I think we’re all savvy enough to realise that, for the most part, marketing slogans need to be taken with a pinch of salt. That said, the tagline for Hawke’s Bay is ‘Great Things Grow Here’ – and that is right on the money. Year after year, this tasting of Bordeaux-style wines sees those from The Bay soar to the top of the list. This year is no exception. Twelve of the Top 14 wines hail from the east coast of the North Island. The mere fact that we have 14 (a good deal more than usual) is an indication of the sheer quantity of wines that were just so good the very notion of a mere Top Ten was left in the dust. This is the largest volume of awarded wines I’ve seen in this category in my time at Cuisine, which is exciting news for growers and imbibers alike.