Tasting DWWA success: The impact on medal winners

As the world’s largest wine competition, with more than 18,000 entries in 2024, the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) offers producers an unrivalled opportunity to benchmark their wines against high-quality peers. 

A rigorous judging process sees top experts, including many Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers, meticulously blind-taste all entries. 

‘The DWWA isn’t just one person’s palate; it’s a rigorous structure with the best palates from around the world,’ said Hailey Trefethen, owner at Trefethen Family Vineyards, which saw its Dragon’s Tooth 2021 win a coveted Best in Show medal at DWWA 2024. 

Winning a DWWA medal, from Best in Show to Bronze, provides a passport to myriad benefits, giving producers an edge in today’s super-competitive wine market.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents to a recent Decanter survey said winning a DWWA medal led to ‘improved brand awareness and reputation’. Other benefits included higher sales and help breaking into a target market. 

With the final cut-off for DWWA 2025 fast approaching on 18 March, wineries only have a few days left to submit their entries, and potentially reap the rewards on offer.

Below, we highlight previous winners and dig deeper into some of the key advantages that success at DWWA has brought to wineries around the world.

Six key benefits a DWWA medal can bring:

• Endorsement of quality from world-leading experts.
• Expand brand awareness among consumers and trade buyers internationally.
• Enhanced opportunities to enter new markets, turbo-charging your drive to increase sales.
• Benchmark your wine against best-in-class peers.
• Promotional opportunities via tastings and masterclasses.
• Recognition for all of your hard work.

Success stories: DWWA medal winners share their experiences

Since its inception in 2004, DWWA has always prided itself on showcasing under-the-radar talent alongside the best examples of classic styles in the modern wine world.

Last year’s competition saw a first ever Best in Show medal for Retsina in the shape of Kechris winery’s ‘Tear of the Pine’ Retsina 2022, for example. 

‘As a pioneer in the revival of Retsina, this recognition highlights the quality and authenticity of our work in redefining and elevating this traditional Greek wine,’ said Afroditi Antoniou, marketing manager at Kechris, who described the award as a milestone achievement.

‘The award opens doors to new partnerships, expands our consumer base, and further strengthens our position as a benchmark for quality,’ said Antoniou.

‘Beyond prestige, the Best in Show medal is a powerful marketing asset. It attracts extensive media coverage, while its presence on our labels, promotional materials, and digital media reassures consumers of the wine’s exceptional quality.’

Bodegas Frontaura’s Aponte Plus Tempranillo 2018 also won one of just 50 Best in Show medals at DWWA 2024, shining a light on Spain’s DO Toro region, in Castilla y Léon.

Owner Camino Pardo said winning the Best in Show medal has ‘elevated our winery’s reputation and visibility’ in a competitive wine world, leading to ‘increased sales, enhanced marketing opportunities, and a boost in consumer trust and interest’. 

It brings greater attention from media and trade professionals, and is particularly exciting for this historic region more broadly, Pardo said. 

‘Having our wines recognised by the DWWA is a great honour for our winery. It means that our effort and dedication to producing quality wines are being valued by industry experts…It is truly a boost for our entire team.’

Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, won a Best in Show medal at DWWA 2024 for its Banghoek Chardonnay 2022. 

‘Green-gold in colour, this wine particularly impressed judges with its combination of fresh, nectarine-and-peach fruit with understated creaminess,’ said DWWA judges.

Jan-Nico Coetzee, head of wine sales at Delaire Graff, said, ‘The thorough and meticulous judging process undertaken during the DWWA imparts an unparalleled level of prestige to the award. 

‘This is further reflected in the overwhelmingly positive responses we have received through our various communication channels, as well as from our trade partners worldwide.’

Coetzee added, ‘The global recognition associated with the DWWA has resulted in a ripple effect, driving increased demand, fostering growth, and unlocking new potential international markets for us.’

DWWA’s star power is appreciated by wineries in both established and emerging wine regions. 

In California, Trefethen Family Vineyards is a pioneer of Napa Valley, yet a DWWA medal is still a big moment. Trefethen’s Dragon’s Tooth 2021 won Platinum at DWWA 2024; the wine is a red blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot with a smaller proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa’s Oak Knoll District, . 

‘Receiving a Platinum medal in 2024 for Dragon’s Tooth has raised the visibility of this unique red blend for Trefethen, giving us a platform to talk about everything from our farming practices to winemaking philosophy,’ said winery owner Hailey Trefethen. 

‘Through the award, we re-engaged with consumers, and the buzz around the award introduced us to many new customers in the UK and the US. Additionally, various fine wine stores ran special features highlighting the award, helping us increase our exposure of Dragon’s Tooth.’

Judges described the winning 2021 vintage as built for the long haul, praising its character as ‘structured, polished and densely textured, with indulgent tannins and a penetrating bead of fine acidity’.

Winning DWWA medals across multiple years can help to consolidate the benefits. 

Trefethen added, ‘We are incredibly proud to have received five top awards for three different wines over the past five years, emphasising that we consistently make wines that can stand the test of time.’

Back across the Atlantic, the UK’s fledgling winegrowing scene has been earning many plaudits in recent years, especially at DWWA.

Hambledon Vineyard has rich heritage in the English wine movement, having been founded in 1952 by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, and has seen multiple benefits after its Première Cuvée Brut won a Platinum medal at DWWA 2024. 

‘Winning such a prestigious award is a powerful endorsement, significantly enhancing our brand recognition and strengthening our reputation within the trade,’ said Hambledon brand manager Lauren Rose. 

‘This recognition further validates our region’s reputation on the global stage, proving that English sparkling wine can stand alongside the world’s finest.’ 

The base wine for the winning cuvée came from 2014, a top year for Chardonnay. ‘With extended lees aging and additional time developing on cork, we believe this wine represents the pinnacle of what can be achieved in the South of England,’ Rose said.

Côtes de Provence rosé wines from southern France have taken the wine world by storm in the past decade, but a Best in Show medal for Château d’Esclans’ ‘Les Clans’ 2022 at DWWA 2024 helped to elevate the style to a new echelon of refinement.

‘It has helped promote our quality story, which is very important from a wine craftsmanship perspective and sets us apart from other producers,’ said Thomas Schreckinger, communications director at Château d’Esclans. 

Authoritative awards like this are referenced by the estate’s sales and marketing teams, Schreckinger said, adding that customers in both the on- and off-trade are, in part, making buying decisions based on the endorsement that comes with such accolades.

In Italy, Tuscany’s family-owned Carpineto won a Best in Show at DWWA 2024 for its Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2018, from a one-hectare vineyard plot named Vigneto Paradiso. Such a prestigious award is recognition for the family’s passion and hard work. 

‘We are a family business and produce wine because our fathers did this but also because our kids will likely continue; mine already is,’ said Carpineto’s Antonio Michael Zaccheo. 

‘It is the life we were given but also one we have chosen with love and passion. We care for our land, farming it sustainably…being good keepers of our land we believe makes better fruit and therefore better wine.’

He said winning the DWWA 2024 Best in Show medal ‘fills us with much pride and joy, plus it motivates us to do even better next vintage’. 

He added, ‘We have had customers from the far reaches of the world contact us. Being able to showcase our wine at the Vinitaly Decanter tasting is also a nice exposure for the brand and the appellation.’ 

Medals of all colours are hard-fought

DWWA is, of course, so much bigger than Best in Show and Platinum medals. The competition recruits world-leading experts on a wide range of styles to judge on its regional panels. Medals of all colours are hard-fought. 

St. Andrea winery in Hungary won silver at DWWA 2024 for its Mária Nagy-Eged-Hegy Dűlő Cuvée Grand Superior 2022 white wine, produced with Chardonnay, Furmint and Sauvignon Blanc. Judges gave the wine 93 points and praised its ‘generous and elegant palate’. 

Georgia-based winery Itsis Marani also won Silver at DWWA 2024, for its Bimbili Aleqsandreuli Mujuretuli Qvevri 2023, telling DWWA after the competition that the medal ‘improves confidence’ in the wine and the brand. 

More than 250 specialist judges will blind-taste entries at DWWA 2025, including Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and trade buyers, as well as renowned journalists and authors.

‘What sets the DWWA apart is that it’s the biggest and most influential,’ said DWWA Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. 

‘No other competition gives such a complete overview of regions and countries. That’s why experts travel from all over the world to be part of the expert juries.’

DWWA 2025 entries are open: Where excellence meets opportunity

Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 results revealed

See the DWWA 2025 Co-Chairs and Regional Chairs