The eighth edition of the WineGB Awards saw a record number of wines entered and gold medals awarded with wines made in 33 counties across England and Wales gaining honours.
Over 350 medals were awarded this year (177 to sparkling wines, 174 to still wines) across 20 different classes. 35 gold medals were awarded to sparkling wines while 21 were given to still wines, more than double the figure achieved for the latter in 2023.
Standout categories for sparkling wines were the Classic Cuvée Non-Vintage/Multi-Vintage, Classic Cuvée Vintage and Rosé classes, each achieving six gold medals. For the stills, the red Pinot Noir and Chardonnay classes came out on top, each with five golds, closely followed by Bacchus with four.
Wines made from 10 different grape varieties were awarded gold medals, with the first gold ever given to a wine made from Solaris and an orange wine Vermouth made using Reichensteiner, Solaris, and Bacchus.
This year saw a wide regional spread with wines produced in 33 different counties awarded medals (28 counties in England, five in Wales), with gold medals spread across 18 counties from Cornwall, Dorset, and Suffolk to East Sussex, Berkshire and North Yorkshire.
In the gold medal tally, Kent and Hampshire claimed the top spot with nine, with West Sussex awarded six, Dorset five, and East Sussex four.
In terms of total medals, Kent was once again victorious with 71, followed by East Sussex with 47, West Sussex with 41, Hampshire with 33, and Devon with 15.
Innovation and experimentation were key themes at this year’s WineGB Awards, with a range of winemaking techniques on display. This included a multi-vintage still wine, use of oak in various formats, low and no dosage sparkling wines, skin contact still wines, and solera system blending. Wines using all methods of sparkling wine production gained medals from Traditional Method and Charmat, to Col Fondos, Pét-Nats, and carbonated wines.
The medal results can be read in full here via pdf or here in a searchable online catalogue.
The WineGB trophy results will be revealed at the WineGB Awards Lunch and Celebration on 19 July at the Drapers’ Hall in London. This includes the announcement of the regional trophy winners along with the unveiling of the category trophies, concluding with the top award: The Supreme Champion 2024. More information and tickets are available on the WineGB website here.
The WineGB Trophy winners will feature on one of the focus tables at WineGB’s annual Trade & Press Tasting, taking place on 4 September at the Battersea Arts Centre, London.