Blackenbrook Vineyard

The Nelson mail covered our recent invitation to the annual Tri-Nations Wine Challenge.
This is what they had to say:

Kiwis love nothing better than socking it to the Aussies and the South Africans, and Nelson winery Blackenbrook will be doing what it can in the annual Tri-Nations Wine Challenge which it has been invited to contest for a second year.

Last year Blackenbrook Sauvignon Blanc 2007 won best New Zealand Sauvignon Black but was nudged into second place in the class by an Australian wine.
Co-owner Ursula Schwarzenbach said this year, Blackenbrook was asked to enter its 2007 montepulciano and its 2008 pinot-gris.
However, because the winery was down to its last cases of the montepulciano, it would enter the pinot-gris only.
Schwarzenbach said Blackenbrook was the first commercial grower of the Italian montepulciano grape in Nelson.
Blackenbrook’s Nelson reserve pinot-gris 2008 won the prestigious trophy for best pinot-gris at the New Zealand International Wine Show in Auckland this year.

The tri-nations competition will he held in Sydney in September. Selectors and Judges from each country choose the best wines from each country for a head-to-head clash in 13 classes.

Schwarzenbach said wine master Bob Campbell was the New Zealand judge for the challenge, and had selected up to seven wines to represent this country in the competition.