Air NZ Wine Awards being announced 

Source: NZPA

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The Air New Zealand Wine Awards are being announced on Saturday night.

There have already been a record number of gold awards given out.

And one of the largest category's entered is for sustainable wine .

A record 102 wines across 14 varieties have been awarded gold medals at this year's awards.

Chief judge Steve Smith says that's a sign of the quality of the wines.

"We set pretty high standards at this show," he says.

With over 1,600 wines entered this year and all available to taste, the spit bucket becomes a necessity.

This year there has been a strong focus on sustainable wines with the largest number of entrants into the "pure" category.

"The industry has a goal by 2012 to be 100% sustainable. That means every winery, every vineyard has a proper sustainable programme," says Smith.

He says winemakers are already 70% of the way there.

"Because they're so close to their land they really do want to look after it because it's going to give them an expression of that place that's quite unique," he says.

But the night is not all about the wines. Celebrity chef Peter Gordon has created one of the six courses that are being served, and it is a sausage roll.

"It's very New Zealand, so I think it's appropriate really," says Gordon.

With world-class food matched with winning wines, the big night sold out weeks ago.