English wines have achieved their highest ever number of gold medals at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), with 25 gold awards in 2025 compared to 10 the previous year. The country also recorded the highest percentage of gold medals per entry among all competing nations, with 16% of English entries winning gold.
Kent emerged as England’s top wine region, securing 12 gold medals, primarily for sparkling wines and chardonnay. Experts attributed the success to older vines, longer bottle ageing, and improved winemaking techniques. Sam Caporn, a master of wine, noted that top producers like Nyetimber, whose first vintage was in 1992, benefit from mature vines, while Wiston’s trophy-winning Cuvee 2009 Magnum exemplifies the complexity gained from extended ageing.
Oz Clarke, co-chair of the IWC, described the improvement in English wine over the past decade as “remarkable,” highlighting growers’ better understanding of vineyards and more precise winemaking. “English wines are being judged alongside the world’s best and are winning on quality alone,” he said. Newer regions such as the Crouch Valley in Essex are also gaining recognition, with still wines increasingly competing alongside sparkling varieties.
Supermarket own-label wines performed strongly, with gold medals awarded to bottles from Aldi, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, and Sainsbury’s. Overall, England ranked ninth in the country standings, behind leaders France, which won for champagne and burgundy, followed by Spain (sherries and rioja) and Portugal (port).
Judges said the results demonstrated England’s “rise as a world-class wine producing country.” Caporn added: “It’s a truly exciting time for our industry and really rewarding for the winners to see the plaudits they richly deserve being awarded to our homegrown talent.”
