The NZ National Wine Tasting Competition Final was a tightly contested race for the top score. With 8 wines and 40 questions, the top 5 slots rotated regularly with the Canterbury Team of CP Lin, Ashley Stewart, Tony Dale and Michael Ormandy winning by 964 points or just one question. Our Bubble of 4 in the OPEN category came 2nd with team members Allister Mora, Silvia Rueckschnat, Dave Anderson and Robyn Lansdaal. In 3rd place were the Hawkes Bay team of Sue Fox-Warren, Yvonne Lorkin, Nick Stewart and Hannes Sohnge.
Celia Hay, chair of New Zealand Sommeliers and Wine Professionals Association comments.
“This is the first time that our association has run a wine tasting competition and we are delighted to see the interest around New Zealand which included 12 teams competing in Martinborough.
We are selecting wines from well-known regions that have recognisable styles so that people who regularly taste wine should have a reasonable chance to identify the wines that we pour. The wines are different at each competition.
These days we use a digital app to present the questions and the teams of 4 use a mobile phone to ‘tap’ their answers.
It’s fun and provides a unique environment to test wine knowledge. We will continue to offer the competition each year.
The New Zealand Sommeliers and Wine Professionals Association is a non-profit registered society supporting people working in wine and hospitality in New Zealand. It is a member of ASI Association of Sommeliers International who run regular competitions around the world.
White wines tasted
Badenhorst ‘Secateurs’ Chenin Blanc 2020 – Swartland, South Africa
Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough, NZ
Hospice de Colmar Riesling 2016 – Alsace, France
Villa Maria Ihumātao Chardonnay 2018, Auckland, NZ
Red wines
Dominique Piron, Fleurie 2019, Beaujolais, France
Giesen Clayvin Syrah 2019, Marlborough, NZ
Hans Herzog, Spirit of Marlborough 2015, NZ
Peter Lehmann, The Barossan Shiraz, 2018, Barossa, Australia
1st Place: Canterbury: Ashley Stewart, CP Lin, Tony Dale, Michael Ormandy
2nd Place: Auckland OPEN: Robyn Lansdaal, Dave Anderson, Silvia Rueckschnat, Allister Mora
3rd Place: Hawkes Bay: Sue Fox-Warren, Yvonne Lorkin, Nick Stewart, Hannes Sohnge
Media Release 10 August 2021.