Wine awards judging begins

Twenty six wine experts are spending the next three days sampling more than 1750 entries in the Air New Zealand wine awards.

The number is a record.

Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir dominate again this year, but there are more aromatic wine varieties in the running as well. More than a third of the entries come from Marlborough.

Medal winners will be announced next week and the trophy winning wines will be announced on 22 November.