Lyn Bevin, executive officer of Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers, says some of the wines on display at this year’s expo are a little different than in past years.

“Our wineries will be showing a fine selection of their premium red wines as always, however our guests will find that some of the wines on show are more unusual than the standard cabernet merlot or sSyrah styles most commonly produced by the region.”

This year seven of the wineries showing at the eagerly anticipated exhibition will present eight red wines outside of the more familiar merlot and cabernet sauvignon blends, syrah, and pinot noir.

Guests will have the opportunity to taste the following ‘odd’ varieties at this year’s expo:

• Clearview Estate Winery Reserve Cabernet Franc 2007
• Church Road Limited Release Cuve Malbec 2007
• CJ Pask Declaration Malbec 2005
• Church Road Limited Release Cuve Marzemino 2007
• Beach House Montepulciano 2007
• Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Montepulciano 2008
• Babich Winemakers’ Reserve Pinotage 2006
• Matariki Sangiovese 2006
• Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Tempranillo 2007

Hawke’s Bay is best-known for its cabernet merlot or Bordeaux blends, with this style accounting for 34 per cent of Hawke’s Bay’s vintage. More recently Hawke’s Bay has been recognised for its premium syrah, with the region yielding 78 per cent of New Zealand’s 2009 syrah vintage.