We reveal the wines that have won the prestigious Best in Show award at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019.
Full results for DWWA 2019 will be announced on 28 May.
Of the more than 16,500 wines tasted, only 50 (0.3%) received the esteemed Best in Show medal.
Coming soon: Full DWWA 2019 results will be available, with tasting notes, from 28 May
Scroll down to see how a wine wins Best in Show
France held onto the lead for another year receiving 13 Best in Show awards, the most in this year’s competition. Spain claimed second place receiving eight and in joint third place with six Best in Show medals each were Australia and Portugal. Close behind with five was Italy.
One of the more surprising countries to prove itself among the top tier of wine producing countries was the UK, winning three Best in Show medals, a first for the British wine industry. West Sussex winery, Wiston Estate won Best in Show for its Blanc de Blancs Brut 2011. Chapel Down won for not one but two of its wines, the Kit’s Coty Chardonnay 2016 and Kit’s Coty Coeur De Cuvée 2014.
Taste Chapel Down’s Best in Show winner Kit’s Coty Coeur De Cuvée 2014 alongside other DWWA sparkling winners at Decanter’s Great Sparkling Exploration on June 20
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Other unexpected wins came from Georgia that won a Best in Show for Teliani Valley’s Glekhuri Qveri Kisi 2017 and Greece for Ktima Biblia Chora’s Ovilos 2018.
Michael Hill Smith MW, Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, said: ‘2019 has yet again seen some exciting wines with revelations coming out of Greece, Madeira and China.
‘The Decanter World Wine Awards really helps producers to raise their profile internationally and for consumers faced with the prospect of such choice; choosing a bottle with a DWWA sticker on it, particularly a Gold or Platinum should reassure them that the wine has been through a rigorous judging process, against much competition and you can trust the quality. With more education on wine so widely available nowadays, and plenty more opportunities to travel, now really is the time to have an interest in wine.’
About the judges
The 2019 edition saw a panel of over 280 judges from 30 countries, including 70 Masters of Wine and 23 Master Sommeliers.
The Best in Show winners, ordered by country:
Argentina:
- La Luz del Vino, Iluminado Vinos de la Luz Single Vineyard Malbec, Altamira, San Carlos, Mendoza, Argentina 2015
Australia:
- Brokenwood, Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2017. Stockist: Bancroft, £160 – bancroftwines.com
- Shingleback, The Gate Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia 2017
- Campbells, Rare Merchant Prince Muscat, Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia NV. Stockist: Alexander Hadleigh, £64.5 – ahadleigh-wine.com
- Kilikanoon, Attunga 1865 Shiraz, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia 2014. Stockist: Oz Wines, £115
- McGuigan, Bin 9000 Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia 2007
- Dawson James, Chardonnay, Derwent Valley, Tasmania, Australia 2015. Stockist: Liberty Wines, £46.99 – libertywine.co.uk
France:
- SCE Vignobles Fillon, Château Queyron Pindefleurs, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France 2016. Stockist: Castang Wines, £23.95 – castang-wines.co.uk
- Château de Meursault, Les Charmes Dessus, Meursault 1er Cru, Burgundy, France 2017. Stockist: Justerini & Brooks, £71.68 – justerinis.com
- Château de Meursault, Clos des Epenots, Pommard 1er Cru, Burgundy, France 2017. Stockist: Justerini & Brooks, £79.68 – justerinis.com
- Domaine de la Vougeraie, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2016. Stockist: Berry Bros & Rudd, £315 – bbr.com
- Domaine Laurent Habrard, Sainte Epine, Saint-Joseph, Rhône, France 2017. Stockist: Amathus Drinks, £39.95 – amathusdrinks.com
- Charles Heidsieck, Blanc des Millénaires Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, Champagne, France 2004. Stockist: Hedonism Wines, £150 – hedonism.co.uk
- Rare, Rosé Brut, Champagne, Champagne, France 2008. Stockist: Liberty Wines – libertywine.co.uk
- De Saint-Gall, Orpale Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru, Champagne, Champagne, France 2004
- Domaine Brusset, Les Hauts de Montmirail, Gigondas, Rhône, France 2017. Stockist: Enotria & Coe – enotria.co.uk
- Christian Moreau Pére et Fils, Les Clos, Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2017. Stockist: Thorman Hunt, £40 – thormanhunt.co.uk
- Domaine La Suffrene, Bandol, Provence, France 2018. Stockist: Les Caves de Pyrène, £19.95 – lescaves.co.uk
- Dopff-au-Moulin, Gewurztraminer, Grand Cru Brand, Alsace, France 2017. Stockist: Hallgarten & Novum Wines, £35.49 – hdnwines.co.uk
- Bergerie du Capucin, Larmanela, Languedoc Pic Saint Loup, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2016
Georgia:
- Teliani Valley, Glekhuri Qveri Kisi, Kakheti, Georgia 2017
Germany:
- Weingut von Winning, Ungeheuer, Grosses Gewächs, Pfalz, Germany 2017. Stockist: Humble Grape, £42.25 – humblegrape.co.uk
Greece:
- Ktima Biblia Chora, Ovilos, Pangeon, Macedonia, Greece 2018. Stockist: Hallgarten & Novum Wines, £29.99 – hdnwines.co.uk
Italy:
- Cantina Bolzano, Mumelter Riserva Cabernet, Alto Adige / Südtirol, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy 2016
- Cigliano, Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, Italy 2016
- Cenatiempo, Kalimera, Ischia, Campania, Italy 2017. Stockist: Great Western Wine, £28.5 – greatwesternwine.co.uk
- Domìni Veneti, Vigneti di Jago, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy 2013. Stockist: Sunday Times Wine Club, £38 – sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk
- Claudio Alario, Sorano, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2015. Stockist: Bibendum, £50 – bibendum-wine.co.uk
New Zealand:
- Craggy Range, Te Kahu Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc-Petit Verdot-Malbec, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 2016. Stockist: Bibendum, £20.99 – bibendum-wine.co.uk
- Villa Maria, Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Taylors Pass, Marlborough, New Zealand 2018. Stockist: Majestic Wine Warehouses, £17.23 – majestic.co.uk
- Te Kairanga, John Martin Pinot Noir, Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand 2017
Portugal:
- Henriques & Henriques, 20 Year Old Verdelho, Not Applicable, Madeira, Portugal NV. Stockist: Hedonism Wines, £70 – hedonism.co.uk
- Quinta de Ventozelo, Late Bottled Vintage, Port, Portugal 2014
- Kopke, Colheita, Port, Portugal 1979. Stockist: Hayward Bros, £115 – haywardbros.co.uk
- João Brito e Cunha, Quinta de S. José Reserva, Douro, Portugal 2016
- Quinta dos Castelares, Superior, Superiore, Douro, Portugal 2016. Stockist: Portugueses Vinhos Limited, £12.4 – portuguesevinhos.uk
- Agri-Roncão, Dr Port, 30 Year Old Tawny, Port, Portugal NV
Spain:
- Lustau, Almacenista Antonio Caballero y Sobrinos Del Castillo, Amontillado, Sherry, Spain NV. Stockist: Berry Bros & Rudd, £31 – bbr.com
- Lustau, 30 Years Old V.O.R.S, Oloroso, Sherry, Spain NV. Stockist: Hedonism Wines, £89.95 – hedonism.co.uk
- Bodegas y Viñedos de Cal Grau, Les Ones Samsó, Not Applicable, Priorat, Spain 2015. Stockist: Moreno Wine, £59.95 – morenowinedirect.com
- Bodegas Fillaboa, La Fillaboa 1898 Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain 2010
- Finca Azaya, Castilla y Léon, Spain 2017. Stockist: EWGA, £25 – ewga.net
- El Coto, Coto de Imaz, Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain 2012. Stockist: Liberty Wines, £24.99 – libertywine.co.uk
- Ramón do Casar, Nobre Treixadura, Ribeiro, Spain 2017
- Torres, Grans Muralles, Conca de Barberà, Spain 2014
United Kingdom:
- Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Chardonnay, Kent, United Kingdom 2016. Stockist: Chapel Down Winery, £30 – chapeldown.com
- Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Coeur De Cuvée, Not Applicable, Kent, United Kingdom 2014. Stockist: Chapel Down Winery, £100 – chapeldown.com
- Wiston Estate, Blanc de Blancs Brut, Not Applicable, West Sussex, United Kingdom 2011. Stockist: Butlers Wine Cellar, £42.5 – butlers-winecellar.co.uk
USA:
- Cornerstone Cellars, Benchlands Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, California, USA 2015
- Three Sticks, Price Family Estates Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California, USA 2017. Stockist: The Wine Treasury Ltd, £59.95 – https://www.winetreasury.com
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