Hotly anticipated results in the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025 will be published on Wednesday 18 June, offering consumers an unrivalled window into superb bottles and a rich array of styles.
Now in its 22nd year, DWWA is the world’s largest wine competition and its meticulous judging process means that producers and wine lovers can have the utmost confidence in every medal category, from Best In Show to Bronze.
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At DWWA 2025, thousands of entries have once again been blind-tasted by some of the world’s top experts. This year’s competition involved 248 judges from 35 countries, including 72 Masters of Wine and 22 Master Sommeliers.
Experienced Regional Chairs oversee the expert judging panels, and a five-person team of Co-Chairs heads up the competition.
Medal winners represent benchmark examples across a diverse range of styles, from classics in well-known regions to under-the-radar wines worthy of a starring role on the dinner table.
Sarah Jane Evans MW, one of five Co-Chairs at DWWA 2025, said: ‘A medal is a really special thing. It’s a wine that will have been thought about really, really deeply by people who are experts in the field.’
Leading the way at DWWA 2025 are 50 highly coveted Best In Show medals, representing just 0.3% of the total wines tasted, followed closely by 137 Platinum medals and 732 Golds.
While all entries are discussed by expert panels, wines reaching these upper levels of the competition must be tasted and reviewed several times.
DWWA is also committed to showcasing great wines for every budget.
A Value Gold category featuring delicious wines under £15-a-bottle, for example. This year, a Value Gold Top 30 List will put a spotlight on particularly strong performers, up from a list of 20 wines in the 2024 edition of the competition.
Tim Marson MW, DWWA 2025 judge, said, ‘The Value Gold award is very meaningful, and it’s particularly important right now as we’re all feeling cash- strapped. It’s a market for quality, but also incredible value for money.’
Other firsts at DWWA 2025 include a special Magnum category, newly expanded beyond the Champagne region.
Beyond the medals, sustainability is a key focus for the DWWA team. All plastic and cardboard are collected and recycled, and every bottle is crushed and remelted, ready to be remade into usable glass within 30 days. Leftover wine is collected, recycled and converted into gas, which is then fed back into the national grid.
The five Co-Chairs for DWWA 2025 are: Sarah Jane Evans MW, Michael Hill Smith AM MW, Andrew Jefford, Ronan Sayburn MS, and Beth Willard.
Look out for a sneak preview on Decanter.com ahead of the results announcement, featuring judges’ impressions of this year’s entries and a few styles to look out for among the medal winners.
