Hawke's Bay wine scores in Australian red zone

Hawke's Bay's Elephant Hill winery has scooped a trifecta of awards for its reds in the land acknowledged for its world-beating shiraz varieties.
The Te Awanga vineyard stepped into the heartland of Australian reds at the Sydney International Wine Competition last Saturday and came away with trophies for best light-bodied red wine, best red table wine and the coveted best wine of the competition.
The vineyard's Hawke's Bay 2009 Syrah was the much-lauded entry.
Winemaker Steve Skinner was understandably excited about the results.
"To receive three trophies for our 2009 syrah is an amazing result and a wonderful celebration for the team at Elephant Hill," He said.
The wins had underlined the "rising star power" of Hawke's Bay syrah on the international stage.
The Sydney International Wine Competition attracts wine entries from around the world and promotes wines of balance, harmony, and the ability to drink now.
Involving a rigorous, quadruple judging process, it is the only major international wine show at which the finalists are judged alongside an appropriate food match.
Mr Skinner said Elephant Hill took a 100 per cent hand-pick approach and was fully accredited to Sustainable Winegrowers of New Zealand.