Exploring Quality in New Zealand Chardonnay.
September 17 & 18 2026
Taking place on September 17th and 18th in the beautiful Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay, the symposium will be held at Toitoi: Hawke’s Bay Arts and Event Centre in Hastings.
The theme of the 2026 symposium is quality, focusing on the unique features that define our whenua (land), climate, and philosophy, and how these elements come together to enable the production of premium Chardonnay.
Together, we will delve into what makes quintessentially great Aotearoa Chardonnay, and explore how we can consistently craft wines that exhibit exceptional quality, texture and balance.
TESTIMONIALS FROM THE 2024 SYMPOSIUM:
Several of the best wine conferences I have ever been part of have occurred here in New Zealand. And now, another one. The commitment to grow, seek insight, welcome each other, learn from multiple types of intelligence or training, and collaborate as a community exceeds any other place I have visited. It draws me back again and again. Every time I feel deep gratitude, humility and pride all brought together.
To be welcomed by the people I know here who are generous, genuine, kind, in other words people I so admire, feels like the greatest compliment I could imagine. This community is a blessing.
— Elaine Chukan Brown, Wine Writer & Educator
What an incredible couple of days at the Aotaroa Chardonnay Symposium in Hawkes Bay- exploring ‘sense of place’. So valuable to gather as an industry to question, share and challenge to help New Zealand’s success with the much loved Chardonnay grape move from strength to strength. Now in its second year, a passionate committee shaped yet another thought provoking couple of days , and have already set the date for the third edition in September 2026. Kudos for amassing such a fabulous speaker line up.
Loved how Tikanga Māori was thoughtfully threaded throughout. We’re all departing for home now mind buzzing with Chardonnay thoughts and the huge opportunity out there to get our stunning examples into wine glasses all over the world!
— Charlotte Read, General Manager Brand NZ Wine
What an excellent event Aotearoa Chardonnay Symposium was. Two days of tasting, comparing and discussing Chardonnay in its many expressions. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to listen to and learn from an amazing line up of speakers and meet and reconnect with people in the New Zealand wine industry.
— Jackie Jubels, Sommelier & Horticentre Scholarship Recipient
Join us for this collaborative forum for the Aotearoa wine community to assess our current standing and chart our path forward in the journey to produce exceptional Chardonnay.
Who Should Attend?
Winemakers
Wine Growers
Sales, Marketing, and more
Speaker Spotlight
Julia Harding MW (UK)
Senior Editor, JancisRobinson.com
Julia Harding is a distinguished wine writer, editor, and Master of Wine, renowned for her expertise and attention to detail. With a Cambridge degree in Modern Languages, she initially worked as an academic book editor before her fascination with wine led her to a second career in wine writing.
In 2004, she became a Master of Wine, passing first time and winning the Robert Mondavi Award for top theory papers, a distinction for her dissertation and the Tim Derouet Memorial Prize for overall excellence. For over 20 years, she has been Jancis Robinson’s senior editor at JancisRobinson.com.
Julia co-authored Wine Grapes (2012), edited the maps for The World Atlas of Wine (7th 8th and 9th editions), and was lead editor for the one-million-word 5th edition of The Oxford Companion to Wine (2023).
She has received numerous accolades for her writing, including the Masters of Wine Noval Award for Excellence in Communication (2007); the Chairman’s Award in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Awards (2009); Portuguese Wine Writer of the Year (2012); James Beard Award (2012); Wines of Portugal Personality of 2022; and winner of the 67 Global Wine Communicator award for long-form writing 2025.
Based in London, she travels widely, tastes extensively, and guards her physical and mental well-being through rigorous outdoor exercise.
