at a time when three little words - cost of living - are finding their way into our conversation more than most of us would like, it's refreshing to find 50 top wines under $30, which are widely available and have made the grade on the basis of independent blind tasting. 

This week the Top 50 wines under $30 were officially revealed following the New World Wine Awards (NWWA) 2025, which I was part of the judging team for, mid year. 

Every wine was scored using the internationally respected 100-point system, with only the best making the final cut, say NWWA Chair Jen Parr and Deputy Chair Murry Cook, who brought the show together this year.

Learn where to buy the Top 50 wines under $30 here newworld.co.nz/wineawards

When the NWWA judging was done and dusted, I wrote a column for Drinksbiz magazine about the experience of wine judging. Here it is.

The following column was originally published in Drinksbiz magazine, Sep/Oct 2025. 

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 who have long line ups of wines to taste first thing in the morning, it is the former – a chance to get to grips with the latest vintage, style or varietal of a certain wine, region or year. 

The reason for this column is that I’m freshly back from judging the 2025 New World Wine Awards (NWWA) in Napier this year, which began each day with, you guessed it, lots of wines to taste 

The competition specifically focusses on a NWWA Top 50 wines under $30 and, while higher priced wines are entered and do win high scores, they are not in the overarching theme of this wine show. 

Judges come from across this country while the wines come from further field, with the majority being from New Zealand a smaller number of deliciously diverse additions from France, Italy, Spain and anywhere else globally that wine is made. 

This is the 23rd year of the NWWA and the results will be officially released in October. They will, as always, offer New World supermarket wine 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.”

These wine awards are a valuable tool in the arsenal of 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 of judges 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 particular awards and the highlights were numerous, including the impressive quality of aromatic white wines and Chardonnay from New Zealand, the lovely Mediterranean reds and the mission we had in mind – to find the best wines to put forward for the Top 50 list. When these wines are released to the public in official promotions, I can stand, hand on heart, and say they are the best wines tasted at the competition this year, thanks to the rigorous judging process. This took into account the diverse perspectives of the judges and robust discussion about the wines to award the best of them. That’s the biggest reward of the time invested.  

Results of the awards will be announced in October this year to the public and throughout New World supermarkets nationwide.

The top 50 is a vast range and it 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 range of wines in these categories, which over deliver incredibly well: Chardonnay, Riesling and Med’ reds from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which all offer some superb reds at what often seems like rock bottom prices. And if you opt for wines that have made it into the NWWA Top 50 list, you will be enjoying a next level experience. 

Joelle Thomson is a WSET Diploma graduate and was a senior judge at the 2025 New World Wine Awards