Best from The Global Wine Masters 2025

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24 December 2025

The Drinks Business has unveiled the best of the best from The Global Wine Masters 2025.

Following the assessment of nearly 4,000 wines across 33 standalone competitions throughout the year, a select group of bottles has been recognised as the finest in their category, each one a benchmark for its style and region.

Here are the wines:

Best Rosé – Garrus, Château d’Esclans, Provence, France (2023) – £100
Best Champagne – Piper-Heidsieck 2018, Champagne, France – £80
Best Sparkling Wine – Ayala La Perle 2015, Champagne, France – £140
Best Prosecco – Bisol 1542 Valdobbiadene Cartizze DOCG Dry 2024, Veneto, Italy – £36
Best Wine Under £10 – Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier 2024, Central Valley, Chile – £5
Best Chenin Blanc – Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2023, Coastal Region, South Africa – £25
Best Pinot Gris – La Roncaia Pinot Grigio Friuli Colli Orientali 2023, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy – £30
Best Sauvignon Blanc – Potzinger Ried Pössnitzberg Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Steiermark, Austria – £25
Best Riesling – Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese Tradition 1993, Mosel, Germany – £45
Best Chardonnay – Platt Vineyard Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2023, Sonoma Coast, USA – £185
Best Spring Tasting Wine – Pommery Cuvée Louise 2006, Champagne, France – £200
Best Pinot Noir – Cloudy Bay Te Wahi 2021, Central Otago, New Zealand – £73
Best Cabernet Franc – Jade Moon 2019, Hoosegg by Philip Shaw, Orange, Australia – £75
Best Merlot – Black Stallion Estate Winery Merlot 2021, Napa Valley, USA – £75
Best Cabernet Sauvignon – Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, South Australia, Australia – £450
Best Sangiovese – San Felice Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2020, Tuscany, Italy – £65
Best Syrah – Wakefield The Pioneer Shiraz 2021, Clare Valley, Australia – £85
Best Organic Wine – Acciaiolo 2021, Castello di Albola, Tuscany, Italy – £72
Best from La Place de Bordeaux – Morlet Family Vineyards Coeur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Napa Valley, USA – £290
Best Orange Wine – Signature Limited Edition Torrontés de Raíz Naranjo 2022, Susana Balbo, Valle de Uco, Argentina – £70
Best Wine Packaging Design – STONEVIK 2024, VIK, Cachapoal, Chile – £180
Best Malbec – Luigi Bosca Los Nobles Malbec 2021, Mendoza, Argentina – £60
Best Travel Retail Wine – Vulcaia Fumé Sauvignon 2022, Inama, Veneto, Italy – £58
Best Carmenere – Obliqua 2022, Ventisquero Wine Estates, Colchagua, Chile – £40
Best Wine from the Autumn Tasting – Gloria Chardonnay 2023, Kollwentz, Burgenland, Austria – £73
Best Tuscan Wine – Poggio al Tesoro Sondraia Bolgheri Superiore DOC 2021, Tuscany, Italy – £75
Best Rioja – Hinia 2021, Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta, Rioja, Spain – £80
Best Grenache – Perelada Aires de Garbet 2021, Catalunya, Spain – £69
Best Fortified Wine – Florio Marsala Dolce Superiore Riserva SD0294 1994, Sicilia, Italy – £200
Best Sweet Wine – Hermann Moser Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2023, Niederösterreich, Austria – £50 (375ml)
Best Small Format Wine – Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Red NV, Rhône Valley, France – £3.50 (250ml can)
Best Low & No Alcohol Wine – Chavin Zero Rosé Sparkling Vin de France Désalcoolisé NV, France – £18

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Did You Know?

For Crémant, grapes must be harvested by hand and the wines must undergo at least nine months’ ageing before release. More

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest export market for Champagne globally, after the United States. More

Local UK bottling of wine represents about 40% of imported wine. More

Around 1% of people, typically severe asthmatics, have a sulphite sensitivity. More

A large 80% of Australian wine arrives in the UK in bulk. More

Only about 0.02% of Australia’s landmass is dedicated to vineyards. More

In 2024, New Zealand produced only 1% of the World’s wine. More

In 2024, the US imported 37% of World production of Pinot Grigio and the UK was is in second place at 27%. More

In 2024, the UK was South Africa’s largest export market, with 40% of total exports. More

In 2024, the United Kingdom imported 22.3 million bottles of Champagne, a decline of 12.7% compared to the previous year. More

Larger Champagne producers source grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards throughout Champagne. More

Champagne houses and growers collectively produce around 300 million bottles annually. More

In 2025, the Champagne region was home to about 2,124 Champagne houses and approximately 19,000 growers. More

Provence is one of the leaders in the conversion to organic viticulture, with 61% of vineyards certified. More

8% of the South Africa’s grape production is Fairtrade-certified. More

Up to 80% of wine aroma compounds come from grape skins. More

Glycerol is the third-largest component of most dry wines after water and alcohol which is why they so often feel ‘smooth’ or ‘silky’ in the mouth. More

Humans are more than 400 times more sensitive to bitter than sweet. More

Humans can detect the earthy molecule geosmin at about 100 parts per trillion and camels are so sensitive to it they can locate damp ground from roughly 50 miles away. More

During the phylloxera crisis of the nineteenth century, 90% of Europe’s vineyards were destroyed. More

In 2025, for La Vieille Ferme, also known as “The Chicken Wine”, sales surged by 49.4% to £110.8 million. More

In 2025, in the UK, Yellow Tail held the top position with sales, marking a 9.8% increase over the previous year. More

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest wine importer in volume and value. More

In 2024, the UK was the fifth-largest wine-consuming country globally. More

In 2025, global wine consumption continued its downward trend, estimated at 214.2 million hectolitres, the lowest since 1961. More

In 2025, online alcohol sales had a 20% increase in value over five years. More

In 2025, the number of UK vineyards rose to 1,104 and wineries to 238, with land under vine expanding to 4,841 hectares, a 510% increase since 2005. More

Moët Hennessy alone commands nearly 46.66% of the Champagne market, with the top three producers together holding about 61%, and the top five controlling over 72%. More

In 2024, the Champagne market was worth roughly €3.92 billion. More

In the marketing year 2023/24, white wine accounted for roughly 55% of Spain’s output, whereas red and rosé together made up about 45%. More

In the UK, 92% of wine is consumed within 48hrs of purchase. More

The majority of wines, 95%, use commercial rather than wild yeast. More

Between 0.5 and 10 litres of water, per litre of wine, are needed for cleaning during winemaking. More

Machine harvesting can achieve up to 100 tons of fruit per day vs 1 ton for a human. More

In Germany, 2025 was the smallest wine vintage since 2010. More

The majority of vineyards, 90% in 2019, are farmed with heavy chemical interventions. Only 6% are organic. More

90% of low and coastal areas in south Europe and California will no longer be able to produce good wine by the end of the century. More