NEWS & BLOG

31 Aug 2026

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2026

31 Aug 2026

WAIPARA WEST 2009 RIESLING

26 Jun 2025

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2025

12 Jun 2023

DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2023

12 Jun 2023

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2023

04 Jul 2022

WAIPARA WEST WINE AWARDS 2022

Our award winning wines continue their success in the recent 2022 International Wine Competitions

15 Oct 2021

INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION 2021

2012 RIESLING - SILVER AWARD

TASTING NOTES

'Ripe, tropical fruit aromas emerge beside petrol typicity before grilled peaches, cooked lemons, cream, and a hint of lanolin develop on the palate. Beautifully balanced and luscious, pass the cheese!'

2013 RIESLING - SILVER AWARD

TASTING NOTES

'Delicately spiced and silkily textured, layers of baked peaches, caramel, yoghurt and honey seduce the palate while grilled nuts evolve in the background and orange peel lingers into the close.'

08 Jul 2021

2021 DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS

We only entered 3 wines, so we only won 3 medals.

25 Jun 2021

2021 VINTAGE REPORT

Great quality, but not a lot of wine.

This was our most frost affected vintage since we started in 1989, but the wines are potentially amazing.

Read the full report below.

2021 VINTAGE REPORT

19 May 2021

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2021

We entered three wines into the competition - we won three medals.

27 Nov 2020

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2020

2017 TWO TERRACE PINOT NOIR - GOLD AWARD

TASTING NOTES

'There's a hint of coffee on the nose which shows lots of cherry fruit. The palate is elegant with fine tannins.'

27 Nov 2020

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2020

2015 RAM PADDOCK RED - SILVER AWARD TASTING NOTES 'This is a supple, digestible red with sweet black cherries and fine herbs on the palate. Leafy and expressive.' 2018 PINOT NOIR - SILVER AWARD TASTING NOTES 'Expressive with lots of fine cherry and plumb fruit flavours, with rounded and textural tones.'

27 Nov 2020

INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2020

2018 CABERNET FRANC - BRONZE AWARD

TASTING NOTES

'Summer pudding in a glass, crunchy redcurrant fruit on the palate - hint of spice to finish.'

08 Oct 2020

INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION 2020

TASTING NOTES

"Toasty oak and ripe golden apple on the nose with struck match, flint and smokiness. The palate is crisp and broad with good acidity."

23 Sep 2020

2020 DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS

We only entered three wines into the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards, so we only won three medals.

15 Sep 2020

WILLIE TREW – HEAD WINEMAKER

Waipara West is pleased to announce the appointment of Willie Trew as Head Winemaker. After graduating from Lincoln University with a degree in Viticulture & Oenology, Willie worked at Greystone Wine in North Canterbury, interspersed with various overseas work experiences and then for the last 5 years at Man O’War on Waiheke Island.

28 Aug 2020

2020 VINTAGE REPORT

The 2020 vintage will be remembered at Waipara West as the one that nearly did not happen. We picked for a week under a cloud of uncertainty as Covid-19 swept through the country, one thing was clear, compromising wine quality to get the crop picked in a hurry was not an option. Read the full report below.

2020 VINTAGE REPORT