A total of 1379 wines were entered in the 2013 Air New Zealand Wine Awards and tonight one will be named the elite gold medal winner at a function in Queenstown.
Chair of judges Michael Brajkovich MW said the overall standard across all varietals this year was ''outstanding'', making judging a difficult task for the 26 judges, including 10 associate apprentices and two international judges, who described the wines as ''of world standard''.
In the Pinot Noir category, 22 gold medals were awarded - 15 of those going to Central Otago wineries.
The Central region won 82 medals in total, including 18 gold, 21 silver and 43 bronze.
Marlborough led the way in the gold medal count, winning 55, plus 109 silver and 180 bronze.
Mr Brajkovich said while Marlborough dominated the Sauvignon Blanc category, the Pinot Noirs were dominated by Central Otago and Canterbury.
''2013 was a very good vintage across the country ... the next couple of years we're going to see some really good wines in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot ... and Shiraz ... they're just not bottled yet.''
More than 500 people will attend the awards ceremony this evening at the Queenstown Events Centre, where the trophy winners will also be announced.
Mr Brajkovich said wines which did well in this competition ''can do well in any competition anywhere in the world''.
