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.