As Hawke’s Bay wines pull off a remarkable sweep of the top ten standings, MARY-THERESE BLAIR finds a lot to like.

We had an incredible lineup of wines and you don’t have to be the sharpest tool in the box to see that the top wines have something in common. They all hail from Hawke’s Bay. I’ve seen many ‘almost’ clean sweeps in my time, but ten wines from three different vintages all from the same wine region? It really does say it all about the exceptional and consistent quality we have come to expect from Hawke’s Bay producers.

Our beloved Bay had a devastating start to the year with Cyclone Gabrielle ravaging and in some cases completely destroying vineyards. With those vines went decades of hard work for growers who now find themselves starting from scratch once again. While it might seem trite, it is possible to assist Hawke’s Bay wineries with the simple act of buying their wine. As our results show, there is plenty from which to choose.