The 2025 National Wine Awards

The country’s only national wine awards were judged in October with the trophy winners announced at a decadent long lunch @ The Hilton Auckland on Sunday 19 October.

In a performance for the record books, the Champion Wine of the Show at the 2025 National Wine Awards of Aotearoa NZ is a sparkling wine for the second year in a row.

 Specialist sparkling producer, Vilaura makes history, taking out the top accolade for the second year running, this time with their 2021 Hawke’s Bay stunner. Jascha Oldham-Selak and his partner Sanne Witteveen are exclusively traditional-method sparkling wine producers and have had terrific early success from their single vineyard site wines.

 Other notable winners were Mount Riley’s Marlborough Syrah 2024 scooping the Fruitfed Supplies Trophy for that variety from a region where only a tiny 12 hectares is planted, and a double-trophy day for Wairau River, with winemaker Nick Entwhistle collecting the Laffort Trophy for Champion Gewürztraminer with their 2025 Reserve wine and returning for the Mainfreight Export Trophy for the 2024 Pinot Noir.

 The team from Church Road won the highly coveted Heritage Rosebowl with the Grand Reserve Syrah from vintages 2013, 2016 and 2021, a special category that rewards wines that have shown a capacity to develop grace and complexity over at least an eight-vintage period.

 It was wonderful to see growers represented on stage too, with “Big John” and Lynne Walsh collecting the Antipodes Champion Riesling Trophy for their Saint Clair Pioneer Block 9 Big John Riesling 2025, and Te Kairanga viticulturist Dave Shepherd up to receive the Pinot Noir trophy for their 2024 Estate Pinot Noir, sponsored by Classic Oak Products NZ.

 The Luncheon was hosted by Jesse Mulligan at Auckland’s waterfront Hilton Hotel where 14 trophy-winning wines were served alongside a decadent four-courses amidst a room abuzz with joyful people celebrating an industry and each other. Happy days.