Central Otago winery bags massive haul of awards

Karl Coombes, Jen Parr, Craig Carter, Bronwyn Carter at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards over the weekend

Central Otago winery Valli Vineyards has bagged a string of awards over the weekend both domestically as well as on the international stage.

In Auckland, the company was awarded the New Zealand Winegrower Trophy for Champion Pinot Noir at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. The winning wine was the Valli Bendigo Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018. The Valli Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 picked up a Gold Medal at the same show.

Jen Parr, Grant Taylor, Craig Carter, and Izzie Carter (dog) with the trophy amongst the winning vines.

Earlier that day, the prestigious TEXSOM International Wine Awards in the USA announced that Valli had been awarded the Judge’s Top Selection for Pinot Noir for their Valli Waitaki Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 as well as the Judge’s Top Selection for best New Zealand Red Wine for the Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018. The Judge’s Selection is awarded to the top wine in each category.

At Auckland’s Pullman Hotel to receive the Easter Show Trophy was Valli’s New Zealand Winemaker of the Year Jen Parr, along with assistant winemaker Karl Coombes and Craig Carter, viticulturist at the Zebra Vineyards on Bendigo’s China Terrace which provided the fruit for the winning wine.

Parr paid tribute to the provenance of the grapes and the work of the whole team particularly in the winery where restraint was shown in an effort to “capture the rugged beauty and understated power of this magnificent piece of land.”

It’s been a big year for Valli with Jen Parr being named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by the prestigious Australian magazine Gourmet Traveller WINE in January. Last week the Valli Gibbston Vineyard Pinot noir 2018 was the highest ranking New Zealand Pinot Noir (95 Points) in the US Publication Wine Advocate, with Valli’s three remaining Pinot Noirs not far behind, receiving 93-94 Points.

For Valli Vineyards founder Grant Taylor, “The most gratifying part has been the international recognition of the Pinot Noirs from our two cooler sites, Gibbston and Waitaki. It is the culmination of a good vintage, a winemaking team that over the years have come to understand the intricacies of these sites and vines that are now old enough to tell their story in the most entrancing way.”