Dingying Jiang from Kahiwi, the 2025 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Central Otago Young Winemaker of the Year. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDHot on the heels of the Young Viticulturist competition comes the Otago leg of the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker competition which was held at Vinpro in Cromwell at the end of July. The knowledge and skill sets of the six contestants were evident as each one of them secured top placing in at least one of the sections which included laboratory analysis, blending, wine knowledge, wine judging, market presentation, essay, professional reputation award and Vin Olympics leading in to the barbecue lunch put on by Fruitfed Supplies. The final challenge was to give their Fruitfed Supplies Speech at the Awards Dinner. Congratulations to Dingying Jiang from Kahiwi Wines who became the 2025 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Central Otago Young Winemaker of the Year. Mention must also go to second and third-placegetters Paiqi Cao from Amisfield and Maia Wylie from Monte Christo. A big shout out to all the contestants who took part. Along with the prizes, as local champion Dingying will go forward to represent Otago in the National Finals at Lincoln University in late August. Thirty-eight-year-old Central Otago wine opened in London Local industry pioneer Alan Brady was recently in London and took a bottle of Central history with him to share at a dinner with Janice Robinson MW, his UK importer Stephen Browett of Farr Vintners and others. The 1987 Central Otago Late Harvest Rhine Riesling was vinted specially for International Cool Climate Symposium for Viticulture and Oenology held in Auckland in 1988, where Robinson was a speaker. The wine was a collaboration made at Rippon Vineyard in Wanaka from grapes from four of the pioneer vineyards, Rippon, Gibbston Valley, Taramea (Speargrass Flat, Arrowtown) and Black Ridge (Alexandra). Alan reported that "wine has a wonderful ability to evoke memories of events and places, and old wines need to be opened with a sense of timing. "There wasn’t much of the wine made and this bottle, probably the last in the universe, has been sitting in my cellar waiting for the right moment. "All agreed the wine was pretty good for its age considering winemaking at the time was fairly primitive. It was treated with all the deference and respect that a wine of that age is entitled to." 2024 Misha’s Vineyard Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $32 Rating Very Good to Excellent Subtle nose at first, evolving to crushed herb, citrus and greengage plum. Nice texture, it seems superfluous to pin down flavours as it’s all about the whole but there’s chopped herbs with a little spicy backdrop. Comes out of its shell with air, growing in depth and palate presence, now even more about the textural richness and lovely carry. www.mishasvineyard.com 2024 Jules Taylor Late Harvest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Price RRP $36 375ml Rating Excellent to Outstanding Sumptuous nose with pea pod, spiced honey, hay, a wisp of brassica leaf. Liquid velvet, so, so rich and honeyed yet the acidity manages to keep this on point. Hints of beeswax, burnt sugar caramelisation, citrus, apricot, incredibly dense and viscous, flavours linger in the mouth. A lot of ingredients crammed into a bottle and would be the perfect match for blue cheese. www.julestaylor.com 2023 Forrest The Doctors’ Marlborough Riesling 9.5% Price RRP $22 Rating Very Good to Excellent Appealing nose of mandarin, red apple, sherbet, dry honey and white flowers. The palate rides the wave of that classic honeyed (fruit) sweetness balanced by the counterpoint of racy acidity. Red apple, apricot, a little mineral too, an interesting contrast as initially that honeyed fruit leads the way, yet the racy acidity lends a just off-dry close with echoes of honey and citrus. www.forrest.co.nz
