Top title for Craggy Range at Decanter World Wine Awards

Craggy Range has topped the New Zealand results at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) winning a coveted Best in Show title.

The 2024 Craggy Range Martinborough Pinot Noir was one of only 50 Best in Show medals awarded across the competition, (representing just 0.30% of all wines tasted), alongside 137 Platinum and 732 Gold medals, with the overall medals in total increasing from 81.5% to 82.2% this year.

Organisers say that overall, a higher percentage of top medals were awarded, demonstrating an increase in quality of the wines submitted.

New Zealand earned 303 medals, including Craggy Range’s Best in Show, one Platinum for 2023 McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot Noir, and 24 Gold medals.

“Winning a Gold or Platinum award at DWWA can literally change a producer’s life,’ said DWWA judge and Master of Wine Tim Marson. 

Beth Willard, DWWA Co-Chair echoed this, highlighting the transformative power of a medal: “Imagine a producer who’s never entered before, maybe quite a new producer and they get a Gold medal. That opens the world stage for them… it can really launch them into a market.”

Celebrating its 22nd edition, this year’s DWWA saw wines from 57 countries evaluated by 248 top international experts, including 22 Master Sommeliers and 72 Masters of Wine – the most in the competition’s history.

W: Full results at decanter.com