North Canterbury riesling judged best wine in the world
A humble North Canterbury wine that sold at Kiwi supermarkets for $35 a bottle is now priceless, and rare, after it was judged the best in the world.
The 2011 Bel Canto dry riesling from Pegasus Bay in Waipara, North Canterbury was recently hand-picked for one of the most prestigious international wine tastings.
The “little old North Canterbury family winery” went up against some of the most “iconic, cult” wines from around the globe at the Judgement of London competition, Pegasus Bay marketing manager Edward Donaldson said. “Wines that cost over $1000.”
The competition, comparing European wines against tipples from the rest of the world, was held in London on May 21. Thirty-two wines were assessed by 21 judges, many of whom had studied wine for years, including Masters of Wine (MW) and Master Sommeliers (MS).
Varieties of wine were pitted against each other in their own categories, and the vino with the most points was crowned supreme.
It’s a contest that can’t be entered into by wine producers, unlike most competitions. The entrants were selected by Sarah Abbott MW and Ronan Sayburn MS, chief executive of the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Donaldson said the team was “already raising a glass” when the winery was approached to submit one of its Bel Canto vintages between 2009 and 2019.
“We tasted through them and chose the 2011 vintage. Riesling ages very well.”
But when they received the news that Bel Canto took out the best white wine award and scored the most points overall, “it left us totally speechless”.
“We were pretty over the moon about that. It’s the most significant tasting I can think of, certainly since the Judgment of Paris tasting in the 1970s.”
It’s been 50 years since the first and only Judgment of Paris was held in 1976 in France, comparing Californian wines against French vinos in a blind tasting. A Napa County wine took out top spot, surprising the French wine industry.
The 2011 Bel Canto can no longer be purchased, but it retailed for about $35 when it was available, Donaldson said.
The latest 2023 Bel Canto riesling retails for about $40.
Donaldson said rieslings had “struggled to get mainstream”, unlike sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, despite being one of the favourites for “wine geeks”.
“It’s often a misunderstood and under-rated variety,” he said, noting that rieslings could “age very well” and had “amazing, intense flavours”.
The Pegasus Bay grapes used to make the winning wine were grown during perfect weather conditions. It had botrytis (noble rot) – a fungus that could be detrimental to crops like kiwifruit, but benefited a sweet wine, he said.
The Cellar Door wine bar in Christchurch’s Arts Centre has been given a small allocation of the winning vintage to allow wine lovers a taste at $5.40 for 40ml, while stocks last, this long weekend.
It was “impossible to say” how much any remaining 2011 Bel Cantos were worth now, but “I would say a lot”, Donaldson said.
The Cellar Door, 1 Hereford St, Christchurch is open from 12pm to late today, on Sunday and on the Monday public holiday.