Conditions Align to Enable Champion Riesling

Conditions Align to Enable Champion Riesling

Image: Richard Briggs Photography

A wine made only in the best of years has been named the Barrel Finance and Logistics Champion Sweet Wine at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Tohu Wines picked up the trophy as one of a trifecta at the awards for the company this year, with their Tohu Raiha Reserve Noble Riesling 2016.

Tohu Wines Chief Winemaker Bruce Taylor says producing the Riesling is unlike anything else they do in the winery, making the award extra special.

“We only make this wine occasionally, so it’s always a bit special when it comes to fruition,” he says.

“Normally botrytis is, thankfully, hard to come by on our site in the upper Awatere Valley, so when the conditions are just right and we manage to hang the fruit out to get just the right amount of botrytis, we are really stoked. In the winery, it’s such a tricky and interesting wine to make too, so that really stands out in the cellar.”

Riesling is a variety the Tohu team is passionate about, Bruce says.

“We all love Rieslings, dry or sweet, and with the small amount of it left these days in Marlborough, we are very proud to be winning awards like this and, hopefully, helping to raise its profile a little bit in the Valley.”

Raiha was the name of Tohu founder James Wheeler’s mother, with the Riesling named in her honour. James founded Tohu in 1998 and is still active within Kono, Tohu’s parent company, as a board member.

Trophy sponsor, Barrel Finance and Logistics General Manager David Rice congratulated the Tohu team on their win.

“BFL congratulates Tohu Wines and their Raiha Reserve Noble Riesling 2016 win for the Sweet wine category. We cannot think of anything better than enjoying this wine, accompanied by a dessert or hard cheese,” he says.

The company has long been a sponsor of the Marlborough Wine Show.

“Barrel Finance is a company that for 20 years has been assisting wineries with financing their barrel and equipment needs. The Marlborough Wine Show is a fantastic celebration of the diversity and excellence of wines from this region, BFL is proud to support the event showcasing these amazing wines, wineries and winemakers,” David says.

“The Show plays an important role in developing the reputation of Marlborough wine, which BFL is proud to support.”

This year, Wine Marlborough was able to host an award presentation lunch once again, after covid-19 put a halt to celebrations last year.

Being able to celebrate with industry colleagues made winning their awards all the more special, Bruce says.

It was great to see the Marlborough Wine Show and the awards lunch being so well supported by the industry. Everything is even more marvellous when you win a few trophies too,” he says. “A very special day for Tohu all in all.”