This year, experts assessed nearly 17,000 wines from 58 countries as part of the Decanter World Wine Awards. The list of award winners included prominent names such as Graham’s, Deutz and Charles Heidsieck, whose wines won both gold and silver medals.
The results of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 were published on 17 June, offering an interesting insight into the current state of the global wine industry. Almost 17,000 wines from 58 countries were entered into this year’s competition and judged in a blind tasting by 245 experts from 35 countries. The judges also included 63 Masters of Wine and 24 Master Sommeliers. Furthermore, each wine underwent several rounds of evaluation, and the highest-rated bottles were tasted again by specialist panels.
According to Decanter, this year’s results demonstrate not only the high standard of the competition but also the ever-widening geographical reach of quality wine. A total of 50 Best in Show awards, 196 platinum medals, 924 gold medals and 6,193 silver medals were awarded. The proportion of wines receiving platinum, gold and silver was the highest in the competition’s history.
Wines from the Premier Wines & Spirits portfolio also performed well in this strong international field. In total, they won three gold medals and 26 silver medals. This achievement is not limited to a single wine-growing region or style. The awards across the portfolio demonstrate remarkable breadth—ranging from long-aged port and prestigious Champagne, through Rieslings and Furmints, to Italian reds and whites.
Gold for Graham’s, Oremus and Charles Heidsieck
The highest-rated wine from the Premier Wines & Spirits portfolio was Graham’s 50 Years Old Tawny, which scored 96 points and won a gold medal. This result is also interesting in the broader context of this year’s Decanter awards, which highlight the strong position of Portuguese wines and the continued growth of their international reputation. Portugal won three Best in Show awards, six platinum medals and 57 gold medals this year.
The second gold medal in the portfolio went to Oremus Petracs Furmint 2022, which scored 95 points. Hungary was among the countries that saw notable developments this year—Decanter notes the very first platinum award for a Hungarian red wine made from the Cabernet Franc grape variety, as well as a gold-medal-winning wine in magnum format.
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV achieved the same score as Oremus, also securing 95 points and a gold medal. Champagne remains one of the most prominent benchmarks in global sparkling wine production; however, this year’s results show that high-quality sparkling wines are being produced across an ever-wider range of regions.
The three gold medals thus represent three distinct wine-growing worlds. What unites them is, above all, an emphasis on quality and the distinctive character of a particular style—from the complexity of a fifty-year-old tawny, through the varietal definition of Furmint, to the precision of blanc de blancs.
Deutz, Graham’s, Von Buhl and others: silver across categories
A significant part of the results is also made up of the 26 silver medals that the portfolio won across various regions and categories.
In Champagne, no fewer than four bottles from the House of Deutz were among the award winners: Deutz Brut Millésime 2019 scored 93 points; Deutz Blanc de Blancs 2020 and Deutz Hommage à William Deutz Meurtet 2019 both scored 92 points; and Deutz Classic Brut achieved 90 points. Amour de Deutz Rosé Brut 2015 also won a silver medal, with 90 points. The Champagne selection is rounded off by the award-winning Charles Heidsieck Réserve Brut NV, with 92 points, and Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Brut NV, also with 92 points.
Germany is also strongly represented. Von Buhl Riesling Sekt 2020 scored 93 points, while Von Buhl Riesling Pechstein GG 2023 and Georg Müller Riesling Wisselbrunnen GG 2024 both scored 92 points. Another silver medal went to Von Buhl Riesling Bone Dry 2024, which scored 91 points.
The results clearly illustrate one of the trends highlighted by this year’s Decanter awards: the international wine world is not only expanding geographically, but the diversity of styles and grape varieties succeeding at the highest level is also growing. In the case of German wines, for example, this year’s edition saw not only traditional white wines but also red varieties making a more significant impact.
From Brunello to Pecorino: the strength of the Italian section of the portfolio
Italian wines also made a significant mark on this year’s results. CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2021 and Pomino Benefizio Riserva 2024 both scored 92 points. These were followed by Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva 2022 with 91 points, Isole e Olena Chianti Classico DOCG 2023 with 91 points and Perano Chianti Classico DOCG 2023 with 90 points.
The Italian section of the portfolio is also complemented by Ammiraglia Alìe Rosé 2025, which scored 91 points. These results fit well with the picture painted by Decanter this year: Italy received a total of 144 top honours, including six Best in Show awards, 29 platinum medals and 109 gold medals. According to Decanter, the results once again demonstrated the extraordinary regional and stylistic diversity of Italian winemaking.
Silver awards from the portfolio were also given to wines from Abruzzo. Talamonti Trabocchetto Pecorino DOC 2025 scored 92 points, while three other wines—Diversitas L’Orso Pecorino 2025, Diversitas Lepre Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2024 and MODA Montepulciano 2024—received 90 points.
It is precisely this diversity that is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this year’s portfolio results. This isn’t just a matter of a few bottles from a single region succeeding in one category. The awards span a range of styles, grape varieties, countries and price segments.
One competition, many wine stories
This year’s Decanter World Wine Awards demonstrated that it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the contemporary world of wine solely through the traditional map of the most famous wine-growing regions. Alongside established regions, lesser-known areas, local grape varieties and new winemaking styles are making their mark. This year, for example, Decanter highlighted the first-ever platinum awards for Savoie and Castilla-La Mancha, the first gold medal for Portugal’s Pico, and the first gold medals for Texas.
The results from Premier Wines & Spirits fit neatly into this picture. On the one hand, there are names with a long history and a prominent position in their categories—Graham’s, Deutz, Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck. On the other hand, there are wines from various regions and grape varieties that together demonstrate just how broad a portfolio of quality wines can be today.
For wine lovers, however, what is particularly interesting about the results is what lies behind the medals themselves. Ninety-six points for a fifty-year-old tawny, 95 points for a blanc de blancs and a Furmint, or a series of results exceeding the 90-point mark provide concrete pointers that can serve as an intriguing impetus for discovery. And that is precisely where the value of international competitions such as the Decanter World Wine Awards lies: among the vast number of bottles available, they help draw attention to wines that are worth a closer look.
