For the first time, a New Zealand winemaker has taken out a world championship title for the best sparkling wine.
Over the weekend Marlborough's Number One Family Estate accepted the prestigious award for its Brut NV at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in London.
Its story began more than 45 years ago when French born winemaker Daniel Le Brun decided to put down roots in Marlborough, never doubting his vision.
"I've known for years that our wines would stack up against Champagne," he said.
But both his family in the Champagne region of France and the Marlborough locals weren't so convinced. No one else was making sparkling wine in the region.
"That's when I inherited the nickname of a crazy Frenchman, because I was still doing things different."
Le Brun stuck to the traditional ways he'd been taught of making sparkling wine – bringing equipment over from France when it wasn't available in New Zealand.
Despite his ongoing belief in the product, the latest accolade still came as a shock. "It came you know as a bolt out of the blue, really," he said.
Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens said Le Brun was the father of modern sparkling wine in New Zealand.
"The vision that he's shown and the dedication to stick to that, solely, I think is really special. There's not many people that have that single vision and then just pursue it for their whole career."
Number One Family Estate winemaker Lee Dobson said sticking to the craft of sparkling wine making made the company unique.
"We're very hands-on, hand-harvested, small team, meticulous detail, you know. We're not making huge quantities, and we're putting all of our energy and love into this wine."
Marketing manager and Le Brun's daughter Virginie Le Brun said it was a testament to all the work that has gone before.
"It's really the realisation of a dream that Daniel had way back when and, absolutely, all the more so for all of us as a team.
"I mean, you can't really get more significant than beating Champagne."
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