NEWS 10 The <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>October</strong> <strong>21</strong>, 20<strong>21</strong> Gold medals for local wines By SHELLEY TOPP Two Waipara Valleywinerieshavewon goldmedals at the NewWorld20<strong>21</strong>Wine Awards. WaiparaHillsWinerywon agold medal for its 20<strong>21</strong>pinot grisand its20<strong>21</strong> pinot noir rose,whichwas also voted champion wineinits class, while The CraterRim Winery wongold forits 2016 reisling. The judgessaid pinot gris wasone of the signature grapes in theWaipara Valleyand theWaipara Hills20<strong>21</strong> wine was ‘‘splendidly roundedand lingering, makingitsuitable forricher dishes such as coconutbasedcurries andspaghetti carbonara’’. The pinot noirrose scored ‘‘high on the yummy scale’’and was saidbythe judges to be beautifully scentedshowing ripe cherry,rock melon and tropical fruit aromas, together with afinely layered palate offering youthfulfruitintensityas wellascreamy texture andrefreshing acidity. It was a‘‘totally deliciou’’ winewhich would be ‘‘brilliant with most seafood dishes suchasgrilledprawns,smoked salmon and Thai fish cakes’’, the judges said. The Crater Rim2016reislingattracted similarhigh praise. ‘‘Rieslingcomesinamultitudeof shapes andripeness,’’the judgessaid. ‘‘This is adelectablyricherstyle, offeringelegant sweetnessand spicy nuanceswithgrilledpeachand candied orangepeelcharacters.’’ The focus on theseawards was to select the top50wines selling forunder $25. Morethan1000 wines wereblind tasted by thejudges to find the top 50. Theyjudged the wineinthe glass on Wine awards success ... Waipara Hills Winery winemaker Krystal Palmer is excited by the success of the company’s wines at the New World 20<strong>21</strong> Wine Awards. PHOTO: SUPPLIED the day,knowingonly the variety,vintage and countryoforigin. Eachwinewas assessed usingthe sameinternationally recognised 100point systemused at other leading wineshows,whichbenchmarks entries againstwhataperfectwine should be like. The goldmedalwinningwines were tasted and graded at least19times by 11 different judgeswhile thechampion wines went through an evenmore robust processbeingtasted at least 36 times. Waipara Hills winemaker Krystal Palmersayssuccess at the wine awards delivered hugeexposure for the company’swine butalsofor the Waipara Valleycommunity of winemakers. ‘‘Itisprettycool. Iamsopumped to get suchgreat recognition because we make beautiful wine here,’’she said. ‘‘The aromaticsfromWaipara are amazing.’’ The NewWorld 20<strong>21</strong>WineAwards werejudged in July by apanelof18 independent judgesbut results werenot publicly announced until earlier this month. Promotion targets city By DAVIDHILL Christchurch residents areencouraged to pop into Waimakariri. Enterprise <strong>North</strong><strong>Canterbury</strong>’sdistrict promotionsarm, VisitWaimakariri, is launchinganew brandtomorrow(<strong>October</strong> 22) as part of a12month campaign to promote what Waimakaririhas to offer. Alogo has been created alongwithfour marketingcampaigns to coincidewiththe seasons,destinationdevelopmentofficer Janine Rogerssays. ‘‘Our new logoisamarkthatconfidently places Waimakaririonthe map. ‘‘Two lines wraparound each other to meetatacentral point providing afocus and destination. ‘‘The flowing lines speak of therolling hills andflowingriverscoming together, while within the negativespace created are two koru, representing the deep connection to the earth.’’ Eachcampaign will run for eightweeks withthemestoemphasise thebestof Waimakariri’sattractionsfor each season. Beginning with spring, thefirst campaign will promote‘‘physical’’ activities such as cycling, walking,golfand nature. The summercampaign is ‘‘waterbased’’ and hopestopromotethe proposed aqua sports park,kayaking, theKaiapoi River Queen,surfing, swimming andcanyoning. Autumn’s campaign is ‘‘foodand towns’’ which focuses on theabundance of food fromthe harvestand willpromotethe district’scafes,restaurants, farmers’ markets and the Made<strong>North</strong><strong>Canterbury</strong> brand. ‘‘Shopping andarts’’ will be the winter focus, to promote high endfashion, recycled goodsand art galleries. It’s all about gettingChristchurch intoour towns and ourbusinesses,’’Janinesays. From theWaimakariri River in thesouth to Kekerengu in thenorth, the<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong> hasgot it covered. Reaching 48,000 readers every week
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