He had been one of six people nominated for the Winemaker of the Year award at the Der Feinschmecker Wine Awards in Germany, often known as the "wine Oscars".
Mr Bauer, who is Austrian-born but has been working in New Zealand since 1985, attended the award ceremony in Germany at the weekend, learning an Italian winemaker had won.
Over the weekend, he soon received better news from home, discovering he had won the Winemaker of the Year 2010 Award at the Royal Easter Show in Auckland.
The Royal Easter Show awards are regarded as New Zealand's oldest, most respected wine competition.
He also won the same New Zealand award in 1999.
Mr Bauer formed Quartz Reef at Bendigo, near Cromwell, in 1996, specialising in pinot noir, pinot gris, and methode traditionelle.
Learning about the award was a "great surprise", Mr Bauer said.
"It's a true honour to be recognised among New Zealand's finest winemakers."
He moved to Central Otago to make the region's first gold-medal-winning pinot noir at Rippon Vineyard in 1991.
He then worked in Canterbury for several years before returning to Central Otago to form Quartz Reef.
