Natural winemaker's glass filled by Decanter

With the ongoing debate within the industry over Natural vs. Organic vs. Conventional Winemaking, the results released from the Decanter World Wine Awards in London have highlighted the success of Natural Wines.

The young passionate team at Moana Park is still digging out tanks from the challenging 2011 vintage however their vigor has been rejuvenated with the continued success of their Viognier. In 2010 they were awarded top producer in the world for their Reserve Viognier, this year they continue the success with the 2010 Viognier as top producer within New Zealand and second in the world. The choices for this evening’s celebratory beverage are made even harder by the Moana Park also having created a Chardonnay that is first equal within New Zealand and ranked 15th in the World market. Remembering that the Decanter Awards are one of the most prestigious competitions in the world with entries from 44 countries and over 12,000 wines, this little producer is one that should be proud of its achievements on the world stage.

The small boutique producer Moana Park, whose focus is on Natural and Low Allergen Winemaking, has again punched well above its weight in this year’s Decanter Competition. Although this award winning winery has increased their production 1000% over the last three years they are now producing a whopping 0.06 % of New Zealand’s wines and have walked away from this show with 4% of the medals that were awarded to New Zealand wineries.

Moana Park was also awarded well for their Syrah with 16th in the world and Merlot as 4th best producer in the world, highlighting the diversity of varieties along with the high quality wines being produced from the Hawke’s Bay region.

Natural wine is wine made with as little chemical and technological intervention as possible, either in the way the grapes are grown or the way they are made into wine. Common characteristics of Natural Winemaking include;

• Hand-picked, organically or biodynamically grown grapes
• Low-yielding vineyards
• No added sugars, no foreign yeasts
• No fining or filtration
• No adjustments for acidity
• No other additives for mouth-feel, colour, etc
• No micro-oxygenation or reverse osmosis
• Little or no added sulphite.

Moana Park wine is currently only available at selected stores throughout New Zealand and various overseas outlets. For further information visit www.moanapark.co.nz or contact Kaylea Barker on sales@moanapark.co.nz or +64 6 8448269.