Pick of the bunch at the Marlborough Wine Show

More than 550 entries were assessed for this year’s Marlborough Wine Show, with the panel of 17 judges awarding 46 Golds to wines of all varieties from across Marlborough’s subregions.

Guest judge Emma Jenkins MW was impressed by the ability of winemakers to produce quality wines across the board, particularly following a few tricky vintages from 2021 - 2023.

“What I really liked about some of the wines from those vintages was that winemakers had been really sensitive in the way they handled the fruit,” she says. “I tasted some stunning aromatic wines ... as well as the usual suspects like Pinot, Sauvignon [Blanc] and Chardonnay.”

For fellow guest judge Stephen Wong MW, Pinot Noir entries piqued his palate but Chardonnay was a ‘super standout’ of the show. “There’s just something about the kind of Chardonnays that Marlborough is making, which is right on point with where the world’s palates are converging. It's a great opportunity if we can make the most of that,” he says.

“There's that combination of freshness, vibrancy, very, very careful winemaking, everything is very sensitively handled. It feels like the winemakers in Marlborough have their finger on the pulse of what people want to drink with Chardonnay right now.”

Chief Judge Stu Marfell says he felt it was a true showcase of wine excellence in Marlborough. “It was a thrilling line up of wines that we tasted. The level of quality and thoughtful winemaking that we have here in Marlborough is impressive. Our wines have a true sense of place, they are uniquely Marlborough but they’re also worthy of international praise.”

 More than 400 medals were awarded in total, with 37 of the 46 gold medal winning wines also eligible for a subregional trophy.

There are also 84 wines making up 28 entries in the NZ Wine Centre Legacy Award category of the show, sponsored by Marlborough Research Centre. The Legacy Trophy is designed to celebrate wines with pedigree and is awarded to the wine producer with the highest scores from three vintages within a 10-year period and a minimum gap of two years between each vintage.Guest judge Oz Clarke will be joining Stu Marfell and Ben Glover to assess the category entries on November 6.

Trophy winners for all categories will be announced at the Marlborough Wine Show Celebration Evening, which is also a celebration of 50 years of Marlborough wine, taking place on November 17.

W: Find medal results at marlboroughwineshow.com/awards