New World Wine Awards underway for 2021
The New World Wine Awards are underway for 2021 with entries now closed and judging to take place in Marlborough later in July.
Each year, the NWWA attract upwards of 1400 entries from around New Zealand and the world to be assessed by an independent panel of expert judges. The Top 50 wines are then made available through more than 135 New World stores and receive comprehensive marketing, advertising and promotional support over a five-week period leading into the festive season.
The competition’s main entry criteria is that wines must be priced under $25 and there must be enough stock available to meet consumer demand in store.
The minimum stock requirement is 4,000 bottles, however organisers say that a temporary adjustment to 3,000 bottles has been made for Sauvignon Blanc, taking into account the reduced volume expected from the 2021 vintage.
The recently established Emerging Varietals class has a lower minimum volume requirement of 1,800 bottles.
Entries closed on Friday 2 July, with judging in late July and results to be announced later in the year.
Sam Kim, Deputy Chair at the Awards for the previous three years, and Jen Parr, an award-winning winemaker and returning judge, will move into their roles as Co-Chair of Judges this year, following the long-signalled retirement of Jim Harré after 13 years at the helm.
“The New World Wine Awards are run to exacting standards and have built a strong reputation within the industry, as well as with consumers, over the past 18 years,” says Kim.
“A Gold medal award and Top 50 placing is a trusted accolade in the supermarket aisle and beyond, presenting entrants with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their brand and wines.”
Together Kim and Parr will oversee an independent panel made up of 15 other wine experts who will judge over three days, employing a double-blind tasting process to ensure results are based only on the quality of the product in the glass on the day and using the world-recognised 100-point scale for scoring.
Opportunities for select New Zealand varieties that retail over $25 are included in the competition this year. The top Gold medal-scoring wine over $25 from each variety will be promoted under the New World Premium New Zealand Selection during the busy Christmas period.