The wine that pioneered New Zealand's success on the international market, Montana Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, has just been awarded yet another gold medal at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London.

The award-winning 2009 vintage of this wine comes 30 years after Montana Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc first gained world prominence from plantings at Brancott Estate.

This year, the International Wine Challenge drew entries from a record number of 46 countries. Of the thousands of wines entered, Montana Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 was delighted to be deemed worthy of a gold medal.

"The 2009 vintage in Marlborough was absolutely superb," says Patrick Materman, chief winemaker for Montana. "With the outstanding fruit we harvested, all we had to do as winemakers at Montana's Brancott Winery was to make sure the fruit quality shone through in the wine."

He acknowledges that as originators of the wine region, Montana is very fortunate to have had first pick of vineyard sites in Marlborough. "Those vineyards are just fantastic and it's great to see their quality acknowledged by some of the top experts in the world."