More than 1,280 wines from around Aotearoa and the world were put to the taste test in Hawke’s Bay at the 22^nd annual New World Wine Awards!

This was the first time the region has hosted the full three-day New World Wine Awards judging event, one of the country’s largest wine competitions. 

Competition stewards poured more than 10,000 glasses for the independent judges (many of whom are winemakers), who then divided into panels to share the load of entries; they assessed around 100 wines each per day!

During the competition, Parr led her fellow senior judges in a series of rankings and taste-offs to determine the Champion wines by class and, most importantly, the New World Wine Awards Top 50 under $25. 

The team used an internationally recognised 100-point system to score the wines on technical excellence during the first round. Following this was further rankings and taste-offs, looking for wines with the x-factor that you’d be excited to share with friends or reveal as your price-savvy pick at a dinner party!

Price wasn't part of the equation for the judges however, as the team tasted a mix of over and under $25 wines “blind”, with only the variety and vintage known.  

“This means it’s only about evaluating the wine in the glass on the day,” says Parr.  

The thorough judging process ensured that those at the top rightfully earned their spot as each Gold medal wine was tasted at least 19 times by 11 different judges, and a Champion wine tasted a whopping 36 times or more! 

The Top 50 winning wines are easily available at more than 140 New World stores nationwide, where they are hotly anticipated by wine-loving shoppers. These judges have put in the hard yards to provide a handy guide to those not sure where to start with the wine aisle, or looking for a tip on the best bottles of their favourite varietal!