Sauvignon Blanc crowned Champion of Awatere and South Marlborough

Sauvignon Blanc crowned Champion of Awatere and South Marlborough

Fifty years on from breaking ground with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Triplebank has been awarded the QuayConnect Champion Awatere & South Marlborough trophy with their Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc 2023.

The award was presented at the 2023 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, which was also a celebration of 50 years of modern winemaking in Marlborough. Then Montana, the company was among the first producers to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the region in the 70s.

This year was the first year the show recognised champion wines from Marlborough’s subregions. Winemaker Lan Zhang told us what makes the Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc worthy of the 2023 title for Awatere & South Marlborough…

This was the first year subregional wines have been judged at the Marlborough Wine Show. How did it feel to take away the trophy for Awatere & South Marlborough?

For the Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc to be recognised as wine of Awatere & South Marlborough is incredibly humbling, it’s a wine we’re are all exceptionally fond of, and believe this award is a testament to our entire team’s focus and commitment to producing exceptional wines from the Awatere Subregion. 

Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc has also had success at the Marlborough Wine Show in previous years. What makes this wine special?

Our Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc is a single vineyard wine from our vineyard in Awatere Valley. Using exceptional fruit and with minimal winemaking intervention, we aim to preserve those flavours from the vineyard. Our Triplebank vineyard, in the Awatere Valley, is truly magical. We have beautifully uniform loess soils with the ability to store water. Vines are two-cane pruned to maintain fruit quality and concentration.

Was there anything particularly good about the 2023 vintage?

We experienced early bud burst but with a beautiful cool spring and autumn. The long fruit development period delivered some powerfully concentrated fruit. Fruit came into the winery really clean and was harvested at its optimal condition.

The 2023 Marlborough Wine Show awards presentation evening was also a celebration of 50 years of modern Marlborough winemaking. Originally as Montana, Triplebank has been a part of the Marlborough Wine Industry since the beginning and was widely acknowledged at the awards dinner as being the company to first break ground with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. How does it feel to still be picking up awards, particularly for Sauvignon Blanc 50 years on?

We are truly honoured and proud to have received the trophy for Awatere & South Marlborough with Triplebank Sauvignon Blanc 2023.

This award is a testament to the efforts of the whole team, from vineyard to the winery. It also enabled us to show our great passion for making good quality wine. Sauvignon Blanc is what makes us famous on the world stage. We are delighted with the judges’ recognition and proud to still be picking up awards especially with our Sauvignon Blanc after being around for 50 years.