Owner Kim Gilkison and staff at Dancing Petrel Vineyard, at Paewhenua Island overlooking Mangonui Harbour. Photo / Supplied
Owner Kim Gilkison and staff at Dancing Petrel Vineyard, at Paewhenua Island overlooking Mangonui Harbour. Photo / Supplied
A wine from Mangonui has won Northland's first-ever double gold medal and been named the best of its variety in the country.
The awards, for Dancing Petrel Vineyard's Dancing Petrel Viognier Reserve 2020, were announced in Auckland on Friday at the New Zealand International Wine Show.
Viognier is a full-bodied white wine originally from southern France.
The vineyard's success is another milestone for Northland's wine industry, which is still small by New Zealand standards but growing in size and reputation.
Dancing Petrel is owned by Kim and Graham Gilkison and is based at Paewhenua Island, off State Highway 10 near Mangonui.
''It gives some real credibility and kudos in the wine-making world, also for Northland as a wine district. It's much underrated though we produce some very good wines here.''
Dancing Petrel has won medals before but never a gold, let alone a double gold.
Double gold is awarded to a wine that is judged twice and given a gold score by all judges on each occasion.
While winemakers are told before the awards night which medals they've won, the trophy for best viognier in the show was a surprise.
The judging panel said the Viognier Reserve 2020 was ''a real cracker''.
Dancing Petrel owner Kim Gilkison with the trophy for best viognier in the New Zealand International Wine Show. Photo / Supplied
Gilkison said the result was confirmation they'd achieved a good wine.
''You can drink your own wine and think it's fantastic but without a third-party opinion, you can be kidding yourself. It's nice to have the recognition. We have some lovely workers in the vineyard and it's also satisfying for them. That's what makes the wine, the work that goes on in the vineyard.''
The Gilkison's have owned the vineyard for four years after selling their engineering business in New Plymouth.
It was originally planted in 2006 when it was known as Butterfish Bay.
The Gilkison's, who are keen anglers, renamed it Dancing Petrel after the storm petrels that dance around their boat when they're out fishing.
Their wine is sold online, at wine shows, and in restaurants and liquor outlets around the Far North. They plan to expand to Whangārei.
They produced 27,000 bottles in 2020.
Dancing Petrel also picked up bronze medals for cabernet franc 2020 and syrah 2020.
Rod MacIvor, Northland's best-known winemaker, said the awards were ''great for Northland and great for Kim and Graham''.
''To have turned the vineyard around in just four years is quite an achievement. Getting best viognier in the competition is very prestigious. That would've turned a few heads at the awards night, I'm sure.''
Dancing Petrel was relatively new so MacIvor hoped the award would encourage more people to seek out and try its wines.
By area planted, Dancing Petrel was currently the second-biggest vineyard in Northland after Karikari Estate, MacIvor said. The Landing, on Purerua peninsula, was third.
Other Northland wineries recognised in the awards included Rogue Vine, which is based at Te Kowhai Pt north of Kerikeri.
Rogue Vine won silver for its Tempranillo 2020 and bronze for its Pinot Gris 2021.
Marsden Estate, on Kerikeri's Wiroa Rd, won silver for its Pinotage 2020 and bronze for Black Rocks Chardonnay 2021, Pinot Gris 2021, Vigot Syrah 2019, Tempranillo 2019 and Chambourcin 2019.
All wines were made by Rod MacIvor.
Almost 1800 wines, local and imported, were entered in the New Zealand International Wine Show.
The first grapevine in New Zealand was planted by Rev Samuel Marsden at Kerikeri in 1819, a short distance from the pā of Ngāpuhi chief Hongi Hika.
