Pinot Noirs pay back dividends to winemakers' dedication
It was a relative rarity for New Zealand Pinot Noir to take top spot at big global wine awards a decade ago. This year, it is almost a dead set regularity, as the world’s biggest wine competition showed in June this year, awarding eight platinum medals to New Zealand wines, four of them for Pinot Noir.
The competition is the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards, which showcases the strength and diversity of the world's wines as well as the power of Pinot from New Zealand's cool‑climate regions.
This year's platinum winning New Zealand wines also highlight the exceptional producer, Greystone Wines, from North Canterbury - an incredibly strong region that is rarely given the kudos that its wines suggest. And two Sauvignon Blancs from two different regions - Marlborough and Martinborough - also won awards.
Platinum Pinot Noirs at 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards
The four wines to secure a platinum medal at this year's Decanter awards are:
2022 Clos Ostler EOS Waitaki Valley Pinot Noir
2024 Nevis Bluff The Holdsworth Pinot Noir Central Otago
2024 Palliser Estate Hua Nui Pinot Noir Martinborough
2024 Te Kairanga Pinot Noir Martinborough
New Zealand secured eight platinum medals overall, with Pinot Noir taking half of them. This represents 1.18% of the nearly 17,000 wines judged at the awards.
The results underscore New Zealand winemaker's dedication to cool climate Pinot Noir from windswept valleys in the deep south (such as the limestone laden Waitaki Valley) to coastal terraces where the land is shaped by alluvial stones, such as in Martinborough.
Winners across the board - North Canterbury recognised and more
2025 Craggy Range Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc - also won platinum and shows the excellence of the cooler and slightly elevated Te Muna Valley, 9kms west of Martinborough village.
Others that won this year were the 2024 Tesco Finest Black Birch Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (produced by Villa Maria) and two wines from North Canterbury winery, Greystone - the 2023 Greystone Erin's Chardonnay 2023 and the 2023 Greystone Vineyard Ferment Syrah.
This is an exceptional nod to North Canterbury which is (and has long been) one of New Zealand's top tier wine regions, with a very low profile compared to other regions.
Stand out Pinot Noirs
Two of the four platinum Pinot Noirs stood out to me; the 2024 Palliser Estate Hua Nui and the 2022 Clos Ostler EOS Pinot Noir.
Palliser Estate’s Hua Nui Pinot Noir 2024 earned 97 points and a platinum medal, placing it at the forefront of current New Zealand Pinot Noir releases. It's a powerful wine with the characteristic earthy aromas and firm dry tannins captured in a full bodied style that are the hallmarks of the best Martinborough Pinot Noir.
It's made from the organically farmed Hua Nui Vineyard on a sunny site in the heart of Martinborough village. The name Hua Nui is te reo Māori for abundant.
Further south, the Waitaki Valley is New Zealand’s smallest (and one of the coolest) wine regions and is home to the 2022 Clos Ostler EOS Pinot Noir, which also scored 97 points and a platinum medal. This is a delicate expression of cool climate Pinot Noir that highlights crisp vibrant acidity in a youthful wine
The awards also highlight excellence across Aotearoa's wine regions from North Canterbury to Central Otago and Awatere Valley (Marlborough's most significant area south of the well known Wairau Valley).
New Zealand’s success at the Decanter awards this year sits within a broader global context where 24 countries shared 196 platinum medal wins.
