The ninth edition of the WineGB Awards marked a significant milestone, with still wines surpassing sparkling wines in both entries and total medals awarded for the first time. Still wines made up 54% of the entries and won 161 medals, compared to 151 for sparkling wines. However, sparkling wines continued to dominate in terms of gold medals, claiming nearly two-thirds of them, despite a strong performance from still Chardonnays.
The 2023 vintage was the most commonly submitted and successful, reflecting a strong year, with 88 medals awarded. The oldest wine entered dated back to 2009, highlighting the ageing potential of wines from Great Britain. Kent maintained its position as the leading county for both total medals and golds, although competition from western counties such as Dorset and Hampshire was notable. Essex also emerged as a key region for high-quality still wine grapes, with four gold medal-winning wines sourced from its vineyards.
Urban wineries based in London made a strong showing, earning 14 medals. Overall medal tallies were led by Kent with 85, followed by Hampshire, East Sussex and several western counties. Of all medals awarded, 12% were gold, 38% silver, and 32% bronze. Eleven different grape varieties featured among the gold medal winners, with Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc and a Gamay rosé receiving golds for the first time.
Chardonnay continued to shine, especially in sparkling wines, where it featured prominently in blanc de blancs and classic cuvée styles. Among still wines, it accounted for 35% of gold medals, with Bacchus the next most successful.
Full results and the wines can be found on the WinGB awards database.
