Record performance for still wines at ninth WineGB Awards

By Jaq Bayles

Published: 25 June, 2025

Still wines have outshone sparklers for the first time at the annual WineGB Awards, accounting for more than half the entries and gaining 161 medals compared to sparkling’s 151.

However, when it came to golds, sparkling wines came out on top, picking up almost 67% of the total despite a strong showing from still Chardonnay.

WineGB said: “Unsurprisingly given the bumper year, 2023 was the most popular vintage entered (31%), with wines from this year picking up 88 medals in total. The oldest wine submitted was from 2009, once again demonstrating the ageing potential of GB wines.

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“Kent retained the top spot as the county with the most golds and medals overall. However, there was increased competition from the western counties for the top medals with Dorset and Hampshire achieving seven golds, Devon and Somerset four, and East and West Sussex each three.

“It is also worth noting that four of the gold medal-winning wines were made from fruit sourced from the county of Essex, which is proving to be a consistent source of high-quality grapes for still wine production.”

Of the medals awarded this year, 12% were gold, 38% were silver and 32% were bronze. Eleven grape varieties were used to produce gold medal-winning wines, including the first golds for Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc and a rosé made from Gamay.

Susie Barrie MW, chair of the judging panel, said: “This year we had hands-down the most exciting final line-up of Chardonnays we've ever seen at WineGB. The range of styles and the inherent quality of the wines has never been better.”

Melania Battiston, panel lead, added: “I have extensive experience tasting sparkling wines from around the world, and it’s rare to find such a harmonious blend of consistency and quality throughout the flights. As for the still wines, while the quality is undoubtedly high, they are less predictable, which is part of what makes them so exciting. There’s a sense of freedom and experimentation, with winemakers exploring their own styles and, thanks to WineGB, increasingly gaining well-deserved recognition for it.”

Anne Krebiehl MW said: “While I had only one day to judge, I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the blanc de blancs and the non-vintage blends – it was great to see excellent, world-class fizz being made in such stylistic breadth. This is surely a sign of an industry that is coming of age, making its way and exploring such different and valid expressions. I was also really pleased with the still Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. England no longer has anything to hide, and these two wonderful varieties really work on this Sceptered Isle.”

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