Ohiti Valley blend now hard to find

Tony Bish has nurtured many successful wines at Sacred Hill. Photo / File

On the evening of October 20 there will be glasses raised to a special wine. It will be the wine adjudged to be the Champion Wine of Show; the best of the Bay; the top drop, as declared by the judges of the 15th Hawke's Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards.

The event is now an established part of the region's world-class wine industry and the nod as the Bay's best wine is eagerly sought after by winemakers, viticulturists, winery management - everyone on deck, so to speak. Leading up to the big night, where wines will be tasted and toasted and awards poured out, Hawke's Bay Today will profile the 14 Champion Wine of Show winners. Today we feature Sacred Hill's winning drop.

Champion Wine of Show for 2004: Sacred Hill Helmsman Cabernet Merlot 2002

It was a good year for Sacred Hill and taking out the fourth Champion Wine of Show was a good reason to raise a glass or two.

For senior winemaker Tony Bish it came when the winery's Gimblett Gravels vineyard was only just starting to produce fine fruit.

So the Helmsman was made mainly from cabernet merlot grapes which came from the Ohiti Valley vineyard - and they accordingly made a real mark with the judges that year.

It was relatively early days for Sacred Hill back then and, as Mr Bish said, they have come a long way since - the accolades through the years acknowledging that.

He said the Helmsman had been popular and sold well - so much so, they were all gone early after being released.

Apart from a few bottles in private cellars here and there the stocks had all long gone.

Picking up both a gold medal and the top trophy wine made it a "brilliant year" for the winery, and it was particularly sweet to take the Bay's top accolade, he said.

"These are our people, and this is great," Mr Bish said on the night as he brandished the trophy which was a specially-commissioned artwork created by Havelock North designer-artist David Trubridge.

The panel of international and national judges also named the Sacred Hill wine the show's top Bordeaux blend.