It was a double win for Nautilus Estate at the 2024 Marlborough Show, sponsored by Quay Connect, with the team making an impression in both the Sparkling and ‘Other White’ Categories.

The Nautilus Cuvée Brut NV picked up the Winequip Champion Sparkling trophy, while the Nautilus Albariño 2024 picked up the title of Marlborough Wine & Food Experience Champion Other White Wine.

The company has been working hard at both varieties for many years, taking care to showcase the quality of grapes grown in Marlborough.

Winemaker and General Manager Clive Jones told us what makes these wines, and awards, special for Nautilus Estate…

Clayvin Pinot Noir 2021 made big waves at the Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, picking up three separate category trophies.

Giesen Chief Winemaker Jeremy Tod said a great vintage had made an already special wine even more exciting, and the fruits of the harvest were really just starting to shine through now. This was confirmed when it picked up Vit Management Ltd Champion Organic Wine, Fruitfed Supplies Champion Southern Valleys Wine and De Sangosse NZ Champion Pinot Noir 2021 & Older at the 2024 Show.

He shared a little insight into the wine and what makes it so special…

Mount Riley Wines have added to their collection of Marlborough Wine Show trophies, picking up two at the 2024 show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

For the second year running, the team was awarded the Wine Brokers New Zealand Champion Gewürztraminer, this year with the 2024 vintage of their Mount Riley Marlborough Gewürztraminer, following the same success by the 2023 vintage last year.

The team was also awarded the Chandler Glass & Packaging Alternate Style Sauvignon Blanc with their Mount Riley 17 Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023.

Chief Winemaker Matt Murphy said it was validating to have received the Gewürztraminer trophy two years in a row, and he was proud to have made an impression with their alternative style Sauvignon Blanc, made in an effort to push the boundaries of the wine our region is so well known for.

He shares a little more insight below…

Yealands Wines was the winner of the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show, Sponsored by QuayConnect, walking away with four trophies for their Yealands Estate Single Block L5 Sauvignon Blanc 2024. 

Senior Winemaker and Winery Manager Anthony Walkenhorst and his team had some big competition at the show this year, with Marlborough’s flagship wine making a big splash across the board.

Despite the strong competition, the wine was crowned QuayConnect Champion Wine of the Show, The Coterie Wine of Provenance, Circuit Logistics Champion Awatere and South Marlborough Wine, and WineWorks Champion Sauvignon Blanc, Current Vintage for 2024.

Anthony shared some insights into the wine, and what made this vintage so good…

The New Zealand’s longest-running wine and food festival is shaping up to be another ‘mid-summer stunner’ of exceptional experiences.

Loren Coffey, event manager of the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, is delighted to announce celebrity chef Al Brown in attendance at the 38^th festival on 8 February 2025.

“We are excited to have Al Brown starring in the Culinary Pavilion. Celebrated for his innovative cuisine Al is a recognised, leading New Zealand Chef and a captivating entertainer.

“As an ambassador for Regal Salmon, Al will demonstrate how to create delicious salmon dishes at home in ways that bring out the best in this amazing kaimoana, fresh from the Marlborough Sounds,” Loren says.

“And a lot of people are going to be very excited to hear that Polly Markus, of Miss Polly’s Kitchen, is also joining us in the Culinary Pavilion. Polly’s passion for food and her talent for creating comforting, delicious dishes resonate with everyone. Her vibrant energy and love for cooking make her a favourite among food lovers.”

Alongside Polly and Al, some of Marlborough’s local culinary heroes will work with products from small-scale local food producers.

Five people from three different sectors of the wine industry have been recognised with Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Awards for 2024.

Ben & Frances Wickham, of Ormond Nurseries, Rob Agnew, climate scientist, and Daniel & Adele Le Brun of No.1 Estate were all acknowledged with their awards at the Marlborough Wine Show Celebration Long Lunch, held on Friday.

The variety that put Marlborough on the map as one of the world’s top wine regions has been crowned the wine of the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Yealands Estate Single Block L5 Sauvignon Blanc 2024 picked up the top award, the cream of a very impressive crop at the competition this year.

Chief Judge Stu Marfell says Sauvignon Blanc was a standout in the show, both for the new 2024 vintage wines, but also the legacy category. 

Eighty-six gold medals were awarded this year, up from 46 last year. The total number of entries was on par with 2023, with more than 500 wines entered into the Show. Trophy winners will be revealed at the Marlborough Wine Show Celebration Long Lunch on October 18.

Chief Judge Stu Marfell says the quality of entries this year was spectacular, with both Sauvignon Blanc and Sparkling varieties making a particularly strong impression.

More than 500 wines have been put forward for judging at the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Chief Judge Stu Marfell and 14 local judges will this year be joined by guest judges Elaine Chukan Brown and Sam Kim, who will also be the Deputy Chair of the Show.

Judging will take place from 2-4 October at the Marlborough Events Centre.

Ushering in the Spring Equinox, this year’s Organic Wine Week took place 16-22 September 2024 with events hosted throughout the region and country.

Organic winegrowers are a passionate and growing community in New Zealand and the week is a chance to celebrate wines from independently certified organic and biodynamic growers. Here are some organic statistics and facts...

Nothing says ‘summer in Marlborough’ more than festival tickets in hand, and dates on the calendar.

The Marlborough Wine & Food Festival has blossomed early, inspiring people to buy their ‘Early Bird’ and ‘Locals Only’ tickets before the first hint of bud bloom.

Congratulations to Nick Lamain from VinLink who was announced the 2024 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Marlborough Young Winemaker of the Year following the competition held on 31 July at MRC and NMIT in Blenheim.

Congratulations also goes to Ellie Hobbs from Rose Family Estate who came second and Ruby McManaway from Yealands who came third.

25 years ago, on Bastille Day 1999, Adele and Daniel Le Brun released Cuvée No.1, the first Marlborough Méthode Traditionelle from their company No.1 Family Estate.

The Young Winemaker Competition provides a fantastic opportunity for future winemakers 30 years or under to upskill, grow in confidence, widen their network and start making a name for themselves within the industry. The winner of the regional competition will compete in the National competition against other regions. We are pleased to introduce you to the contestants competing in the Marlborough competition taking place on Wednesday 31st July.

Congratulations to Anna Kelland from Constellation Brands who became the 2024 Marlborough Young Viticulturist of the Year after a challenging competition held on 4 July at Whitehaven in Rapaura. Liv Bishop from Delegat came second and Laura Hammond from Babich who came third.

Framingham Wines is pleased to announce today that it has been recognized in Tripadvisor’s® Travelers’ Choice® Awards Best of the Best for 2024, ranking amongst the top 10% of things to do worldwide.

Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ) is thrilled to announce dates for the main event of Organic Wine Week (OWW). Down to Earth will take place at Prefab Hall in Wellington on 17 September 2024 and at Brad’s Warehouse in Auckland on 19 September 2024.

WinePRO is on in Blenheim from June 25 to June 27 and the Conference Programme offers more than 21 expert speakers and panellists including CE of Rewiring Aotearoa Mike Casey, Chief Transformation Officer at Ministry for Primary Industries Jenny Cameron, social scientist Professor Paul Spoonley, New Zealand Story’s David Downs, and Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2024 Dr Jim Salinger, a climate expert who’ll discuss the outlook for viticulture.⁠⁠

Explore the full three day programme here.

During the week of 27 - 31 May, the Marlborough Wine industry shared their initiatives on Instagram using⁠ #WellnessWeek2024 and #MarlboroughWine.

Marlborough’s 2024 vintage could have been “dialled up” for winemakers, says Blank Canvas co-owner Matt Thomson of low yields, warm days, ultra dry conditions, and an autumnal shift to cold nights in March. “You couldn’t have asked for better from a timing point of view.”