Liquorland shares top wine tips at Auckland Food Show

Attention wine lovers! The Liquorland team will be on hand at this years’ Auckland Food Show, 30 July – 2 August, to share wine tasting tips and to encourage visitors to test their wine knowledge with blind taste tests. Can you tell the difference between a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc?

Director of the Liquorland Top 100 and well known wine consultant, Belinda Jackson, will be leading the team and will be on hand to answer all your wine related questions.

What’s hot and what’s not? Exploring and enjoying new wines is becoming more common in New Zealand, according to Belinda, as Kiwis are becoming more adventurous with their wine purchasing.

“Pinot Gris is still ‘hot’ with New Zealanders and Viognier is getting hotter. Arneis is coming on the scene and at last Riesling is increasing in popularity,” she says.

“As a nation of people who often enjoy more informal socialising, it’s wonderful to see an enjoyment of wine growing – we’re realising there is a wine style for every occasion.”

Each year Liquorland holds their annual Liquorland Top 100 International Wine Competition, setting out to identify the top 100 wine choices available in New Zealand, enabling a risk-free purchasing decision for wine drinkers.

This year wine expert Mike DeGaris will lead a line up of 21 local and international judges in sampling and judging wine entries for the country’s largest commercial wine event.

“Not only do the Liquorland Top 100 awards provide independent endorsement for wine lovers, they also provide the opportunity to try new wines as consumers can trust their purchase will be of exceptional quality,” says Belinda.

“For consumers who enjoy wine but who don’t necessarily have great wine knowledge, the in-store Liquorland Top 100 guide and tasting notes are extremely effective in helping them select a top-quality wine that suits both their taste and budget.”

The Liquorland Top 100 International Wine Competition includes 20 classes, from Chardonnay to Shiraz, Pinot Gris to Pinot Noir as well as Sparkling, Fortified and Rose.

The judging for the competition will take place over three days from 25 - 27 August in Marlborough, with the Liquorland Top 100 and trophies announced on 2 October at the awards evening in Auckland.

 ENDS

 Notes to the editor

· The 2009 Liquorland Top 100 will be published in a colour catalogue and will be available online at www.top100.co.nz. The full list of trophy winners and medal winners will be available at Liquorland outlets nationwide from Monday 5 October.

In a striking environmental move, the 2009 judging event has been certified carbon neutral. Liquorland is working with carboNZero to measure, manage and mitigate emissions leading to what is believed to be the first certification in the world for a wine competition.

· The Liquorland Top 100 International Wine Competition is open to any wines made wholly from grapes, from any wine-producing country either directly from producers or via their distributors or agents in New Zealand.

Belinda Jackson

· Belinda has been in the wine industry for over 20 years after discovering her life’s passion in Bordeaux. She has worked across Europe and New Zealand in all aspects of the trade, including selling, buying, educating, marketing and making wine. As well as director of the Liquorland Top 100 International Wine Competition, Belinda is also a consultant to various wine producers.