Elephant Hill Wins At Wine Competitions

Elephant Hill Wins At Two Prestigious International Wine Competitions

2007 Viognier Wins A Blue-Gold Medal
At The Sydney International Wine Competition

Bronze For The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc
At The International Wine And Spirit Competition In London

December 3rd, 2007, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand - Elephant Hill a new and innovative winery estate located in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, has won a blue-gold medal at the Sydney International Wine Competition for its inaugural 2007 Viognier and bronze at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London for the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc.

Winning a Blue-Gold Medal for the 2007 Viognier is a testament to the perfect long Indian summer climate which allowed the fruit to ripen slowly to develop intense apricot and Turkish delight flavours to mingle alongside hints of pink grapefruit and nectarine.

The 2007 harvest at the Te Awanga vineyard was excellent for Sauvignon Blanc allowing tropical fruit and orange zest flavours to complement beautiful floral aromas. This wine reflects the excellent warm and dry growing season experienced in Hawke’s Bay.

The 2008 Sydney International Wine Competition promotes wines of balance, harmony, and the ability to drink now. Involving a rigorous, quadruple judging process, it is the only major international wine show where the finalists are judged alongside an appropriate food match.

Held in London, the 2007 International Wine and Spirit Competition is the premier competition of its kind with the aim to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. The judging process involves two phases; professional blind tasting and a detailed chemical and microbiological analysis.

Wine Maker Steve Skinner, said to achieve this recognition from two prestigious competitions is a dream start for Elephant Hill and the success reflects the intrinsic elements of wine; climate, land, vines and people.

“Our philosophy is to preserve the variety expression of the fruit grown on our estate vineyards and to produce elegant, sophisticated and fruit driven wines, to express the personality and character of the region from which they are grown,” he said.

Elephant Hill is a producer of premium single-estate Hawke’s Bay wine. Located on the Te Awanga coast, the vineyard enjoys a temperate dry climate and extended growing season. Cooled by afternoon sea breezes, the shingle vineyard allows wines to be grown that display wonderful fruit purity and elegance.

Principal owners, Roger and Reydan Weiss first fell in love with the beauty of this region when visiting in 2001 together they envisaged a state-of-the-art winery producing world class wines from this stunning part of New Zealand.

The first vines were planted in 2003 and the inaugural vintage occurred in 2006, currently under construction, the $NZ40 million dollar winery is expected to be fully operational before the new vintage. The completion of the estate, including a restaurant with stunning design features and sweeping panoramic coastal views is expected to be late 2008.

ENDS

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