50TH Trophy Awarded To Family Winery

MEDIA RELEASE - 25 NOVEMBER 2007

50TH Trophy Awarded To Family Winery

Saint Clair Marlborough Pinot Gris Announced As Trophy Winner

Saint Clair Marlborough Pinot Gris 2007 has been awarded the Champion Pinot Gris Trophy at the 2007 Air New Zealand Wine Awards, announced Saturday 24 November in Christchurch.

This is a significant milestone for Saint Clair Estate Wines, as the trophy is the 50th it has been awarded since 2001, and is also its first ever trophy for a Pinot Gris.

Saint Clair Estate Wines has previously won trophies for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Merlot, showcasing the team’s winemaking expertise across all variants. This was also demonstrated with its first ever gold medal for a Gewürztraminer for the Saint Clair Pioneer Block 12 Lone Gum Gewürztraminer.

Owner of Saint Clair, Neal Ibbotson, says, “We are delighted to have been recognised for our Pinot Gris, as its popularity is growing rapidly and we see a strong future for this variety. This trophy is recognition for hard work by the viticulture and winemaking team, and demonstrates that we don’t just produce great Sauvignon Blanc.”

Pinot Gris is the fastest growing wine variety in New Zealand, with sales doubling in size in the last 12 months, and export sales starting to show good potential with 119 percent MAT growth.

Ibbotson continues, “We continue to experiment with the Saint Clair Pioneer Block range, giving our Chief Winemaker, Matt Thomson and the rest of the team a great opportunity to push the boundaries in their winemaking.”

Toast Saint Clair’s success this summer with a glass of the trophy-winning Saint Clair Marlborough Pinot Gris 2007, available through leading fine wine stores nationwide and the Saint Clair Cellar Door and Café, retailing at approximately $20.95 per bottle.

For more information on Saint Clair Estate Wines visit www.saintclair.co.nz

ENDS.

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