One of New Zealand's lesser-known white varieties, viognier, has won the plaudits of a visiting wine judge.
Singapore-based Ch'ng Poh Tiong is one of four overseas judges in a 26-strong panel for the Air New Zealand Wine Awards.
Three days of tasting of more than 1650 entries began in Auckland with whites yesterday and this morning.
Mr Ch'ng said the most impressive whites had been in the sauvignon blanc and viognier categories.
"We came across three viognier golds that would be very comfortable in the company of the top viogniers in northern Rhone," he said.
"These three were made by winemakers with a natural sense of balance between fruit, a bit of oak and freshness."
Mr Ch'ng is publisher of The Wine Review, the oldest wine publication in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and China.
While the New Zealand wine industry passed the $1 billion milestone for annual exports in July, Asia accounted for only about 3 percent of sales.
Mr Ch'ng said New Zealand's cool-climate, "more boutique" wine had a positive image in Asia.
The most popular varietals were sauvignon blanc from Marlborough and, more recently, pinot noir.
In the more mature markets of Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, people were interested not just in drinking the wine, but also the stories behind them, "so the potential is there for New Zealand to exploit that".
However, Mr Ch'ng cautioned that the growing Chinese market presented challenges for New Zealand winemakers.
He said 95 percent of the wine drunk in China were reds, "so sauvignon blanc, while very enjoyable, is not going to do it".
Also, the Chinese perception was that the greatest wines in the world came from France and, in terms of reds, bordeaux (cabernet sauvignon) blends were "king of the hill".
"Pinot noir doesn't have the same cachet as bordeaux blends and the potential in China will be with red wine and, in the immediate future, bordeaux blends," Mr Ch'ng said.
"But it's worth New Zealand's while to promote pinot noir as an alternative to bordeaux blends in China."
He also believed New Zealand winegrowers should work together to exploit the strong clean, green image that the country had in Asia.
"The country is seen as a very beautiful place and that produces good, natural produce," he said.
"It's up to the winemakers to put aside personal rivalry and come together as a group, like the small producers in Bordeaux, to project an overall picture."
The competition's medal-winning wines are due to announced on November 11, with the rest of the awards to be presented on November 21.
