In one of the biggest upsets in wine competition, New Zealand winemaker Andy Anderson has beaten entries from the best in the world at London’s prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) to take out two trophies.
The force behind the Takapoto brand, Anderson has been awarded the world’s best Pinot Noir trophy for his 2012 Takapoto Bannockburn Single Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2017 New Zealand Producer of the Year trophy…in his first competition ever. “The win means everything to me personally and it takes the Takapoto brand from nowhere to the world stage,” Anderson says. “The IWSC is hard to win, you are first judged against your countrymen, then against the rest of the world. If it makes it to the trophy tasting, your wine will have been reviewed three times by different tasting panels.” Remarkably, Anderson also won a gold outstanding medal at IWSC for the 2014 vintage of his Takapoto Pinot Noir.
With total production of both Pinot Noirs between 100 and 200 cases, this is an incredible achievement to win New Zealand Producer of the Year. “This is an absolutely brilliant win for Takapoto in its first year as an IWSC entrant,” IWSC general manager Adam Lechmere says. “This is a very tough field, and to win two major trophies is a massive achievement. It shows how dynamic and interesting New Zealand’s Pinot Noir is, and we are delighted to have recognised excellence where it’s deserved.” Anderson was one of the first graduates of Lincoln University’s Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology in 1998 and went on to make wine in the Barossa Valley, as well as in Spain. The owner of Cambridge Fine Wines makes his wine at Invivo Wines, owned by his university mate Rob Cameron.
