Hawke’s Bay winery Church Road has been awarded ‘Best International Chardonnay’ for its 2021 Grand Reserve Chardonnay at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) earlier this month. The wine also won the ‘New Zealand White Trophy’ and the ‘New Zealand Chardonnay Trophy’.
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Merlot also took out the ‘New Zealand Red Wine Trophy’ as well as the ‘New Zealand Merlot Trophy’ at the same awards.
Chief Winemaker, Chris Scott, said: “We are thrilled and very proud not only for Church Road, but for New Zealand to be crowned top International Chardonnay at the IWC. This is the second time in three years that a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay has taken this Trophy, which is a huge achievement for the region. The overall quality of Chardonnay coming out of this little corner of the world is incredibly exciting. It is also terrific to pick up the New Zealand Red Wine Trophy, demonstrating that Merlot is capable of producing truly exceptional wine in Hawke’s Bay. Congratulations to all the other successful New Zealand entrants, picking up a total of 23 Gold Medals and 10 Trophies, competing alongside powerhouses such as France, Australia, Spain and the US.”
