Pegasus Bay winery Anyone who has spent time living and working in London will have heard the announcements on the London Underground to "mind the gap". At a couple of stations the curvature of the platform can lead to a space between the door and the platform which could swallow up a less than nimble foot. It was a gap of a different sort which was the premise of a recent tasting event in London billed as "The Judgement of London", part of the London Wine Fair and somewhat of a homage to Steven Spurrier who organised The Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976, pitting the very best of Californian chardonnay and cabernet against their French benchmarks (the upstart Americans famously won). Nearly 50 years on from the Paris tasting, the goal was to see whether there remains any gap in quality between the finest wines of Europe and their counterparts from the rest of the world. The tasting co-ordinators Sarah Abbott MW and Ronan Sayburn MS chose 32 wines, pairs of eight whites and eight reds with one each from Europe and the Rest of the World. These were tasted blind (all masked) under exam conditions by 21 top judges from the United Kingdom, two-thirds of those being either Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers, all prompted to focus simply on which they thought was the better wine in each pairing rather than trying to guess what each wine might be. In the final, very tight scoring, Europe pipped the Rest of the World by 2621.5 points to 2604.5 points so just a whisker over 0.5% difference, which may put to bed the notion that the wines of Europe are demonstrably better than the Rest of the World. More importantly for New Zealand was the award for top white and top wine of the tasting. These were both awarded to 2011 Pegasus Bay Bel Canto Dry Riesling which is a fabulous result for the Donaldson family in Waipara and shines a light on New Zealand wines as a whole. The wine retailed for $35 when it was available. Pegasus Bay marketing manager Edward Donaldson says the family has always made wines that they feel truly reflect the location and each season, as well as their own personal philosophies, rather than being influenced by chasing medals or scores. "Having our Bel Canto Riesling selected as one of the 16 wines to represent the very best of the new world was humbling enough. "However, having our wine selected as the best overall wine has left us speechless." • Top-scoring white — Pegasus Bay Riesling, Bel Canto, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand 2011 • Runner-up — Polish Hill Riesling, Grosset, Clare Valley, Australia 2012 • Top-scoring red — Hermitage Rouge, Jean-Louis Chave, Rhone, France 2012 • Runner-up — Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France 2009 • Top-scoring wine — Pegasus Bay Riesling, Bel Canto, Waipara, North Canterbury, New Zealand 2011 2023 Pegasus Bay Bel Canto Dry Riesling Price RRP $40 Rating Excellent to outstanding Expressive nose, gunflint, river stones/ gravel, nectarine and apricot revealing themselves, then mandarin zest. Complex. Richly textural, real viscosity, totally mouth-filling, palate weight yet still marvellously light on its feet. That mandarin citrus leads the palate, dry honey and nectarine in support, a wisp of apricot kernel on the finish. Fascinating and complex. www.pegasusbay.com 2023 Gibbston Valley Le Maitre Central Otago Riesling Price RRP $49 Rating Excellent Directly following a richer style, this nose is more delicate, drier perhaps. With aeration a nice volume of red apple, apple skin, citrus, honey and smoke. Texturally rich palate but then the racy acidity kicks in allied to an attractively chalky element. Real lip- smacking sapidity, power yet ethereality; feels like there’s much more to come here, possibly underscored. www.gibbstonvalley.com 2023 Pegasus Bay Aria Late Harvest Riesling Price RRP $45 Rating Excellent Struck match, mandarin/orange, spiced honey, a sense of depth and weight. The honeyed aspects flow across the palate, with orange, barley sugar and marzipan yet there’s a deft lightness of touch that neatly tempers the sweetness. Initially relatively primary, but with time in the glass this steps into another gear, the texture swells and the honeyed sweetness integrates nicely. www.pegasusbay.com
