KEY POINTS:
Hawkes Bay, wine country. Not only is it good simple branding, it's true. Blessed with an excellent range of productive soil types and copious hours of sunshine, the Hawkes Bay has a genteel climate and a pace and rhythm that even the vines seem to sense. Don't mention the frosts. Those cruel beasts of nature can strike with speed and stealth and leave behind chaos and despair.
The winemakers of the region take it on the chin. These are people of resilience, optimism and good humour who have a genuine love of the land. They are also patient: they know that great wines are not created overnight. Hawkes Bay not only has an enviable reputation for some of the country's best red wines but also manages to regularly produce whites of breathtaking elegance.
Such is their confidence that every year they compete against each other with a level of fierceness that doesn't bruise their friendships.
The annual Hawkes Bay A & P Mercedes Benz Wine Awards are regionally based, well run and professionally judged. It's neighbour against neighbour and varietal against varietal. It's all tasted blind, reputations count for nothing, and the judges' decision is final. No recounts, no recriminations, no remorse. How was it this year? Chairman of judges Tony Bish says there were very few wines with any faults and the overall standard was remarkably high. This is no back-slapping, aren't-we-clever, competition.
The judges were blunt: viognier was variable, pinot gris disappointing, sauvignon was solid but not spectacular. Top wine, however, was outstanding. The stars were merlot and cabernet-dominant red blends, with syrah shining brightly.
What really impressed me was the willingness to not award medals in classes where there was no truly excellent wine. Bold, even brutal. But then how else are we going to learn to make world-class wine?
Recommended
2006 Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah
Lower-tier wine in the Villa portfolio but plenty of fruit and finesse. Divine and good buying.
Price: $32
2005 Church Road Cuve Series Merlot
Hand-harvested from Hawkes Bay's Gimblett Gravels. Supple texture, aroma and flavour of rich plummy fruit and new leather. Mellow, marvellous.
Price: $27
