English sparkling wine has come a long way in a remarkably short space of time. Over the past two decades, both quality and ambition have risen dramatically, helping to cement England’s place among the world’s top sparkling wine regions. With shared chalk soils, cool-climate conditions and a focus on classic Champagne varieties, the parallels are obvious, and increasingly, so are the results. Today, the best English fizz stands comfortably alongside Champagne, a point regularly proven in blind tastings.
Although England has been making sparkling wine for centuries, it’s only in recent years that the category has truly hit its stride. There are now more than 150 wineries across the UK, buoyed by improved vineyard practices, greater confidence in the cellar and a climate that is proving increasingly more suited to sparkling wine production with every passsing year. The quiet but steady arrival of Champagne houses on England’s south coast has only added to the feeling of momentum. English sparkling wine is no longer just a curiosity, it’s a natural choice for anyone wanting to celebrate with fizz.
One of the top scorers in this year’s IWSC was Sugrue South Downs, whose The Trouble with Dreams in magnum scored 97 points to take a Gold medal. Bride Valley also picked up a Gold medal for its Reserve Brut 2018, offering vibrant citrus and green apple intertwined with brioche.
Highlighting just how good English sparkling wine is, a further four wines won gold. Included in this honour roll were well-known names on the English wine scene such as Gusbourne, who’s Single Vineyard Middle Barn Blanc De Blancs Brut 2019 secured 95 points after IWSC judges were impressed by ‘elegant aromatic nuances of cocoa and tangerine’. Also taking home the gold was the Nature Series Cuvée Brut 2018 from Vagabond Wines.
Every English sparkling wine in this year’s IWSC was judged blind, with a top-class panel tasting each one, including group beverage director of The Pig Group Luke Harbor, sommelier Zareh Mesrobyan and associate director and head of merchant wine buying at Corney & Barrow, Rebecca Palmer. The judging panels were overseen by John Hoskins MW.
English sparkling wine is in fine form and the choice has never been more compelling. Below is our pick of the best English fizz from the IWSC’s 2025 tasting.
HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE WINES?
We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. That means that each wine sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC wine judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the wine industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.
HOW DO WE SCORE THESE WINES?
Only the best wines sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, wines have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.
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Award-winning English sparkling wine 2025
