Award

The International Wine & Spirit Competition has released the results of its 2026 wine judging after two weeks of blind tastings involving more than 130 leading UK wine experts. Nearly 4,000 wines from 39 countries were judged, making it one of the competition’s broadest international editions yet. France and Italy led overall medal counts, while Spain achieved the most gold medals with 21. China stood out as a rapidly improving wine-producing nation, earning seven golds alongside numerous silver and bronze medals. Strong regional performances came from South Australia, Marlborough, Veneto, Champagne and Rioja. Fortified wines had an especially strong year,…

The Wine Merchant Top 100 winners highlights the best-performing wines from the UK independent trade, judged by independent wine merchants . The awards cover a broad mix of styles and regions, with strong representation from Chile, South Africa, Italy, Spain and France. Here are the more affordable winners, ranked by price. Rank Wine Price Distributor 1 Viña Luis Felipe Edwards El Picador Sauvignon Blanc 2025 £9.49 Cachet Wine 2 False Bay Syrah, Coastal Region 2023 £10.99 Boutinot 3 Domaines Paul Mas Arrogant Frog Orange Organic 2025 £13.75 Domaines Paul Mas 4 Heaphy Riesling, Nelson 2024 £14.99 Boutinot 5 Emiliana Novas…

The IWC says entries rose by 7%, with the results presenting a broad picture of both established and emerging wine regions. France submitted the most wines and won the highest total number of Gold medals, while England had the strongest Gold conversion rate among major wine-producing countries, with 16.48% of its entries winning Gold. The strongest major-country Gold conversion rates were England, Australia, Portugal, Italy, France, Spain and New Zealand. Smaller-entry countries also performed well: Canada had the highest overall Gold conversion rate with four Golds, while Greece, Austria, Georgia, Japan, Turkey, Lebanon and North Macedonia were highlighted as signs…

100 AWEsome Wines has been updated for 2026, created by the Association of Wine Educators, or AWE. The website acts as an annual recommendation list, helping people choose bottles that combine character, quality and value. The idea behind the project is simple. Professional wine educators taste a wide range of wines through their work, so their recommendations are intended to offer informed, unbiased guidance for everyday buyers. The site is designed to make wine shopping less intimidating. Its recommendations are organised by both style and price, with categories including white, rosé, red, sparkling, prestige, no and low alcohol, sweet or…

The results of the 2026 People’s Choice Wine Awards are in. With consumer-friendly categories, the awards welcome wines from around the world across every packaging format and price point. Submissions come from a broad mix of sources, including importers, independent retailers, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and producers. Judging combines professional expertise with real consumer insight. Passionate wine drinkers taste alongside WSET students at all levels and experienced industry professionals. The expert panel includes leading buyers, sommeliers, importers, journalists, retailers, and wine communicators, creating a balanced and credible assessment of every entry. Here are the winners: Mindful Drinking: Alcohol Free (ABV less…

Wine Industry Advisor reports that the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection has announced its 2026 results, marking the programme’s third edition. A panel of 29 sommeliers and wine directors from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants network, drawn from 17 countries across six continents and led by Kristell Monot of Mugaritz, blind tasted and debated to produce a final selection of 115 wines from 16 countries, positioned as a practical benchmark for on-trade wine lists. However, a Delicious article argues that Australia’s absence from the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection 2026 is both surprising and revealing, presenting the list as a strong but…

The Decanter World Wine Awards’ Top 30 Value Golds for 2025 celebrates exceptional wines costing under £15, blind-tasted and judged by leading wine experts. These wines are awarded for delivering outstanding quality at their price point, standing out from over a hundred Gold medal Value category winners. Spain leads with eight wines on the list, followed by France with five, Portugal with four, and other notable entries from Argentina, Australia, Greece, China, Bulgaria, Moldova and more. The selection covers a wide range of styles, from sparkling Prosecco and Cava to robust reds and aromatic whites, showcasing the diversity of great-value…

The winners of this year’s Wine Merchant Top 100 have been revealed. These represent the top 10% from nearly 1,000 wines assessed during a rigorous day of judging in April, involving 36 independent wine merchants. Further details about why each wine was chosen will be shared in a special supplement due out in July, which will also highlight the highly commended entries. In the Sparkling Wine category, the top honour went to Grande Réserve, Premier Cru, Pierre Mignon, Champagne, France NV (£35.74, Alliance Wine), while the best value sparkling wine was Llopart Corpinnat Brut Panoramic, Penedès 2018 (£26.75, Hallgarten &…

The 2025 International London Wine Competition, now in its eighth year, once again placed equal weight on quality, value for money and packaging, aiming to mirror the way consumers actually choose wine. More than seventy leading professionals, including Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers, blind‑tasted every entry before reassessing price and presentation, so each medal reflects genuine market appeal as well as excellence in the glass. The top trophy, Wine of the Year, was awarded to the 2022 Isabel Estate Wild Barrique Chardonnay from New Zealand. Best Wine by Quality went to the 1987 Saamo from Georgia.Best Wine…

The Global Syrah Masters is an annual event celebrating the distinguished grape variety, Syrah. This year saw a high number of wines awarded with Silver, Gold and Master medals. Syrah’s traditional home is in the northern Rhône valley, but it has spread to southern regions and beyond, including Australia and New Zealand, with notable entries from South Africa, Greece, and Chile. Australia remains a significant producer, with wines exhibiting flavours of brambles, blueberry, ripe plum, and black pepper. The competition highlighted the high quality of Australian Shiraz across various price points, particularly excelling in the £30–£50 range. Australian producers like…

Italy is renowned for Sangiovese, its most planted wine grape, covering around 70,000 hectares. In Tuscany, Sangiovese is often blended with international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, except in Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino where blending is not permitted. The recent Global Sangiovese Masters showcased mainly Tuscan wines, with some from Romagna and a few from Australia and the Americas. Notable unoaked wines under £15 included Tenute Piccini’s Oro Chianti Superiore, awarded Gold for its fruity character. Sangiovese generally benefits from wood aging, adding complexity, with many excellent wines found under £20, such as Prugneto Romagna…