St Clair and Villa Maria have won top prizes in local categories of the annual Australian Winestate awards, while four varieties have won overall prizes.
Marlborough's Saint Clair winemaker Matt Thomson won the top New Zealand winemaker title while Villa Maria won the New Zealand wine company of the year for best overall performance.
New Zealand wineries won four best wine categories but lost their hold on the best sauvignon blanc title to Logan Wines in New South Wales.
The Winestate awards were made following tastings of more than 10,000 Australian and New Zealand wines by Winestate magazines judges over the past year.
A pinot gris-pinot grigio category was introduced for the first time this year and NZ wineries filled all five top places, with Greystone Wines winning with its 2007 Waipara pinot gris.
Other NZ successes came in the sparkling category with first place going to the Deutz Marlborough Brut Cuvee NV, while the 2007 Crowded House Nelson pinot noir won its category and the best sweet wine went to Forrest Estate's 2006 Marlborough Botrytised riesling.
In a major surprise, a Queensland winery, Heritage Estate, won the wine of the year Award for the first time in the event's history for its 2007 Reserve Granite Belt chardonnay.
