NZ Chardonnay a top scorer at IWSC 2026
A New Zealand Chardonnay was one of the top scoring wines at the IWSC 2026 Wine Judging, where nearly 4,000 wines from 39 countries were assessed.
Church Road 1 Chardonnay 2022 scored 97 points and received gold. New Zealand wines received more than 200 medals overall.
The results announcement followed two weeks of tasting by more than 130 of the UK’s leading wine professionals with the judging panels overseen by eight Masters of Wine.
Only 3% of wines received gold medals, while 28% earned silver and 54% bronze. The IWSC Wine Judging Committee will now re-taste all gold medal-winning wines to determine the 2026 trophy winners, which will be announced in September.
France and Italy dominated the medal table, receiving more than 649 and 459 medals respectively, while Spain achieved the highest number of gold medals overall with 21.
China emerged as one of the standout success stories of the year, collecting seven gold medals, 24 silvers and 43 bronzes, underlining its rapid evolution as an emerging wine region.
Marlborough was noted as one of the strongest-performing regions overall, alongside South Australia, Veneto, Champagne and Rioja.
Fortified wines enjoyed a particularly successful year, earning more than 80 medals, including 17 gold medals. Madeira and Port performed strongly, receiving five and eight gold medals respectively.
English sparkling wine continued its upward trajectory, securing 65 medals, including four gold medals.
Top-scoring wines at 2026 IWSC
· Kopke Colheita 1957, Port, Portugal — gold, 98 points
· Church Road 1 Chardonnay 2022, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand — gold, 97 points
· Kopke Colheita 1967, Port, Portugal — gold, 97 points
· D’Oliveiras Malvazia 1991, Madeira, Portugal — gold, 97 points
· D’Oliveiras Verdelho 1981, Madeira, Portugal — gold, 97 points
· Estate Argyros Vinsanto Late Release 2005, Santorini, Greece — gold, 97 points
Judges noted that New Zealand delivered another strong performance, highlighting both the consistency of quality and growing stylistic diversity across categories.
They said that the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc challenged expectations, revealing far more variation and complexity than many anticipated. Ellis Wines’ Head Wine Buyer Megan Clarke noted that alongside classic styles, there were wines showing “a great sense of style and expression.”
One standout was the gold-winning Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2025, praised for its “intense nose, peppery freshness and classic vibrant palate.”
Syrah and Pinot Noir were also among the strongest categories. Mission Estate Reserve Syrah 2024 from Hawke’s Bay impressed judges with its “elegant vanilla spice, rounded tannins and long finish.”
The top-scoring wine – Church Road 1 Chardonnay 2022 from Hawke’s Bay – received 97 points for its “alluring smoky nose, lively citrus fruit and satisfying lees complexity.”
