Clearview Estate’s golden Gewürztraminer

16 October 2014

Clearview Estate’s golden Gewürztraminer

The golden 2014 Hawke’s Bay vintage is living up to its promise for Te Awanga's Clearview Estate Winery, with a first ever gold awarded for this season’s Gewürztraminer at the International Aromatic Wine Competition announced today (Wednesday 15 October).

“This wine is the one of the most popular in our restaurant,” says Clearview Estate winemaker Barry Riwai. “We sometimes have to encourage people to try the wine as there is some taste preconception out there about ‘Gewurzt’, but once they do, they love it. We certainly love it, and it’s fantastic that finally wine judges do too.”

The previous vintage took out a silver medal at the same wine competition last year, which is run by the Canterbury A&P Society and focuses on aromatic wines including Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Viognier, that are made in an aromatic style from any internationally recognised region.

The purpose of the competition is to highlight to consumers the best aromatic wine varieties available in the New Zealand market for the wine drinker.

Mr Riwai, who is a wine judge himself, says that he has heard the Gewürztraminer wine variety being described as “an old lady’s handbag” with its typically floral boutique of rose petals and talcum powder. However, he hastens to add that Clearview’s offering, as a warmer climate wine, was well balanced with “more of a ginger and lychee freshness”.

Another Clearview wine, its 2014 Haumoana Viognier, took out a silver medal in its class – another first for the Hawke’s Bay winery that only produces this wine when the grapes are special enough. “This is likely to be our last of this wine for a while, so we’re expecting demand to be strong,” says Mr Riwai.

Background Information
Established by Tim Turvey and Helma van den Berg in 1989, Clearview Estate continues as a family owned and operated business – handcrafted wines are grown, produced and bottled onsite. Renowned for award-winning Chardonnays and full bodied red wines, and the rustic and iconic ‘red shed’ restaurant that pioneered vineyard seaside dining in 1991 by combining a cellar door and lunch restaurant in a leafy vineyard setting.

Situated on the coastline of Hawke's Bay at Te Awanga, the Estate enjoys a unique microclimate, virtually frost-free with a warm, extended growing season and refreshing sea breezes. Clearview Estate focuses on quality; producing wines of great fruit intensity with a strong commitment to sustainability in all aspects of the business.

ENDS

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