New Zealand chardonnay named a world-beater, and it's not from Marlborough

Influential wine publication Decanter delivered a surprise when it released its annual World Wine Awards on June 14.

The International Trophy for Chardonnay priced over £15 (HK$180) didn't go to a French winemaker in Burgundy or an estate in California. Instead, the gold trophy was awarded to "a distinctly modern New Zealand chardonnay", 2012 Vidal Legacy Chardonnay.

What's particularly notable is that Vidal Estate isn't in the Marlborough region, which produces the bulk of the country's wine, particularly white. The 110-year-old winery is on North Island, in Hawke's Bay halfway up the east coast between Auckland and Wellington.

Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's oldest wine region and second-largest producer, yet it's overshadowed by the might of the Marlborough, on the northern tip of South Island.

"It's a slow burn in Hawke's Bay," says Hugh Crichton, Vidal's award-winning winemaker. "It doesn't jump out at you like Marlborough wine; it's a bit more discreet, a bit more elegant."

New Zealand can be chilly, but the maritime climate around Hawke's Bay, with warm, reasonably dry summers, makes for ideal grape-growing conditions. There's a patchwork of small growers, with a solid community of winemakers and food producers.