Te Awa trumps wine awards

From left, vineyard manager Paul Robinson and winemaker Richard Painter, Te Awa Estate Winery.

Hard work, quality and a good site were all factors in creating this year's wine awards' champion blend.

The Te Awa Single Estate Gimblett Gravels Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 took out Champion Wine of Show at the Hawke's Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards on Tuesday night.

The classic Bordeaux-style in flavour wine blew judges away with its structure and texture with "base notes of cassis, blackberry and plum but its floral/dried herb, spicy lift is what really sets it apart", chief judge Rod Easthope said.

Te Awa winemaker Richard Painter was thrilled with the win which reflected the hard work and dedication of the team.

"One thing that was really exciting for us was that a red blend won Champion Wine of Show.

"I'm really fond of red blend, I love making them and I love drinking them."

The flavour, texture and elegance of the wine came down to a few different things but mainly the vineyard's site on Gimblett Gravels, he said.

"It's world-renowned for producing some elegant red wines."

The stony soil causes the vines to have low crop loads which mean they yield deeply concentrated fruit, Mr Painter said.

Once the grapes are grown, they spend two years in a barrel and this final product was a blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon with a splash of malbec.

Depending on the season there will be more of one than the other in the blend and it is up to the winemaker to choose the best, he said.

"We had an excellent growing season in 2015, it was a nice temperate climate."

Mr Painter, who grew up in Rotorua, has lived in Hawke's Bay for 10 years and studied winemaking because it was a great way to practically apply what he had learnt about soil and climate while studying geography.

"Having the background in geography really complements winemaking."

Te Awa vineyard manager Paul Robinson hoped the judges had noticed the expression of the site coming through in the wine.

"We try to grow grapes to reflect the site that they are grown on."

The vines were planted in the 1990s which has given them time to fully develop and show the character of the site on the edge of Gimblett Gravels, he said.

"It's provided some exceptional red wines and with Te Awa vineyard being on the edge it means there is a little bit more silt in the soil."

The way the vine grows and the flavour of the fruit is a bit different to full-bodied Gimblett Gravels merlot cabernet sauvignon, he said.

"That's perhaps what stood out to the judges. It's a massive achievement for the Te Awa brand."

This wine is at the top end of Te Awa products and undergoes the highest quality practices from the team to produce the best product, he said.

"There's a big focus on attention to detail. It's great to see all the hard work and quality focus that we're putting into the vineyards paying off."

Te Awa was purchased by Villa Maria in 2012 and since having this vineyard in the portfolio the wines have gone from strength to strength, he said.

Mr Robinson, who has been with Villa Maria for 10 years, moved from Taranaki to Hawke's Bay after high school to study viticulture at Eastern Institute of Technology.

His interest in viticulture started with a love of horticulture at high school.