The pinot noir was named grand champion, chosen from 10,000 wines in the past 12 months.
It was the first time a New Zealand wine had won the award.
Mr Hay said judges tasted more then 10,000 Australian and New Zealand wines and then narrowed the number down to their top 300 from 12 categories which were tasted again.
"It's quite a monumental thing - you think, there are a lot of wines, a lot of good wines, that have come out of New Zealand that haven't won it.
"It's another progression with wines in the region and it's a really good thing about consistency with what we're trying to do."
The pinot noir had already won six gold medals internationally and domestically, was voted one of the top 10 pinot noirs in the world in London and once again judged one of Cuisine magazine's top 10 pinots of the year.
Winestate magazine publisher Peter Simic said the Peregrine pinot noir was a standout in a category the judging panel considered of the highest all-round quality.
"This is the world's toughest competition for Australian and New Zealand wine, with the highest number of wines judged and for the overall high quality of the entries," Mr Simic said.
"It's taken 13 years of the Winestate awards for a New Zealand product to be named wine of the year and Peregrine deserved the honour with a truly great wine that's becoming the hallmark of this region."
New Zealand wineries enjoyed success in three other categories, with all the winners from Marlborough.
Saint Clair Family Estate had three sauvignon blancs in the top five, with its 2009 Pioneer Block first, 2009 Vicars Choice second and the 2009 Foundation fourth.
The New Zealand winemaker of the year was Steve Smith, director of wine and viticulture at Craggy Range, a Hawkes Bay single-vineyard specialist which has earned international acclaim for its high quality reds, particularly syrahs.
The winemaker award was given for consistency in achieving the largest number of high-ranking wines during the tasting period.
Villa Maria was Winestate's New Zealand wine company of the year for the 11th time, with more than 660 producers eligible for the title.
