Following another year of rigorous blind tastings, the IWSC has revealed its top-performing wines for 2025. The results shine a light on producers and regions setting the benchmark for quality and innovation, and offer a snapshot of the bottles captivating today’s wine world.
The breadth of wines that impressed this year’s panels demonstrates just how global the world of fine wine has become. From Champagne to Georgia, Portugal to Australia, the list of 40 Gold medal-winning wines showcases both tradition and innovation.
In sparkling, France remains the benchmark, with Champagne once again leading the way. Standout examples included Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut NV and Champagne Gosset, Celebris Brut 2012, both praised for their finesse and balance. Across the Channel, England’s sparkling wines continued their upward trajectory, with Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams Magnum 2009 and All Angels Ten Year Anniversary Classic Cuvée Brut 2014 securing gold medals while demonstrating the maturity and precision now defining the category. IWSC Judging Committee member John Hoskins MW remarked that ‘there’s been a sense of freshness, delicacy and charm in the English sparkling wines this year’ .
Beyond the bubbles, Australia impressed across styles, from the layered sweetness of Morris Wines Old Premium Rare Muscat NV to characterful reds such as Golden Amrita Lumenval Moppa Shiraz 2020 and refined Pinot from Shaw and Smith 2023. Portugal reaffirmed its fortified pedigree, with D’Oliveiras Verdelho 2001 from Madeira and Port highlights including Kopke Colheita 1966 and Menin 20 YO NV.
There were bright showings across the globe, both new world and old world alike. New Zealand featured with Dancing Water Blanc de Noir 2024 and Awatere River AR Sauvignon Blanc 2024, while Canada delivered with Inniskillin Gold Icewine Vidal 2022. Similarly, Greece offered a memorable sweet-wine benchmark in Estate Argyros Vinsanto Late Release 2004, and Georgia continued its ascent with Kakheti wines such as Teliani Valley Glekhuri Anniversary Edition Kisi 2023 and Schuchmann Vinoterra Mtsvane 2022.
All 40 wines received Gold medals, scoring 95 points or higher, following an in-depth tasting and deliberation by panels of international judges. Whether you’re looking for a bottle to cellar, to serve or simply to discover something new, these are the 40 best wines of 2025, as judged by the IWSC.
HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE WINES?
We run a 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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The top 40 wines from the IWSC 2025
