For most wines, being awarded a trophy at a major wine show is the pinnacle of achievement. For Deutz Marlborough Cuve Blanc de Blancs 2006 it is but one in a series of peaks - the wine has just won its fifth trophy!

Deutz Marlborough Cuve Blanc de Blancs 2006 was named winner of the Rapid Labels Trophy for Champion Sparkling Wine on Saturday evening at the awards evening for this year's Royal Easter Show Wine Awards.

Over the last year, this wine has been named a champion at four other major wine competitions: the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Liquorland Top 100, Tri-Nations Wine Challenge and Sydney International Wine Competition 2010. At all of these, Deutz Marlborough Cuve Blanc de Blancs 2006 also achieved gold medal status.

Deutz Marlborough Cuve wines are the result of a winemaking partnership between Montana and the prestigious House of Deutz in Champagne.

Unlike most mthode traditionnelle wines that use a blend of wines from different vintages, Deutz Marlborough Cuve Blanc de Blancs is a vintage wine, made from fruit of a specific year only. It is also unusual in that it is not made with the traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but only with Chardonnay, hence the descriptor "blanc de blancs" or "white of whites".

The grapes for this wine were harvested in March 2006 and gently pressed in the Brancott Winery's traditional French Coquard press. Batches were fermented separately. After assemblage, the wine was left to mature in the bottle for three years minimum.

"The fruit we got to work with is truly wonderful and we've built up great knowledge about getting the best out of it in the winery," says winemaker Julia O'Connell.

"This is such a lovely wine that being involved in its making is reward enough. Being awarded a fifth trophy is just wonderful. I know exactly the wine we'll be celebrating with!"