Toasting success at the NZ Fruit Wine & Cider Awards
New Zealand’s cider and fruit wine producers have toasted success in Nelson at the 2024 NZ Fruit Wine & Cider Awards.
Organisers described the event as “shining a spotlight on the innovation and craftsmanship defining New Zealand's fruit wine and cider industry.”
This year’s event saw an increase in the number of producers entering the awards, up to 29 from 24 the previous year. Judges assessed 128 entries, awarding 40 bronze, 50 silver, 17 gold medals, and 15 trophies.
Organisers say they plan to keep the celebration in Nelson for the next five years, as it is at the heart of New Zealand’s fruit wine and cider industry.
Chair of the New Zealand Fruit Wine and Cider Makers Association, Jody Scott, said the event was “a celebration of the resilience, passion, and creativity of our producers” in what he described as a “challenging year” for the drinks industry.
Paynter’s Cider from Hawke’s Bay took the title of Champion Cider for its Mon Cherry, Warkworth’s Lothlorien Winery won Champion Fruit Wine for its Feijoa & Manuka Honey Liqueur.
Peckham’s Cidery and Orchard in Tasman won Champion Producer for the second consecutive year, winning six gold medals and three best-in-class trophies. .
Chair of Judges Merophy Hyslop commended this year’s field, noting, “Each year, cider quality leaps forward, reflecting rising industry standards. This year, traditional and low-alcohol categories stood out, with more uniquely Kiwi ingredients like feijoa, boysenberry, and pohutukawa making these drinks one-of-a-kind.”
The New Zealand awards night continued a run of recent successes for Peckham’s. They took home a trophy for their new Apple Zero Non-Alcoholic Cider, which was also ranked the Best in Class/Top Scoring Zero at the recent Australian Cider Awards 2024, and another trophy for Hazy Apple as Best Traditional Cider, also the winner of Champion Cider at the New World Beer and Cider Awards in May and a silver medal at the Australian Cider Awards.
2024 Fruit Wine & Cider Champion Awards
NZ Champion Cider – Mon Cherry, Paynter’s Cider (Hawke’s Bay)
NZ Champion Fruit Wine – Feijoa & Manuka Honey Liqueur, Lothlorien Winery (Warkworth)
NZ Champion Producer – Peckham’s Cidery & Orchard (Tasman)
Trophy winners: Cider
Best Modern Cider – Easy Rider, Capital Cider Co (Tasman)
Best Traditional Cider - Alex Peckham Memorial Trophy – Hazy Apple, Peckham’s Cidery & Orchard (Tasman)
Best Pear Cider (Perry) – The Earl’s Drop, Tee Pee Cider (Greytown)
Best Cider with Berry Fruit – Boysenberry, Peckham’s Cidery & Orchard (Tasman)
Best Cider With Non-Berry Fruits – Mon Cherry, Paynter’s Cider (Hawke’s Bay)
Best Bottle-Fermented Cider – Dry As 2024, Elemental Cider (Ōtaki)
Best Cider with Spice, Botanicals or Honey – Pohutukawa Flower 2024, Elemental Cider (Otaki)
Best Specialty Cider Low /Zero Alcohol Cider – Apple Zero, Peckham’s Cidery & Orchard (Tasman)
Trophy winners: Fruit wine
Best Table Wine – Organic Blueberry Wine, Monavale Blueberries (Cambridge)
Best Fortified Fruit Wine or Fruit Liqueur – Feijoa & Manuka Honey Liqueur, Lothlorien Winery (Warkworth)
Best Alcoholic Soft Drink – Ginger Beersies, The Cider Factorie, (Tauranga)
Best Kombucha – Gin & Ginger, Kombucha Bros (Nelson)
W: For full results visit cider.org.nz
