China Calling

Now in its third annual iteration, the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards has firmly established itself as the measure of quality for China’s wines. 

Guided by its ethos of ‘International Standards, Chinese Ingenuity’, the Macau-based 2026 event brought together 23 international judges – many of them Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers – to ensure the credibility of its results. 

With medals going to 100 winning wines that reveal China’s already rich diversity of terroirs and quality potential, the results reveal just how far China’s domestic wine industry has stepped up at an international level. 

Moreover, this initiative’s remit goes far beyond simply singling out the best of China’s wines. Wynn’s aim is to be the ‘global ambassador’ for China’s best wines – a role the luxury hospitality group is embracing to the full. 

Wynn is well-placed to position and promote the best of Chinese wines, able to do so alongside its own quality-driven and Michelin-starred menus. And those links between hospitality and food have been rolled out beyond Macau and China’s borders, with a series of targeted international promotions. These activities have seen wine tastings in Singapore and Hong Kong at 67 Pall Mall, bringing professional buyers and members of the international wine club together.

There has also been collaboration with auctioneer Christie’s and a partnership with premium wine retailing specialist Watson’s Wine in Hong Kong, to promote award-winning wines across both online and offline channels. And since December 2025 Wynn has worked with Cathay Pacific, seeing winning wines featured in the VIP airport lounges in Hong Kong, coupled with targeted worldwide promotion to the airline’s high-net-worth travellers. 

The upshot has been a significant uplift in recognition for fine Chinese wines, with the Watson’s Wine activity alone more than doubling year-on-year sales in that market. For the Wynn team this is all part of “fostering global appreciation of China’s top-tier wineries and the international marketplace” by “building awareness, trust and excitement around Chinese wines” while reinforcing the links with culture and dining in luxury settings. 

Growing ambition

This year’s event will take that ambition further, with Southeast Asia, Australia and the UK now in Wynn’s sights as the Signature Chine Wine Awards continue to gain traction. 

Australia is being targeted precisely because of its own New World credentials, aligning China with that ‘New World mindset’, suggesting synergies between the two winemaking territories. 

The UK presents a differing approach via wine lovers’ hub 67 Pall Mall, which counts the very best of France and Italy among its 5,000-strong worldwide offering. Here, in the heart of London, it will be the Old World against which China’s finest wines will be positioned, again reinforcing that they deserve a seat at the top table.

However, the organisers of the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards are very clear that such promotional activities are not just about comparison. Rather, they are looking to show and celebrate the differences offered by various Chinese terroirs and styles in a way that nods to the quality of the collective Chinese offer. 

The competition is only three years in and already it is making waves in the world of fine wine. Wynn’s ambassadorial role clearly is paying dividends for China and, with more big plans in the pipeline, global recognition can only grow. For China’s producers – and wine lovers around the world alike – that all adds up to one exciting competition. 

Read More: Wynn announces trophy-winning Chinese wines

The full list of award-winning wines is avaliable here.