A white Christmas
New Zealand wine enjoyed a white Christmas this year, as country-of-origin leader in the United Kingdom's Still White Wine Category.
The North Canterbury Chardonnay has attracted "a huge amount of attention", says winemaker Dom Maxwell, following a trifecta at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2023, with the New Zealand Wine Trophy, New Zealand Chardonnay and Canterbury Chardonnay Trophy. "We've understood for a while that there is some compelling Chardonnay coming off Greystone Vineyard - these awards just back that up," Dom says. Greystone also won the IWC Organic Trophy.
New Zealand came away with 38 medals for wines at the IWC, one of the top 12 wine-producing countries. Thirteen of those medals went to Chardonnay. Greystone's General Manager of Sales and Marketing Stephen McGowan says New Zealand has long been celebrated for its exceptional Sauvignon Blanc, but its Chardonnay often remains "under the radar". Greystone's success demonstrates that New Zealand is not limited to a single varietal "and possesses the climate, talent, skills, and expertise to excel across different grape varieties & wine styles", he says.
Dom and Greystone Viticulturist Mike Saunders are presenting at the Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium in Hawke's Bay in October, as part of the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology (NZSVO) Technical Workshop.
