What will you be drinking this Christmas?
Pep up your Christmas parties with these awardwinning yet affordable local bubbles.
There’s nothing like the pop of a sparkling wine cork to get a party started, and now a panel of expert judges have made it easy to choose the best bubbles for your end of year and Christmas celebrations.
Four local sparkling wines have come out on top in the 2019 New World Wine Awards – The People’s Wine 2015 Méthode Traditionnelle ($19.99), Te Hana Reserve Cuvée NV ($13.99), Lindauer Classic Rosé NV ($10.99), and Te Hana Rosé NV ($13.99), which won the trophy for best sparkling wine.
They were judged Gold medal winners by a panel of 17 independent wine experts at the New World Wine Awards, then selected for an even higher accolade, as the stars of the Top 50 selection.
All wines in the Awards retail for less than $25, reflecting New World’s goal of offering New Zealanders excellent wines for every budget.
Jane De Witt, who is head winemaker for both Te Hana and Lindauer, and one of the most awarded sparkling winemakers in the country, says the bubbles in sparkling wine evoke joy and the pop of a cork lets everyone know it’s time to celebrate. Unlike in France, where champagne will be served with a meal in New Zealand sparkling wine is seen as a party or celebration wine. She says French champagne, which must come from the Champagne region, is steeped in history, whereas New Zealand
bubblies are young in comparison, but can be just as good. “The good ones have balance, structure, elegance and finesse.”
Chief winemaker for The People’s Wine, Dave Edmonds, says there’s something intrinsically ‘new world’ about New Zealand wines. “The ‘new world’ exuberance of fruit can easily sneak into the wine style. In the People’s Wine’s winning méthode traditionnelle, there is great fruit
and winemaking techniques learnt over a decade. Add in the time spent in the bottle, and you have produced a great example of what New Zealand can do.”
His advice for the upcoming festive season is to always have your favourite bubbles in the fridge so you can celebrate at the drop of a hat. “Have another bottle on standby and be generous with your celebration,” he adds.
“The good ones have balance, structure, elegance and finesse.”
Head into your local New World to check out the 2019 New World Wine Awards Top 50 wines and discover awardwinning wines for every budget.
Or visit www.newworld. co.nz/wineawards to find wine tasting notes and details of complimentary in-store wine sampling dates.