Medal results from the 2026 Marlborough Wine Show are out with 70 wines winning gold and Chief Judge Stu Marfell saying the results show a wine region in fine form.
Judges spent three days tasting more than 500 wines, awarding the 70 gold, 140 silver and 180 bronze medals in total.
Sauvignon Blanc Current Vintage and Chardonnay Current Vintage were the leading categories, picking up 19 and 12 gold medals respectively.
“We’ve had another strong vintage with the 2026s,” says Marfell. “Aromatics and Sauvignon Blancs have been really strong, and it’s been cool to see things like Albariño performing. It’s a wine that has got so much personality and potential, so that’s pretty fun.”
He says that the quality of 2026 followed two strong vintages in 2024 and 2025, and tasting the Legacy entries, which include three vintages of the same wine from within a 10-year period, further proved that in some cases, Marlborough wines get even better with age.
“We’re probably almost drinking [these wines] a bit young, at times. There were some really great older wines, and sometimes, of the three wines, it was the oldest that really shone through as being the most interesting,” he said.
Stu Marfell was joined by Shadow Chief Judge, Marlborough Winemaker Murray Cook, guest judges Jennifer Docherty MW from Hong Kong and New Zealand-based Terry Copeland, alongside a team of senior and associate judges for the Marlborough Wine Show tasting.
Trophies will be announced at the 2026 Marlborough Wine Show Celebration on 13 November at the Queen Charlotte Yacht Club in Picton.
