KEY POINTS:
Esk Valley Estate winemaker Gordon Russell won the prestigious title of Winemaker of the Year at the 54th annual Royal Easter Wine Show held in Auckland at the weekend.
In addition to being named Winemaker of the Year, Mr Russell and his team at Hawke's Bay's Esk Valley Estate won the trophies for both Champion Syrah and Champion Wine of the Show with the Esk Valley Reserve Syrah 2005.
It is the second year running a syrah from the Gimblett Gravels area has won the top award, with the Vidal Estate Soler Syrah taking out top spot last year.
"The potential of the Gimblett Gravels area is just starting to be realised and the syrah from this area has the potential to be one of New Zealand's great styles," Mr Russell said.
"The Aussies have gone for the big jammy, black, oaky style, while we've going more for the true syrah style with the perfume, elegance and natural acidity. Ours are more complex and food-friendly," he said.
Esk Valley Estate has been making syrah since 2001. The grapes for this year's winning wine came from Cornerstone vineyard and Mr Russell had special praise for wine-grower Bob Newton.
Mr Russell, who has been a winemaker for 20 years and at Esk Valley since 1993, believed this year's harvest was shaping up as one of the finest.
An "unbelievably good" March with its cool nights and dry days meant "there was no reason Hawke's Bay won't make its best wines ever", Mr Russell said.
The Royal Easter Wine Show is one of New Zealand's oldest and most respected wine competitions, attracting entries from wineries across the country.
Presided over by Master of Wine Bob Campbell and renowned Australian wine writer, James Haliday, it seeks to find the finest 14 New Zealand wines available to the public.
- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY
