DRINKtech NEW ZEALAND ONE SIZE FITS ALL (NEARLY) 48 DRINKtech NEW ZEALAND AUGUST 2017 AUSSIES CALL FOR KIWI WINE Competition director Brett Ling says New Zealand entries are expected to hold even greater sway this year, after blitzing the medals last year to win 94 out of the 291 awarded. As the only international wine show that judges all its finalists in combination with appropriate food, Ling says Marlborough led the way with 52 medal winners in 2016, followed by Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago. “Last year’s competition attracted the most diverse range of entries in its history, with wines entered from 13 countries, representing more than 100 different grape varieties,” Ling says. Wine producers from around the world are eligible to enter the competition, with entries capped at 2000 wines to ensure the most New Zealand wineries…we want you! That’s the word from the Sydney International Wine Competition, which is encouraging Kiwi winemakers to get their top entries into the 2017 competition by September 15. TOP WINE MAKERS JOIN EIT Two well-known and highly regarded winemakers - Dr David Bloomfield and Ant Mackenzie - have joined EIT’s School of Viticulture and Wine Science. Bloomfield, who teaches wine science and wine chemistry to bachelor degree students, established Bloomfield Vineyards in Masterton in 1986. As well as running the winery, vineyards and an on-site restaurant/café, he was the company’s winemaker for 13 years. Bloomfield commutes weekly from the Wairarapa, where his wife is based as a geriatrician, and has been a consultant winemaker for Martinborough wineries Murdoch James Estate and Coney Wines. rigorous judging process. With no minimum production requirements, the show is particularly applicable to experimental and small makers to test their wines alongside wines from major producers. The entries will be judged by an international panel of 14 highly experienced and credentialled judges, including five Masters of Wine, headed by chair Kym Milne. Renowned chef Michael Manners will develop menus for the final rounds when wines are tasted ‘with appropriate food’. Ling says the competition continues to attract national and international attention because of the relevance of the judging process to consumer tastes. “Some of the best performing wines are also amongst the best-value wines, reflecting the industry’s move towards food-friendly wines of balance and harmony at all price points,” he says. “For most consumers, wine is best enjoyed with food, and so judging wines with food - in the right environment - is the best way to ensure that wine show awards are relevant for consumers. Warren Mason founded the Sydney International Wine Competition on that premise, and the tradition continues under our long-standing Chairman of Judges Kym Milne.” Entry forms now available: www.top100wines.com His varied career has seen him working as an architectural technician, chef /set builder and barman at Wellington’s Downstage theatre and project manager for the upgrade of a hospital and trade training facility in Tokelau. While studying for a PhD in wine science, Bloomfield worked as an assistant lecturer and teaching fellow at Lincoln University, and after gaining his doctorate degree, he completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching. Although semi-retired, he was attracted to working at A universal beverage bottle filter engineered to fit on nearly three-quarters of all plastic bottles able to be purchased off the supermarket shelf has been launched by a New Zealand water tech company. The bottle filter, which uses an activated charcoal screen made from coconut shells, has been developed by Wellington company Refil. Inventor Johnny Huynen says studies have shown 70% of the world’s waterways have been treated with chlorine, which means the taste of tap water is becoming more distinct as population increases and the demand for water rises. Activated charcoal has been used for a long time within the beverage and alcohol industry as a way to filter out tastes and other contaminants found in liquids. “The goal with Refil is to use the science of a wellknown filtering element and combine it with the convenience and availability of plastic bottled beverages,” Huynen says. New Zealand is familiar with refilling preloved water bottles as a daily container to drink from. “Coming from a country where there’s been media coverage regarding shipping our water overseas, and the contamination and chlorine increase in some of our water supplies, Refil is a solution to a lot of these issues that are raised about our water at the moment.” Refil uses an engineered casing, and can fit onto the most common 28mm bottle screw sizes which include products like Coca Cola and water. Refil is available for pre-order on Kickstarter for $15 and can be shipped worldwide.
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