(PR.co.nz) The awards were announced after more than 30 panelists from top restaurants and bars tasted the wines, looking for the best from the fine wine, house wine and gastropub categories.
Over 1,500 tastings took place during the Imbibe Live competition, with the Mud House 2010 Marlborough Sauvignon beating twelve other short-listed wines in a blind trial to win best gastropub wine.
The judging panel agreed the wine was; “Instantly recognisable as Kiwi Sauvignon with its gooseberry/elderflower axis, intense aromas of passion fruit, pink grapefruit, the distinctive crunchy palate and underlying mineral twang.”
Competition director Chris Losh says the judges look for the same things in a wine that a consumer looks for; typicity, food-friendliness and versatility.
Mud House Wines spokesperson Cathy Wansink says the company is thrilled to have its varietal recognised at the awards.
“The 2010 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has been a standout for Mud House. Launched earlier in the year, its been hugely popular with Kiwis and has also been frequently recognized on the international stage,” says Wansink.
The continual success of the Mud House 2010 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc follows on from the Gold Medal win in May at the Sommelier Wine Awards, as well as being awarded Wine of the Year at Finland’s Wine of the Year Competition 2011.
The varietal was also recently presented with four stars in the inaugural What Food What Wine Competition in the UK which invites some of the most influential wine and food writers to match wines with the top 10 food dishes in Britain.
Wansink says the Mud House 2010 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was paired with the UK favourite of fish and chips at the blind tasting and the judges commented that the wine was ‘bold and refreshing with grassy notes and elderflower fruit, touches of green peat and citrus hints’.
“These flavours helped cut through the heavy notes of the food with the zingy character coming to the fore with a creamy mouthfeel which they said altogether was a lovely match,” she says.
The What Food What Wine awards were organised by the International Wine and Spirit Competition Group Ltd.
For more information visit www.mudhouse.co.nz.
Media Release 15 July 2011.