Wairarapa's Gladstone Vineyard has won gold at the prestigious Concours Mondial du Sauvignon competition in France for a wine named after the owners' golden retriever, Sophie, who died in 2010.
The award-winning wine is the vineyard's special reserve, oaked sauvignon blanc called Sophie's Choice 2010.
Owner and chief winemaker Christine Kernohan said the wine had a loyal following thanks to its oak complexities and richness of flavour.
The idea to name the wine after Sophie came from a customer in response to a competition the vineyard ran to find a name for it.
"They said you just have to name it after Sophie," she said.