Marlborough’s champion wine of the year picked up not one but three trophies at the 2025 Marlborough Wine Show.
Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2024 knocked out more than 500 Marlborough wines to be crowned the QuayConnect Champion Wine of the Show, alongside The Coterie Wine of Provenance and Vintech Pacific Champion Chardonnay, Current Vintage.
Chief Judge Stu Marfell said it had been another exciting Show, with some outstanding 2024 wines across the varieties, alongside many delicious 2025 Sauvignon Blancs and aromatics.
“The Champion Wine of the Show was a difficult choice, as there were so many outstanding trophy winners, but the Rapaura Springs Bouldevines Single Vineyard Chardonnay is a deserved champion,” he says.
“With its beautiful citrus nose, a touch of savoury flintyness and wild ferment complexity, it is a remarkable wine with loads of complexity and focus. It is a great ambassador for how good Marlborough Chardonnay can be.”
Rapaura Springs won a fourth trophy this year, the Fruitfed Supplies Champion Southern Valleys trophy with the ROHE Southern Valleys Pinot Noir by Rapaura Springs 2024.
In the Legacy category, Marlborough Chardonnay also proved its ability to age well, with Isabel Estate’s Wild Barrique Chardonnay nabbing the NZ Wine Centre Legacy Award; their 2018, 2020 and 2022 vintages making an impression.
The award aims to celebrate a wine with the highest scores from three vintages within a 10-year period, and a minimum gap of two years between each wine.
It was a trifecta of trophies for Isabel Estate, which also picked up the De Sangosse NZ Champion Pinot Noir 2022 & Older with their Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 and the Scenic Hotel Marlborough Champion Rosé with their Marlborough Rosé 2025.
In total, 21 trophies were awarded at a Marlborough Wine Show Celebration event, alongside a special Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Kimberley and Kevin Judd of Greywacke Wines.
The Marlborough Wine Show is an opportunity to showcase the region’s best wines and give winemakers an opportunity to benchmark their work alongside that of their local peers.
For the full list of 2025 trophy winners, click here.
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Dining and Cooking