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Joelle Thomson joins the judging panel at this year’s
New World Wine Awards and finds an impressive array...
Long line-ups of wines to taste, rate and rank first thing in the morning either sounds like a great exercise for the mind or a very big hangover. Fortunately, for most people facing this challenge, it is the former: a chance to get to grips with the latest vintage, style or varietal of a certain wine, region or year.
As I write, I’m freshly back from judging the 2025 New World Wine Awards (NWWA) in Napier, which began each day with, you guessed it, lots of wines to taste.
The competition focuses specifically on a ‘Top 50 wines Under $30’ list and, while higher priced wines are entered and do achieve high scores, they are not the overarching theme of this wine show.
Judges come from across the country, as do the majority of wines, with a smaller number of deliciously diverse additions from France, Italy, Spain and anywhere else wine is made.
This is the 23rd year of the NWWA and the results will be released officially in October. They are designed to offer New World customers the chance to navigate the wine aisles confidently – as NWWA Chief Judge and winemaker Jen Parr says, “We do the hard work so that New World customers can have fun exploring the fruits of our efforts.”
They are also an excellent promotional tool for wineries who make the coveted list, as they benefit from a wide marketing campaign and in-store promotion.
“This is the 23rd year of the NWWA and the results will be released officially in October.”
These wine awards are valuable to supermarket wine shoppers because the wines that are rated highly have been thoroughly judged by a diverse team of wine professionals, including sommeliers, writers and winemakers. This year, that team included one Master of Wine and three WSET Diploma graduates out of a team of 15 senior judges, which was extremely valuable, says Parr. “We hope the awards continue to serve as a guiding light – educating, inspiring and also showcasing producers’ wines in promotions around the country.”
This is the first year that I have judged at these awards and the highlights were numerous, including the impressive quality of aromatic whites and Chardonnay, and some lovely Mediterranean reds.
When the Top 50 Under $30 wines are released to the public I can say, hand on heart, they are the result of a rigorous judging process that took into account the diverse perspectives of the judges and some robust discussion.
Wine highlights from New World Wine Awards
Results of the awards will be announced in October to the public and throughout New World supermarkets nationwide.
The Top 50 is a vast range and will reflect a diversity of styles across the board but, if asked which wines to search for on a tight budget, my advice is to explore the following range of wines which overdeliver incredibly well: Chardonnay and Riesling from New Zealand, and Med’ reds from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which all offer some superb wines at what often seem like rock bottom prices.
Joelle Thomson is a WSET Diploma graduate and was a senior judge at the 2025 New World Wine Awards.
Joelle Thomson is a journalist, wine writer and author.
