Haere Ra 2024: Awatere Valley
The Yealands Sauvignon Blanc that won Champion Wine at the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by Quay Connect, was an “exceptional example” of the wine that put Marlborough on the map, says Chief Judge Stu Marfell.
Nearly 40 years on, Tūpari’s winemaker offers some insight into the ups and downs of 2025.
The Good: The 2025 vintage produced top quality wines from a range of varieties from the Awatere Valley. The Sauvignon Blancs were typical, showing classic white peach and ripe citrus notes from the Tūpari Ra vineyard, situated in the upper parts of the valley. Because the Awatere Valley is slightly cooler, especially in the upper valley, we retained good natural acidity which is essential to produce a classic Marlborough style of Sauvignon Blanc. The Riesling had abundant floral and honey notes, and showed how good Marlborough Riesling can be.
The Bad: 2025 had the potential to produce large crops across all varieties at a time when markets are struggling to absorb the volume of available wine. Careful crop management was necessary this year, and will be for the short to medium term.
The Awesome: Tūpari Wines has been recognised at wine shows for our Riesling from Tūpari Ra vineyard. The Tūpari 2024 Late Harvest Riesling was awarded two trophies at the 2025 Canberra International Riesling Challenge for top sweet Riesling and top New Zealand Riesling. It was nice to be recognised at an international competition and to show that Marlborough can produce quality wines from other varieties to go with our famous Sauvignon Blanc.
