WINE SNIPPETS

Cementing the stellar reputation of Saint

Clair Family Winery, it has pulled off a stunning six gold medals at the recent Marlborough Wine Show. The winning wines were Saint Clair Omaka Reserve Chardonnay 2020, Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Saint Clair Origin Pinot Noir 2020, Saint Clair Pioneer Block 6 Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Saint Clair Pioneer Block 10 Pinot Noir 2020 and Saint Clair Pioneer Block 15 Pinot Noir 2020. The judging team comprised 10 senior judges including Cuisine contributors Ben Glover as chief judge and Stephen Wong, MW, as guest judge. saintclair.co.nz

Congratulations to Peter Russell from Matua Wines for becoming the 2021 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough

Young Winemaker of the Year. Peter was defending the title, so was delighted to win the Marlborough competition for a second year in a row. He will now focus on taking out the national title when he competes against finalists from Central Otago and the North Island at the national final which will be held later in the year.

Mt Difficulty has welcomed a new winemaking team to its Bannockburnbased winery. Greg Lane takes up the role of Chief Winemaker: highly regarded among the winemaking community, Greg was named New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year in 2018. Margot Best steps into the role of Assistant Winemaker, a move that reflects her knowledge, hard work and commitment to the continued evolution of the winery. Congratulations to them both.