Marlboroughs Spy Valley wins major international wine accolades in London

Award winning Marlborough wine label Spy Valley has won major accolades in London at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

Spy Valley has been awarded the NZ Producer of the Year in the annual prestigious competition.

The top NZ winery also won a gold medal for its Spy 007 riesling, a silver and best in class for its 2008 sauvignon blanc and a silver for its pinot noir. The overall winners were announced this week at London’s Guildhall.

Spy Valley won the Schenker Trophy for New Zealand Wine Producer of the Year from other nominees Villa Maria, Mud House, Saint Clair and Astrolabe.

The International Wine and Spirit Competition began in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world.

Spy Valley general manager Blair Gibbs said the London result was great for showcasing premium NZ and Marlborough wines in all global markets.

``This is a landmark achievement for our label to be awarded the NZ Producer of the Year in one of the most highly regarded world wine competitions.’’

At the recent India Wine Challenge 2008, Spy Valley also won a gold medal for its 2008 sauvignon blanc and Top White Wine award for its 2008 gewurztraminer.

Spy Valley produces more than 150,000 cases of wine a year in its state of the art winery and is one of New Zealand’s leading family-owned wine companies. The winery takes its brand name from a US communications monitoring base nearby in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley.