Sip, sip, hoorah – top 50 under $25 New World wines

Tamaki Makaurau - The Giesen Estate riesling, Rapaura Springs' reserve sauvignon blanc and the Church Road chardonnay are the winners the annual releases of the 2022 New World Wine Awards Top 50 wines under $25. 

The list reveals the best-of-the-best in thew 20th annual New World wine competition after expert judges swirled, sniffed, tasted, debated and scored their way through more than 1200 different wines to determine the 50 top-ranked gold medal winners.  

Co-chair of the judges Sam Kin says the multi-winning wines and wineries are their excellence year after year, bottle after bottle.  

“Their achievements are great news for wine-drinkers who are on the lookout for quality and consistency at an affordable price, and well worth a toast.” 

Also returning to the Top 50 as a champion is the Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvée 2017, great value at under $20 for a bottle-fermented Kiwi bubbly that could easily rival a favourite French champagne.  

In the reds, boutique wine company SOHO Wines is celebrating a momentous third year in the top 50 with their SOHO Bobby Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021 taking out champion pinot.

The 2022 New World Wine Awards Top 50 – all under $25  are:

Wine name and vintageVarietyOriginScoreChampionsAnchorage Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancNelson95 Arrogant Frog Ribet Pink Rosé 2021RoséFrance95 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Marlborough Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayMarlborough95 Castillo Ducay Cariñena 2020Red BlendsSpain95 Church Road McDonald Series Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayHawke's Bay96Champion Chardonnay & Champion White Wine of the ShowEsk Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95 Gancia Prosecco Rosé DOC 2020BubblesItaly95 Giesen Estate Riesling 2021AromaticsNew Zealand95 Graham Norton Prosecco DOCBubblesItaly95 Grande Cuvée 1531 de Aimery Brut RoséBubblesFrance95 Grant Burge Fifth Generation Cabernet Merlot 2021Red BlendsAustralia95Champion Red BlendJacobs Creek Double Barrel Shiraz Cabernet 2019Red BlendsAustralia95 La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2021RoséFrance95 Leftfield Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisHawke's Bay95 Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvée 2017BubblesGisborne96Champion BubblesMain Divide North Canterbury Gewürztraminer 2020AromaticsNorth Canterbury95 Mount Riley Marlborough Albariño 2022AromaticsMarlborough96Champion AromaticMount Riley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021Pinot NoirMarlborough95 Mud House Single Vineyard Home Block Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2021Pinot GrisNorth Canterbury95 Mud House Waipara Valley Riesling 2022AromaticsNorth Canterbury95 Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2020Shiraz & SyrahAustralia95Champion Shiraz & SyrahRapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough96Champion Sauvignon BlancRoaring Meg Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2022RoséCentral Otago95 RUA Pinot Noir 2021Pinot NoirCentral Otago95 Russian Jack Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisMarlborough96Champion Pinot GrisSacred Hill Hawke's Bay Rosé 2022RoséHawke's Bay95 Sacred Hill Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2020ChardonnayHawke's Bay95 Saint Clair James Sinclair Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021Shiraz & SyrahHawke's Bay95 Saint Clair Origin Marlborough Pinot Gris 2021Pinot GrisMarlborough95 Selaks Taste Collection Hawke's Bay Rosé 2022RoséHawke's Bay96Champion RoséSOHO Bobby Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021Pinot NoirMarlborough96Champion Pinot Noir & Champion Red Wine of the ShowSOHO Ziggy Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisMarlborough95 Squawking Magpie First Flight Chardonnay 2020ChardonnayHawke's Bay95 Stoneleigh Rapaura Marlborough Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayMarlborough95 Sugar Loaf Southern Valleys Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020Pinot NoirMarlborough95 Taylors Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2020Single Variety RedsAustralia95 The Last Shepherd Gisborne Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayGisborne95 Thornbury Hawkes Bay Rosé 2022RoséHawke's Bay95 Tohu Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019Pinot NoirMarlborough95 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec 2021Single Variety RedsArgentina95 Vavasour Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95 Verde BrutBubblesGisborne95 Vigneti Romio Romagna DOC Sangiovese Superiore Riserva 2018Red BlendsItaly95 Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisOther / Regional Blend95 Villa Maria Private Bin Hawkes Bay Merlot 2021Single Variety RedsHawke's Bay95 Vina Borgia by Borsao Organic Garnacha 2020Single Variety RedsSpain95 Wairau River Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95 Wild Grace Hawke's Bay Syrah 2021Shiraz & SyrahHawke's Bay95 Yalumba Y Series Tempranillo 2021Single Variety RedsAustralia96Champion Single Variety RedYealands Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95

The Giesen Estate Riesling, Rapaura Springs reserve sauvignon blanc and the Church Road chardonnay are the winners the annual releases of the 2022 New World Wine Awards Top 50 wines under $25. 

The list reveals the best-of-the-best in thew 20th annual New World wine competition after expert judges swirled, sniffed, tasted, debated and scored their way through more than 1200 different wines to determine the 50 top-ranked gold medal winners.  

Co-chair of the judges Sam Kin says the multi-winning wines and wineries are their excellence year after year, bottle after bottle.  

“Their achievements are great news for wine-drinkers who are on the lookout for quality and consistency at an affordable price, and well worth a toast.” 

Also returning to the Top 50 as a champion is the Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvée 2017, great value at under $20 for a bottle-fermented Kiwi bubbly that could easily rival a favourite French champagne.  

In the reds, boutique wine company SOHO Wines is celebrating a momentous third year in the top 50 with their SOHO Bobby Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021 taking out champion pinot.

The 2022 New World Wine Awards Top 50 – all under $25  are:

Wine name and vintageVarietyOriginScoreChampionsAnchorage Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancNelson95 Arrogant Frog Ribet Pink Rosé 2021RoséFrance95 Brancott Estate Letter Series O Marlborough Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayMarlborough95 Castillo Ducay Cariñena 2020Red BlendsSpain95 Church Road McDonald Series Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayHawke's Bay96Champion Chardonnay & Champion White Wine of the ShowEsk Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95 Gancia Prosecco Rosé DOC 2020BubblesItaly95 Giesen Estate Riesling 2021AromaticsNew Zealand95 Graham Norton Prosecco DOCBubblesItaly95 Grande Cuvée 1531 de Aimery Brut RoséBubblesFrance95 Grant Burge Fifth Generation Cabernet Merlot 2021Red BlendsAustralia95Champion Red BlendJacobs Creek Double Barrel Shiraz Cabernet 2019Red BlendsAustralia95 La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2021RoséFrance95 Leftfield Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisHawke's Bay95 Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvée 2017BubblesGisborne96Champion BubblesMain Divide North Canterbury Gewürztraminer 2020AromaticsNorth Canterbury95 Mount Riley Marlborough Albariño 2022AromaticsMarlborough96Champion AromaticMount Riley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021Pinot NoirMarlborough95 Mud House Single Vineyard Home Block Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2021Pinot GrisNorth Canterbury95 Mud House Waipara Valley Riesling 2022AromaticsNorth Canterbury95 Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz 2020Shiraz & SyrahAustralia95Champion Shiraz & SyrahRapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough96Champion Sauvignon BlancRoaring Meg Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2022RoséCentral Otago95 RUA Pinot Noir 2021Pinot NoirCentral Otago95 Russian Jack Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisMarlborough96Champion Pinot GrisSacred Hill Hawke's Bay Rosé 2022RoséHawke's Bay95 Sacred Hill Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2020ChardonnayHawke's Bay95 Saint Clair James Sinclair Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021Shiraz & SyrahHawke's Bay95 Saint Clair Origin Marlborough Pinot Gris 2021Pinot GrisMarlborough95 Selaks Taste Collection Hawke's Bay Rosé 2022RoséHawke's Bay96Champion RoséSOHO Bobby Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021Pinot NoirMarlborough96Champion Pinot Noir & Champion Red Wine of the ShowSOHO Ziggy Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisMarlborough95 Squawking Magpie First Flight Chardonnay 2020ChardonnayHawke's Bay95 Stoneleigh Rapaura Marlborough Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayMarlborough95 Sugar Loaf Southern Valleys Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020Pinot NoirMarlborough95 Taylors Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2020Single Variety RedsAustralia95 The Last Shepherd Gisborne Chardonnay 2021ChardonnayGisborne95 Thornbury Hawkes Bay Rosé 2022RoséHawke's Bay95 Tohu Awatere Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019Pinot NoirMarlborough95 Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec 2021Single Variety RedsArgentina95 Vavasour Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95 Verde BrutBubblesGisborne95 Vigneti Romio Romagna DOC Sangiovese Superiore Riserva 2018Red BlendsItaly95 Villa Maria Private Bin East Coast Pinot Gris 2022Pinot GrisOther / Regional Blend95 Villa Maria Private Bin Hawkes Bay Merlot 2021Single Variety RedsHawke's Bay95 Vina Borgia by Borsao Organic Garnacha 2020Single Variety RedsSpain95 Wairau River Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95 Wild Grace Hawke's Bay Syrah 2021Shiraz & SyrahHawke's Bay95 Yalumba Y Series Tempranillo 2021Single Variety RedsAustralia96Champion Single Variety RedYealands Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022Sauvignon BlancMarlborough95

Photo: NWWA 22 Co Chairs Sam Kim and Jen Parr