China dawns Gold for Marisco — Exporter Magazine

Marisco Vineyards has scooped an unprecedented 5 gold medals, of which 3 were Double Gold*, at the China Wine Awards. Never before has the company received suchglowing accolades, across so many wines, from a single show. Thirty-nine New Zealand wines were awarded medals this year, with Marisco Vineyards taking a quarter of these.

Chief Winemaker and Proprietor Brent Marris says he and the team are blown away by the medal haul. “In our combined experience in wine, none of us have ever seen this sort of result from a single show. We know the Chinese are enjoying our wines because sales there are doing well, but we would never have picked this!”

Marisco Vineyards signed a national distribution agreement with Tianjin Dynasty International Wine Co. (“Dynasty”) in China in June 2011. Dynasty is China’s leading premium wine producer and distribute Marisco Vineyards’ two brands, The Ned and The King’s Series, through their national distribution network. 

“When we moved into China we spent a lot of time understanding the market, and establishing a distribution arrangement that would give us the best chance of success,” Marris says. 

“Also, because it’s an emerging market, being successful in China relies on visiting regularly and educating Chinese wine drinkers about New Zealand wine.  They are hungry to learn about, and are excited by, our wines.”

The China Wine Awards are the only awards in the world judged specifically for the China market and are entirely focused on consumer preferences and demand. “Local awards are extremely important in Asian markets, and I have no doubt that these medals will help cement our position as one of New Zealand’s leading wine brands in China,” says Marris.

The Chinese awards come on the back of The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2011 being awarded Best in Class International Sauvignon Blanc under £10 in the Decanter Wine Awards earlier this month; and Marisco Vineyards being awarded NZ Winery of the Year at the IWSC in October 2011.

* Double Gold is the highest award in the show and means that the wine has scored more than 85points by the judges.