Whitehaven winemaker recognised for 'Best Woman Winemaker White Wines' accolade
Whitehaven winemaker recognised for 'Best Woman Winemaker White Wines' accoladePRESS RELEASE: WHITEHAVEN WINES
Whitehaven Senior Winemaker Diana Katardzhieva has been named ‘Best Woman Winemaker’ for still white wines at the prestigious 2025 Sakura Women's Wine Awards. Both the 2024 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc and 2023 Chardonnay were awarded the top accolade of Diamond Trophy.
This prestigious competition celebrates wines that exemplify quality, and Whitehaven wines have shined brightly at this year’s tasting. Now in its 12th year, the event attracted 3,969 entries from 36 countries, judged by 430 female wine judges (280 in Tokyo and 150 in Osaka).
Whitehaven has submitted wines to this competition since 2015.
However, the Whitehaven team's greatest pride comes from seeing winemaker, Diana Katardzhieva, recognised as the Best Winemaker in the still white wines category for Whitehaven’s 2023 Chardonnay. Diana is one of just nine female winemakers to receive this honour, and one of only two New Zealand female winemakers to make this prestigious list.
Diana, who has been at Whitehaven for over 20 years, says the recognition is a shock, but “proof that years of tasting, tweaking, and the occasional barrel pep talk can pay off.” Diana goes on to credit women in general and her wider team saying the award is a “wonderful reminder of the amazing things women are accomplishing in the wine industry. Great wine is a team effort, and I see the award as recognition not only of myself, but of the fruit quality from our vineyards and growers, and the effort of the Whitehaven team. The fact this wine is judged by a talented group of women, makes this even more special…especially since we all know women are usually the ones choosing the wine anyway!”
Sue White, co-founder of Whitehaven, expresses her pride in the accolade, crediting Diana for her winemaking skill and consistency in winemaking, “This level of success is a credit to Diana and her team who work hard to create wines of exceptional quality.”
Each award-winning wine is now available on Whitehaven’s website at www.whitehaven.co.nz
