nelson.

The Air New Zealand Wine Awards are owned and organised by New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organisation for the country's 1,600 grape growers and winemakers. Entries are open to wineries from 10 August to 18 September.

For more information visit www.airnzwineawards.co.nz