To win a Best in Show accolade, the very pinnacle in the Decanter World Wine Awards, is in itself an incredible achievement.
Only 50 wines of the many thousands entered make the cut, after being put through their paces over multiple rounds of judging.
To win a Best in Show more than once for the same wine in the world’s biggest wine competition is a resounding endorsement of what is clearly a very special creation.
Here we hear from the talents behind the bottles.
Deep Woods Estate, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Australia
2026: 2023 vintage
2022: 2020 vintage
Matt Buchan, senior winemaker: ‘This wine is our greatest example of not only what we can achieve as a producer but what Margaret River can offer on the world stage.
‘This small, 40-year-old vineyard – the original Deep Woods Cabernet Sauvignon block, planted on ironstone-rich soils, just below the winery – continues to perform each season.
‘And the 100% Houghton clonal selection, which is unique to the region, gives the wine its hallmark cassis aroma and elegant structure.’
Clos du Val, Yettalil, Stags Leap District, California, USA
2026: 2023 vintage
2024: 2021 vintage
Carmel Greenberg, winemaker: ‘Yettalil has always been about expressing the very best of our Hirondelle Estate Vineyard. Yettalil is a wine of style that truly reflects our Clos du Val house style of freshness and elegance.
‘Every vintage begins with the same intention: to create a wine that reflects the character of this remarkable site with precision, balance and restraint.
‘We carefully select the finest lots from the vineyard and allow each component to contribute to a wine that is layered, ageworthy and unmistakably Stags Leap District.’
Brokenwood, ILR Reserve Semillon, New South Wales, Australia
2026: 2019 vintage
2023: 2017 vintage
Stuart Hordern, chief winemaker: ‘The ILR Reserve Semillon captures everything we aspire to achieve with this iconic Hunter Valley wine style.
‘Released only in exceptional vintages, it showcases the purity, precision and longevity that have made Hunter Semillon one of Australia’s great wines.
‘Extended bottle ageing before release builds complexity while preserving the freshness, vibrancy and elegance that are its hallmark.
‘The result is a wine that honours the region’s rich winemaking heritage while demonstrating the enduring appeal and remarkable ageing potential of Hunter Valley Semillon.’
Rutini, Single Vineyard Malbec, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina
2026: 2023 vintage
2025: 2021 vintage
Juan Pablo Murgia, winemaking manager: ‘What makes this wine unique is the combination of our expertise as winemakers, the exceptional terroir of Gualtallary, and more than 25 years of work in this vineyard.
‘Throughout this time, we have developed a deep understanding of our estate, allowing us to identify the sectors that express its identity with the greatest precision.
‘This wine represents a constant pursuit of capturing the purest essence of Gualtallary, reflecting the balance between tradition, excellence and an increasingly precise interpretation of one of Argentina’s greatest terroirs.’
Birgit Eichinger, Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm 1ÖTW, Kamptal, Austria
2026: 2024 vintage
2022: 2020 vintage
Birgit and Gloria Eichinger, winemakers (and mother and daughter): ‘Great wines start in the mind. With this wine, we are guided by our general philosophy – do as little as possible, as consciously as possible, out of respect for what is there.
‘The wine comes from one of Kamptal’s best single vineyards, the historic, 23ha Ried Lamm.
‘First mentioned in 1703, it’s a vineyard planted on loess and sandstone soils, which creates wines of remarkable minerality, depth and structure. This rare geological transition gives the wine its distinctive personality and exceptional ageing potential.
‘Fermented and matured in carefully selected used oak barrels, we find that it gains subtle creaminess without losing freshness or elegance. Every bottle captures the purity, finesse and unmistakable origin of this outstanding terroir.’
Bodegas Tradición, VORS 30 Years Amontillado NV, Jerez, Spain
2026 & 2024
Miguel Villa Cebrián, winemaker: ‘For me, amontillado is the most complete and distinctive of all Sherry wines. Its unique combination of biological ageing under flor and oxidative ageing using the criaderas and soleras system gives it an extraordinary finesse and complexity, and a set of sensory characteristics unlike any other wine in the world.
‘This very special wine is made in very limited quantities – around 2,000 numbered bottles per year, all bottled, labelled and sealed by hand.
‘I love pairing it with Asian and Mexican cuisine, but it also pairs beautifully with cured fish, bluefin tuna, rice dishes and clear consommés.
‘I also recommend it as an after-lunch wine, to be enjoyed during a good conversation with friends or while reading a good book.’
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