When Giesen Director of Winemaking Duncan Shouler and his team bottled their Single Vineyard Clayvin Syrah 2021, they knew it was something special.

The wine was recently crowned Wine Marlborough Champion Other Red Wine at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

A marriage of top quality fruit and traditional winemaking techniques was the secret behind the winning sparkling wine at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Pernod Ricard picked up the Vitis & Winemakers Champion Sparkling Wine trophy with their Deutz Prestige Cuvée 2017.

Sauvignon Blanc was a stand out for Vavasour Wines at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, who took home two Sauvignon Blanc category trophies.

Their Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2022 shone in the WineWorks Champion Sauvignon Blanc, Current Vintage category, despite a tricky growing season.

A commitment to respect in the vineyard is paying off for viticulture and winemaking teams at Giesen Wines.

The company picked up three trophies for two wines made in the organic Clayvin Vineyard at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

A traditional and hands-off approach in the winery paid off for Tohu winemakers, who came away from the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, with not one but two trophies for their Whenua Awa Pinot Noir 2019.

Tohu Wines Chief Winemaker Bruce Taylor says the wine is a favourite for the team in the winery; the 2019 vintage a standout amongst vertical tastings even now.

Minimal intervention was at the forefront when Rapaura Springs Winemaker Mike Bann set about to make the trophy-winning Single Vineyard Bouldevines Vineyard Chardonnay 2020.

The wine was awarded the MRC Champion Chardonnay, Current Vintage, at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

The 36th Marlborough Wine & Food Festival is shaping up as a feast of opportunities for both seasoned foodies and those looking to learn.

Festival Committee Chair and Marlborough grape grower Tracy Johnston describes Marlborough food as one oof the region’s best-kept secrets.

Extra love in the vineyard and unconventional winemaking methods are behind the Wine Marlborough Champion Alternate Style Sauvignon Blanc of the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

The Wine Marlborough Alternate Style Sauvignon Blanc trophy was awarded to Te Pā Oke Sauvignon Blanc 2020, beating out 10 other entries in the emerging category.

ALLAN SCOTT took a punt on a new job in August 1973, joining 90 bewildered workers in the dry and dusty Brancott Valley. A few months later only a dozen of the team remained, toiling to plant Montana’s first Marlborough vineyard, with little idea of what they were doing or why.

“Having to carve out a whole new life I didn’t know about was probably one of the best decisions I made,” says the recipient of the 2022 Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognises his enormous contribution over the past 50 years.

“WHAT WILL your vineyard look like in 10 years with no intervention?” That’s the question Mark Allen likes to ask vineyard owners, given the risks of trunk disease and virus, and the opportunities of replanting. “Marlborough is in a huge transitional phase at the moment,” says Mark, who was awarded a Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award in late October, recognising his relentless commitment to viticulture over the past 35 years. “Now is the time to think about the future.”

Mark began his career in kiwifruit in Tauranga but was lured over to grape vines when his good friend and neighbour Morton Brown established Morton Estate Vineyards. His kiwifruit skillsets served him well in his new field, with soils and vines and canopy management key to the success of both crops, he says.

Saint Clair Pioneer Block 28 Camp Block Pinot Blanc 2019 has shown huge promise in its second vintage, picking up the Move Freight Champion Other White Wine Trophy at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show.

Saint Clair Family Estate Winemaker Heather Stewart says receiving the award was extra special for the company, given that it is a recent addition to their offerings.

Whitehaven’s Kōparepare Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé 2022 has been crowned Scenic Hotel Marlborough Champion Rosé at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Kōparepare Brand Ambassador Samantha White says it was the third year in a row that the wine had taken out a gold medal at the Show. To get the trophy was an added bonus.

A drive to produce fantastic Marlborough Chardonnay has been recognised at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Giesen Wines received two trophies for their Single Vineyard Clayvin Chardonnay 2018: the MRC Champion Chardonnay, 2019 and Older, as well as the Vit Management Ltd Best Organic Wine of the Show.

Ten-time NZ music award-winning duo Broods will grace the main stage with an hour-long DJ set, drawing from their popular albums.

Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens anticipates that the Nelson-born artists will be one of the festival’s musical highlights, alongside Coterie – a five piece band with a reputation for excellent live shows.

When Indevin Winemaker Dean Boyce set about making the Honorary Lilac Vines Gewürztraminer 2021, creating something special was front of mind.

His efforts came to fruition when the wine was crowned the Wine Brokers New Zealand Champion Gewürztraminer at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

A careful synergy of unique flavours was at the forefront when Saint Clair Family Estate winemakers set out to create their award winning Saint Clair James Sinclair Pinot Gris 2021.

The wine picked up the Litho and Label Champion Pinot Gris at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, one of three wines to take home a gold medal in the category.

The locals-only and early-bird tickets sold out in a flash, a balmy La Niña summer is forecast and wineries are getting ready for the 2023 Marlborough Wine & Food Festival.

Wine Marlborough is delighted to see the return of New Zealand’s longest-running food and wine festival after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. This will be the 36th Wine & Food Festival, bringing exciting newcomers such as Rimapere Vineyard and The Uncommon Wine of New Zealand to the fore alongside family-owned wineries that have exhibited at the festival for many years to become part of the festival’s heritage – such as Hunter’s Wines, Forrest Wines and Wairau River Wines.

If you’re searching for a taste of the Awatere Valley, you’ll find it in a bottle of Tohu Whenua Awa Pinot Noir 2019.

Tohu Wines picked up The Coterie Wine of Provenance trophy for the second time at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, showing their expertise when it comes to capturing a sense of place in the bottle.

Knowledge passed from one winemaking team to another over nearly a decade has come up trumps at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.

Despite previously being a category dominated by white wines, Wither Hills picked up the Marlborough Museum Legacy Award with their Wither Hills Taylor River Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, 2015 and 2011.

The 2022 Marlborough Wine Show Champion Wine of the Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, is the result of years of hard work on the road to perfection.

Marisco Vineyards Proprietor and Winemaker Brent Marris says the journey of Marisco Vineyards ‘The King’s Wrath’ Pinot Noir 2021 began long before the 2021 vintage, way back when they first planted Pinot Noir grapes in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys.