2023 saw a record number of entries, with the highest number of Gold medals ever awarded
Still and sparkling wines share equal number of medals in final tally
Standout classes include Classic Cuvée vintage sparkling wines and still Chardonnay

The medal winners of the annual WineGB Awards are announced today with producers from almost every county in England and Wales being awarded medals. This year saw a record number of entries, with well over 100 producers entering from across 27 counties, including some 18 entering for the first time.

The full list of winners is available on the WineGB website from 14:00 Friday 16th June

Of the medals awarded, 156 went to sparkling, (38 Gold, 81 Silver & 37 Bronze) and 157 to still wines (10 Gold, 64 Silver and 83 Bronze) clearly demonstrating that the number and quality of still wines being produced in the UK is continuing to grow year on year.

Co-Chair of the Judges Susie Barrie MW says: “We were absolutely thrilled with the quality of the whole range of wines that we tasted this year. We consistently see great sparkling wines and they only get better. What is great to see though is the evolution of the other categories, especially amongst the still wines, and the quality we are seeing really shows such enormous potential for the future. We also had more wines entering the innovation category this year which is fantastic. What’s also terrific is that the wins come not only from the largest producers but also some of the smallest, and from long established wineries to newcomers. Huge congratulations to all the medal winners!”

The Gold medal winning sparkling wines were all produced by the classic method and with the traditional varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier), with both large and small wineries being successful. Notable successes among smaller producers include All Angels Classic Cuvée 2017 (Berkshire), and two Wiltshire producers, first-time entrant Domaine Hugo’s Hugo 19 and Southcott Vineyard 2018 Classic – all scooping gold medals. The standout sparkling wine class proved to be Classic Cuvée vintage, taking 38 medals; winners ranged from 2013 vintage to a 2020. The sparkling rosé category also did particularly well winning 34 medals in this class. This year the competition saw two sparkling red wines take home medals, with Ridgeview Sparkling Red Reserve NV winning gold and Camel Valley Vineyard Sparkling Red 2021 a bronze medal.

Non-traditional method sparkling wines also saw medal success for Charmat-produced wines from Silverhand Estate and an aerated Bacchus from Chapel Down.

Still Chardonnay proved to be the standout class in the still wine category scooping six of the 10 gold medals awarded to still wines. Pinot Noir reds also showed well with 2 gold medals amongst the 14 gained overall. Bacchus showed it was still a popular variety earning the highest proportion of still medal winning wines overall. Notably, 31 of the 36 medals to this class were awarded to wines from the acclaimed 2022 vintage. Still rosés also yielded good results, gaining just under a quarter of all medals awarded to still wines, many also from the 2022 vintage. Sweet wines made their mark this year as well, with dessert wines produced by Denbies, Hattingley Valley and Gusbourne all gaining silver medals. Other single variety whites, including Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Ortega showed good wins as well, gaining 37 medals across silver and bronze.

The Innovation category saw a larger range of entries and medal wins this year, demonstrating the dynamism of the sector. These included canned sparkling and Pet Nat styles. Orange wines, canned and bottled, also featured. The Uncommon won medals for both their sparkling wines in a can, as did first time entrants Nania’s whose canned still Orange Ortega took Silver. Trevibban Mill and Vagabond Wines won a Silver medal for their Pet Nat wines: Trevibban Mill Pét Nat 2022 and Vagabond Pet Not 2021.

Sussex and Kent were the top county for awards, with 117 medal-winners between them. Other notable county wins were in Cornwall, Devon and Hampshire, gaining 19 medals each, closely followed by Wiltshire (14 medals) Dorset (13 medals) and Surrey (13 medals) London gained 12 medals as did Norfolk with Gloucestershire taking home 11 medals and Essex 10 medals. Wales took five medals with new entrant Velfrey gaining a silver and a Gold was won by White Castle Vineyard for their Pinot Noir.

The Trophy winners, including the unveiling of the Supreme Champion – the Wine of the Year – will be announced at the WineGB Awards ceremony on Friday 7 July in London.

The WineGB Awards Trophy Ceremony & Lunch is being co-sponsored this year by Bevica, the complete business management technology and software solution for the wine industry. Claudio Martell, Bevica Product Director, commented: “Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s WineGB Awards. It is wonderful to see that the wine industry in Great Britain is continuing to grow and flourish. We look forward to celebrating with the winners at the Awards Trophy Ceremony and Lunch next month.”

The WineGB Trophy winners will feature on one of the focus tables at WineGB’s Annual Trade & Press Tasting, taking place on Tuesday 5 September at Battersea Arts Centre, London.

About the Competition

The WineGB Awards is the national competition for the English and Welsh wine industry. Organised and run by WineGB, the aim and purpose of the Awards is to send out a powerful message of the quality, consistency and variety of our wines.

Judging normally takes about four days. All the wines are tasted blind and in style category flights. The wines are tasted in judges’ groups for the first two days. If a group of judges are undecided about any wine, those wines are reviewed by the Co-Chairs. All the Gold medals are then retasted blind on days 3 and 4 to select trophies. The trophy winners are then tasted again to select the Top Still and Top Sparkling and from those the Supreme Champion.

The judging took place in Hampshire, kindly hosted by Exton Park Vineyard.

The Judges

Susie Barrie MW – Co-Chair
Oz Clarke OBE – Co-chair
Imogen Bowen-Davies – Wine Buyer, Waitrose
Nik Darlington – Marketing Director, Graft Wine Co
Simon Field MW – consultant and author
Luke Harbor – Head of Wine, The Pig Hotels
Matt Hodgson – The Grape Britannia
Rebecca Palmer – Wine Buyer, Corney & Barrow

WineGB Awards Competition Sponsors

WineGB would like to thank the sponsors of the competition, the awards lunch and the trophies:

Rankin Bros & Sons – Competition sponsors

Bevica – Co-sponsors of the Awards ceremony and lunch

Trophy sponsors:
Boxes and Packaging
Campden BRI
Core Equipment
AE Chapman
Enartis International
Hawkin Bros
Murphy & Son
NFU Mutual
Paris Smith
The PIG Hotel Group
Rankin Bros & Sons
Riedel
Vetreria Etrusca
Wine Wealth