It is a privilege to announce Peregrine Wines as Regional’s Winery of the
Year for 2009. Peregrine Wines joins a wonderful ‘Hall of Fame’, with Saint Clair
Family Estate our inaugural winner in 2006, Craggy Range
in 2007 and The Escarpment Vineyard in 2008.
In each case, the recipient of our award has produced wine of the very
highest quality, the people behind the winery have contributed to the overall
progress of the New Zealand
wine industry, have sparked the imagination of wine lovers and fostered an
excellent business relationship with us at Regional Wines. And for 2009 Peregrine Wines has certainly
done all that.
Peregrine Wines has been a star from its first vintage in 1998. Drawing fruit from Gibbston and the Cromwell Basin,
Peregrine reflects the total character of the Central
Otago region as few other wineries there do, and the wines
consistently feature in gold medal and trophy awards. The 2007 Peregrine Pinot Noir is one of the
most highly awarded wines of its style ever made in New Zealand, this vintage
recently pronounced ‘Winestate’ magazine’s Wine of the Year. The super-premium ‘Pinnacle’ Pinot Noir,
first made in 2005, and now 2007, which has just been released, takes quality
to another level. The Peregrine wines in
Pinot Gris, Rosé and Pinot Noir form have featured in Regional’s ‘Top 30’ for
many years now.
Everything about Peregrine is class, from its distinctive ‘wing-shaped’
winery building which has won a number of architectural awards to the company’s
stance on avian conservation. It is the
latter cause that has generated considerable goodwill. Supporting Wingspan Trust with is work with
native raptor birds and the resettlement of the endangered Saddleback in
conjunction with the Fiordland Conservation Trust are important projects, and
Regional Wines has been proud to join
Peregrine Wines in fundraising for ZEALANDIA, the Karori Sanctuary Trust for
the last three years. Peregrine’s
co-owner and sales and marketing director Greg Hay, has been a popular speaker
there and at many tutored tasting events held at Regional Wines.
To Greg and the team at Peregrine Wines, we recognize your efforts and
achievements, and salute you!