Archived Media Releases
Media Release - 13 December 2006
Wild South Sauvignon Blanc impresses Cuisine magazine judges
Success for the 2006 Wild South Sauvignon Blanc.
It has been given 4 and a half stars in Cuisine Magazine’s annual Sauvignon Blanc tasting.
The tastings are done by one of New Zealand’s top wine critics Michael Cooper and his panel of judges.
More than 200 wines entered the tasting and the 2006 Wild South Sauvignon Blanc is one of just 13 wines to be awarded 4 and a half stars.
Winemaker Christie Brown says she’s delighted with the rating.
“In September our 2005 Sauvignon Blanc won a Decanter Wine Award in London, and this rating reinforces the ongoing success of Wild South Wines,” says Christie.
“The wines are performing so well and it is an incredible achievement for everyone involved in creating Wild South wines.”
Earlier this year Wild South Wines won a Regional Trophy at the London-based, global competition run by internationally-renowned wine magazine, Decanter.
Media Release - 17 November 2006
New hope for one of New Zealand’s endangered birds
Wild South Wines is joining forces with the Department of Conservation in an effort to help save the black-fronted tern.
Project Your Tern aims to increase the breeding success of black-fronted terns in the Upper Wairau River, therefore slowing down their decline.
The black-fronted tern is unlike most terns in that it lives and breeds inland, only visiting the coast to feed in autumn and winter.
The main threats to the black-fronted tern are predation from animals such as stoats, feral cats, and hedgehogs, and the loss of its breeding habitat by weed invasion and hydro-electric development.
A management programme has been underway for two years, but DOC Spokesperson, Kate Steffens says the sponsorship of Project Your Tern by Wild South Wines opens the door to an improved predator control programme for the threatened tern in the Upper Wairau Valley.
“This relationship is tremendously exciting. Together DOC and Wild South Wines can work towards improving the breeding success of terns in the Upper Wairau Valley, which will ultimately benefit the species as a whole,” says Kate.
The management programme includes establishing an intensive trap system, weed control, nest monitoring, and the hiring of a seasonal worker.
The Wairau River region, where Wild South is situated, is one of the most important breeding grounds for the black-fronted terns with approximately 12 per cent of the total population there.
Wild South Wines Winemaker Christie Brown says the Wairau River Valley has given them so much it feels this is a fitting way of giving a meaningful contribution back to the environment.
Media Release - 5 September 2006
Wild South Scoops International Trophy in London
Wild South Wines has scooped up an International Trophy in the ‘Under £10’ category at the world's most influential and respected wine competition.
Winemaker Christie Brown was on hand in London last night at the 2006 Decanter World Wine Awards to accept the trophy for the Wild South Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005.
Held at the Natural History Museum, the Awards Dinner was attended by the crème de la crème of the world’s wine industry. The museum’s surreal surroundings only proved to heighten the contrast between the old world and the new.
“What made this award almost surreal was accepting it amidst relics of the past – huge dinosaur skeletons and the like. It couldn’t be further away from the vibrant Marlborough setting where this wine was created!” said Christie.
She added that it is exciting that Wild South’s Marlborough wines are attracting worldwide attention in such a prestigious international forum.
“Receiving an International Trophy at this stage is an incredible achievement for everyone involved in creating Wild South wines, and it is particularly significant as it has happened in Wild South’s first year of release in the United Kingdom. It couldn’t have come at a better time!”
The International Trophy takes pride of place next to the Regional Trophy received earlier this year at the London-based, global competition run by internationally-renowned wine magazine, Decanter.
At the Decanter World Wine Awards, wines are judged on a regional level to promote a sense of origin over one homogenised style, so the winery is excited by the success of Wild South – a quintessential Marlborough wine and indisputably the region’s hottest new wine label.
Wild South Wines’ marketing manager Duncan Elliott says the awards celebrate the diversity of wine by focusing on regional styles and the influence of terroir.
“Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s leading varietal in the United Kingdom, with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc an icon in its own right – making this award all the more sweet.”
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