At the London Wine Fair at Olympia in May, 13 pairs of sparkling wines were blind tasted by 16 experienced wine judges including Oz Clarke, four Masters of Wine and yours truly, with one champagne and one sparkling in each pair. When our scores were added up, the top two wines, 1086 by Nyetimber 2010 and Gusbourne ’51 degrees North’ 2016 beat the following five champagnes: Cuvée Dom Perignon 2013, Champagne Ruinart ‘Dom Ruinart’ 2010, Champagne Taittinger ‘Comtes de Champagne’, Krug Grande Cuvée 172ème Édition 2013, and Bollinger ‘R.D’ 2008. Result. For England at least.

Just as the 1976 Judgment of Paris putting California wine on the map was barely reported in France at the time, so the Olympian Battle of the Bubbles did not receive much, if any, publicity, in France. To be fair, it was not as widely reported as it might have been even in the UK mainstream media, although the trade magazines did pick it up. In my view, the fact that two English sparkling wines beat five of Champagne’s top prestige cuvées is a significant indicator of how far the quality of English sparkling wine has come in a relatively short space of time.

This impressive performance is confirmed in a study this year by Wine Lister comparing English sparkling wines with fizz from around the world. Averaging out the scores of four leading critics (Decanter, Jancis Robinson, Vinous, and the Wine Advocate), Champagne holds the average highest score, as might be expected. However, English sparkling wine ranks a close second, less than one-fifth of a point behind Champagne. Franciacorta is not that far behind, and Prosecco (which produces twice as much sparkling wine as Champagne) is perhaps surprisingly high.

WineGB’s latest figures reveal that vineyard numbers have increased by 74 to 1,104 in 2025 with 25 newly registered wineries bringing the total to 238. The area under vine has also grown from 4,209 to 4,841 hectares, representing a growth rate of 510% since 2005.

Kent is the most planted county with almost double the vineyard area of the next county—West Sussex. In surprising third place is Essex, for its burgeoning still wines. Next in line after Essex come East Sussex and Hampshire.

UK sparkling wine continues to dominate production at 69%. As for grape varieties, chardonnay is on the rise with 33% of all plantings, as is pinot noir, now at 30%. Surprisingly perhaps, there are as many as 99 different grape varieties now planted in the UK.

In his book The Wines of Great Britain, Stephen Skelton MW states:

“The factor that has most influenced viticulture in Britain in the last three decades is that of climate change”.

The torrid 2003 vintage was the canary in the coalmine that alerted wine producers throughout Europe to the dangers—and potential benefits—of climate change. The gradual rise in the number of days when the temperatures rose above 30°C has meant that once-marginal varieties like pinot noir and chardonnay have moved into the mainstream. Natural sugars have increased, but acids are still high, even if not as high as they were.

Climate change apart, the most significant factor in the greater quality and consistency of English fizz is the choice of location. At Exton Park in Kent, Corinne Seely’s research into the impact of the chalk on the juices has led her to believe that chalk has a significant impact.

“The distinctive style of English fizz is higher acidity than Champagne, and I find that this acidity lifts the flavours,” she says.

Yet though producers talk the chalk, chalk doesn’t necessarily always walk the walk.

Protection from frost and wind along with a southerly or south-easterly exposure to sunshine and good drainage are key elements. Equally important are healthy soils with levels of organic matter that can help reduce the need for sprays and fertilisers. England’s soils are more diverse and nuanced than those of Champagne. In the right spot, and where all the major criteria for planting are met, greensand and both clayey and sandy soils with good drainage are as likely as chalk soils to produce fine English sparkling wines. Back in the day, Nyetimber was planted on a band of greensand, though it has now added chalk to the vineyard portfolio.

Perhaps the greatest challenge now facing the UK wine industry is that of getting corks popped to avoid, as it were, a production and storage bottleneck. As Dermot Sugrue noted recently in an article in Harpers:

“The elephant in the room for the industry more broadly is oversupply.”

The UK produced 10.6 million bottles last year. The average yield of 21.3 hectolitres to the hectare was low but thanks to the increase in vineyard area, it constituted the fourth highest production volume. 2018 and 2023 yielded huge harvests and even if production is relatively modest this year, the numbers will be significant. Nyetimber for instance is already predicting a yield of 1.6 – 1.8 million bottles, three times that of 2015. As Dermot Sugrue says:

“The issues will only deepen when the huge volumes of stock from the 2023 vintage come into play.”

To help boost sales, producers are increasingly grasping the nettle of wine tourism along with online and cellar door sales and good distribution. But while they are a welcome and essential string to the English wine strongbow, they are not the panacea in the face of the projected increases in production and the issue of deep discounting by the bigger players and supermarkets.

The UK doesn’t have a magic wand in the shape of a brand name like Champagne. In a noisy, crowded market, each and every wine producer is going to go have to stiffen every sinew and go not just once more unto the breach but many more times to find practical and imaginative ways of aligning brand Fizz UK with the growing volumes.

Hampshire-based Coates & Seely is a partnership between two friends, Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely, who first met at the Institut Européen d’Adminstration des Affaires School in Fontainebleau.

Nicholas Coates went on to become a successful investment banker while Christian Seely joined the wine trade and is now managing director of the AXA Millésimes group in France. It was while commiserating over England’s defeat to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final in Paris in 2007 that the two friends decided to go into business together and establish a winery in Hampshire’s pretty Test Valley.

Coates & Seely’s vintage wines are called ‘La Perfide’ in an ironic nod to the term ‘perfidious Albion’. Ironic because while co-owners Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely are both English, the French connection extends to the Bordeaux-based winemaking team of Stéphane Derenoncourt which is the guiding force behind all of Coates & Seely’s wines.

“We always wanted to apply French craftmanship to English terroir,” says Nicholas Coates.

From chalk soils, the ‘La Perfide’ vintage sparkling wines are made from grapes from a single year when the fruit is exceptional and lees-aged for a minimum of five to seven years, with further bottle-ageing on cork post-disgorgement. 2014 was the launch year of the ultra-stylish 2014 blanc de noirs with 90% pinot noir and 10% meunier and a low-ish dosage of four grams per litre. It was on the lees for five years and released in 2021 after a further 18 months post-disgorgement ageing.

Tristram Coates, Christian Seely, and Nicholas Coates. Coates & Seely

In our tastings, the ‘La Perfide’ Blanc de Noirs stood out for its toasted hazelnut complexity and fine-textured, full-flavoured, rich fruit quality. Although it’s more than a decade since the harvest, it still has more than enough life in it to mature for a few more years yet.

Priced at GBP £85, it is available from Coates & Seely.

Hope & Harrow was set up by Henry and Kaye Laithwaite in 2013. However, Henry already had wine in his genes.

His parents run a very successful wine business, Laithwaites, and from spending his 18^th birthday as a cellar hand at a cooperative in the Ardèche, he went on to work in Australia’s McLaren Vale and subsequently ran RedHeads Wine Studio. He returned to France to work in Bergerac and then briefly owned a château in Bordeaux with his wife Kaye, before returning to England.

They bought their first plot of land, outside the village of Marlow in the heart of the Chilterns, just 4 ha in 2010, and 2.5 ha more in 2012, and built a winery in time their first harvest in 2013.

The name Hope & Harrow catches the eye, with an original reference to the difficulties of cultivating such stony flint-filled soil. The tough flint pebbles make the vineyards “a nightmare to work and cultivate – as two broken harrows testify”. But it’s possible the advantages of flint pebbles, absorbing heat during the day and providing good drainage, outweigh the difficulties.

The vineyards are planted with 40% chardonnay, 40% pinot noir and 20% pinot meunier, using champagne clones and rootstock from the Mercier Frères nursery in France. Henry had the benefit of initial advice from Dr Tony Jordan, who did so much for the Australian and New Zealand sparkling wine industry, and closer to home, the late Mike Roberts from Ridgeview also played his part. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2023. And yields are kept low to obtain the desired concentration in the wines.

Aerial view of the Hope & Harrow vineyards. Hope & Harrow Wines

As well as small stainless steel vats, the modern cellar houses barrels of varying sizes that are used for fermentation and the storage of some reserve wines. Wild yeasts also play their part, and all the wines undergo a malolactic fermentation and remain on the lees for at least three years before disgorgement.

The range of wines has evolved and now includes Brut Reserve, Rosé, a Pinot Meunier (Henry is particularly enthusiastic about that grape variety) as well as Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs. Henry really liked the 2020 vintage and his 2020 Blanc de Blancs shows just why Harrow & Hope is a name to look out for with its rich but understated notes of brioche and great depth of flavour.

Having planted the holy trinity (chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier) back in 1988, Nyetimber is without doubt one of the pioneers of English sparkling wine. With vision and expertise, it is showing the quality potential of the country.

That explains perfectly its achievement—the first winery to have won The Real Review’s Top Wineries Great Britain twice.

1086 by Nyetimber Rosé 2013 is an example of top-notch craftsmanship: Nyetimber’s 1086 series is England’s first ‘prestige cuvée’, showcasing the crème de la crème of its portfolio. A wine of rarity, it is only made when a superb vintage arrives. It results from meticulous selection of parcels for expression of ultra finesse from across West Sussex, Kent and Hampshire. It is crafted by Nyetimber’s Canadian winemakers Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrix from 64 % pinot noir and 36 % chardonnay including a dash of old-oak pinot noir for a vibrant pink hue and textured mouth-feel. Disgorgement took place in 2020 after more than six years on lees followed by another three years to harmonise.

It has a fairly deep onion-skin colour, with an intense aromatic quality reminiscent of ripe raspberry, sweet wild strawberry from the French countryside, orange blossom and hawthorn flowers, in a seamless blend of autolysis-induced biscuity character. A delicate mousse caresses the tip of the tongue, whilst a sumptuous and full-flavoured fruit quality lingers on a buoyant aftertaste, with refreshing acidity. It’s a wine that requires attentive patience—there is a lot going on.

1086 by Nyetimber Rosé 2013 is an example of top-notch craftsmanship Nyetimber

After a cycle of the Chinese zodiac, it remains bouncy and enticing, suggesting we can be confident savouring it over the coming decade. Delicious on its own, it also serves as a fantastic companion for warm gougères, stone pot bibimbap, veal, scallops, or octopus carpaccio. This ultra-premium sparkling rosé is an indispensable addition to the festive table and would make a gift that any fine wine lover would be more than happy to receive. Priced at £160–175 in the UK, this amazing liquid art creation is available from Nyetimber Wines.

Chapel Down has come quite some way in proving that ‘big can be beautiful’ since planting its first vines in 1977 at its Tenterden home, which initially produced just 50,000 bottles.

Alongside partner growers, the business steadily expanded, but the real shift came in 2008 when Chapel Down launched a land expansion program following a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign. This move brought grape sourcing largely in-house, focusing on the chalky soils of the Kent Downs. They have created a secure structure supported by an excellent visitor experience with a well-designed shop, an airy tasting room and an acclaimed restaurant. Today, it is England’s market leader with the ability to produce over three million bottles annually.

As much to the point, since taking on the talented, Kent-born, Plumpton-trained winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire in 2010, Chapel Down has been increasingly using its own vineyards instead of largely sourcing grapes from vineyards spread throughout the country. On the Kent Downs, with south-facing exposure, altitude and chalk soils, Donaghay-Spire believes their vineyards “have the potential to be the finest in England”.

Kit’s Coty, on Kent’s Bluebell Hill, which slopes south from 70 down to 30 metres, was planted, starting in 2008, to 40 ha, with 30 ha of chardonnay and pinot noir, and subsequent plantings of bacchus and meunier in various combinations of clone and rootstock.

Chapel Down

Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée is the winery’s flagship single‑vineyard blanc de blancs. It is made using the heart of the first pressing’ of chardonnay, and is fermented in French oak casks using exclusively wild yeasts, and the base wines spend six months on their lees before being blended in the spring following harvest. The wine is lees-aged after the second fermentation for five years and bottled with Diam Mytik Classic cork.

During Donaghay-Spire’s tenure, the dosage in the wines has been gradually reduced for the Coeur de Cuvée to six grams per litre. After nearly 10 years, it remains remarkably fresh with a veneer of oak smoke, sumptuous ripe apples and an enticing juiciness of texture combined with an elegant dryness.

Price GBP £125. Available from Chapel Down Wines.

去年，我们与Nyetimber一起嗟叹，仅以毫厘之差输给了Langham，屈居亚军。

今年，我们终于可以庆祝一场胜利，一场更伟大的胜利，因为自2021年首次获奖以来，Nyetimber成为首家两次赢得The Real Review 英国顶级酒庄称号的英格兰酒庄。

也许这并不令人惊讶，考虑到“气泡大战”（参见配文）以及两款顶级特酿——Nyetimber 2013年的1086和Nyetimber 2013年的1086桃红——都入选了我们首届年度葡萄酒奖的14款得分95分及以上的酒单。

我们也祝贺年度葡萄酒奖的获奖者。

Nyetimber今年获得了最多的高分金丝带。我们颁发了118条银丝带，相比2024年的66条有着显著提升。这反映了英国起泡酒整体质量的提高，也说明我们将迎来更多优秀的新酒庄加入。

今年的新秀包括来自牛津郡的Hundred Hills、萨里郡的High Clandon Estate和威尔特郡的Domaine Hugo。去年的新秀Bluestone（第8名）和Candover Brook（第16名）在2024年的表现基础上进一步提升。我们也很高兴今年迎来了去年未能参赛的老朋友，包括Chapel Down、Black Chalk、Coates & Seely和Sugrue，他们今年都进入了前20名。

虽然英国起泡酒的生产核心仍集中在汉普郡、肯特郡和东西萨塞克斯郡的“黄金三角”，但在今年进入前五的酒庄中，只有Candover Brook位于黄金三角内，其余四家证明了三角区外也能酿出优秀的酒。

去年的冠军Langham今年获得亚军。如果把他们的新酒——Langham Wine Estate Perpetual 1st Edition Extra Brut England NV——纳入评比，可能还会再度夺冠。这款酒在我参与的World of Fine Wine品鉴中表现出色，并在今年的Wine GB Awards中斩获最佳起泡酒和最佳高端起泡酒的至尊冠军奖，是首款获得99分的英国起泡酒。它采用了2017、2018和2019三个年份的霞多丽，类似于Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle的多年份拼配风格。

多年份储备酒的使用正成为英国起泡酒的趋势。例如Sugrue South Downs Rock Story就是2011、2017、2018、2019、2020和2022的多年份混酿。正如我们去年指出的，像香槟一样保留往年酒液用于调配，不仅能为非年份酒带来更丰富的质感，也能平衡年份之间的差异。根据Dermot Sugrue的说法：

“我对储备酒的做法是积累一批储备，无论是永续储备还是按年份单独保存。加入储备酒会带来巨大的改变。”

大多数酒庄会根据年份和风格同时生产年份和非年份起泡酒。但也有一些酒庄坚持只生产年份酒，例如Rathfinny、Hundred Hills和Black Chalk。Hundred Hills的Stephen Duckett对此直言不讳：

“我不认同英国的非年份概念。为什么我们今天还要照搬香槟的策略，一遍又一遍卖同样的酒？我宁愿总是给消费者一些新的东西。”

Black Chalk的Jacob Leadley和Zoë Driver希望通过专注的葡萄园管理来增加酒的复杂度，“与葡萄藤、气候和土壤协作，酿出特定风格的果实”。

随着英国葡萄酒产业的成熟，我们也开始看到更多陈酿时间较长的酒款面世。今年我有幸参加了Libération Tardive 基金会（座右铭：好酒需要时间）在伦敦举办的晚宴，品鉴了Hattingley Valley、Gusbourne和Breaky Bottom的老年份酒。

2013年Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs晚除渣、Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvée 2010和Breaky BottomSeyval Blanc Brut Cuvée Koizumi Yakumo 2010表现出色。所有这些酒都有超过十年的陈酿时间，其中Coates & Seely Blanc de Noirs 2014被评为今年的年度酒款，Digby Fine English 2013和Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams 2009 1.5升大瓶装（今年Decanter世界葡萄酒大奖赛最佳展示奖得主）也入围年度酒单，我们也已经称赞过Nyetimber的2013顶级特酿。

也许The Real Review排行榜没有完全揭示的是英国静止酒的悄然进步，特别是霞多丽，以及部分灰皮诺。Danbury Ridge去年排名前十，今年未参赛，Jackson Family Wines也未参赛，他们的Marbury Chardonnay我们今年曾报道过。两者都来自埃塞克斯郡，该郡近年来新种植的葡萄园面积已跃升至英国第三。

同样来自埃塞克斯郡的Lyme Bay、Martin’s Lane和The Heretics都凭借霞多丽获得了90分以上的评分，Oastbrook（东萨塞克斯郡）、Black Chalk（汉普郡）、Gusbourne（肯特郡）和Oxney（东萨塞克斯郡）亦是如此。新颖的静止酒风格，包括来自Hattingley Valley的极佳甜型巴克斯葡萄酒Entice，以及来自Sandridge Barton的蒙蒂利亚风格白葡萄酒Sonny，也为英国葡萄酒增添了乐趣。

在今年提交的起泡酒样品中，共有53款经典混酿（32款年份酒，21款非年份酒），平均得分91.94分。

在其他三种主要风格中，桃红起泡酒（30款，其中19款为年份酒）的平均得分92.03，略高于白中白（29款，其中23款为年份酒），而白中白的平均分最高，为92.38。

共有17款白中红（全部为年份酒），平均得分92.24。有趣的是，这四大主要风格的平均分非常接近，目前还没有哪一种风格明显占据优势。

Last year we commiserated with Nyetimber for being pipped to the top spot by Langham, who beat them by the width of a coat of paint.

This year we can celebrate a victory made all the sweeter by the fact that after their inaugural win in 2021, Nyetimber, is the first English winery to have won The Real Review’s Top Wineries of Great Britain twice.

Perhaps it’s not that surprising in the light of The Battle of the Bubbles (see accompanying piece) and the fact that both prestige cuvées, the 1086 by Nyetimber 2013 and the 1086 by Nyetimber Rosé 2013 featured in the shortlist of 14 wines scoring 95 or more for our inaugural Wines of the Year awards.

We also congratulate the winners of our Wines of the Year awards.

Nyetimber achieved the most high scoring gold ribbons this year. We awarded 118 silver ribbons compared to 66 in 2024. This is in part a reflection of an overall improvement in the quality of English sparkling wine across the board, but it also takes account of the fact that we were delighted to welcome a number of excellent new wineries to the fold.

Newcomers this year include Hundred Hills from Oxfordshire, High Clandon Estate in Surrey and Wiltshire’s Domaine Hugo. Last year’s newcomers Bluestone from Wiltshire (number 8) and Candover Brook (number 16) both improved their performance on 2024. We were also delighted to welcome the return this year of old friends that for reasons of their own had been unable to participate last year, so, in from the cool climate, as it were, came Chapel Down, Black Chalk, Coates & Seely and Sugrue, all high flyers in the top 20 this year.

While the engine room of the UK’s sparkling wine production remains the golden triangle of Hampshire, Kent and East and West Sussex, it’s notable that only Hampshire’s Candover Brook of these five wineries comes from within that golden triangle. The other four show what is now being achieved outside it.

Last year’s winner, Langham followed up its victory with the runner-up award this year. It might even have topped the charts if it had included an impressive new addition to the range, the Langham Wine Estate Perpetual 1st Edition Extra Brut England NV. This wine scored well in a tasting I was involved with for the World of Fine Wine. As the first 99 points award at the Wine GB Awards this year, it took the Supreme Champion Award for best sparkling wine and best premium sparkling. Containing the best chardonnay from three vintages, 2017, 2018 and 2019, it mirrors the vintage trio style blend pioneered by Laurent Perrier’s Grand Siècle.

The use of reserves in multi-vintage wines is a growing feature of England’s sparkling wines. Sugrue South Downs Rock Story for instance is a multi-vintage blend of 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. As we pointed out last year, we believe that holding back wines from previous years to create reserves for blending, as is standard practice in Champagne, can benefit sparkling wine in the UK both in terms of style by bringing extra richness and texture to these non-vintage blends and also because the addition of reserve wines can help iron out the inconsistencies of vintage. According to Dermot Sugrue:

“My approach to reserve wines is to build up a stock of reserves, whether as a perpetual reserve or different years kept separately. The addition of reserve makes a massive difference.”

Most wineries produce both vintage and non-vintage sparkling wines according to the character of year and the style they’re looking for. Having said that, a number prefer to produce vintage wines only. Rathfinny stick to their vintage guns, as do, for instance, Hundred Hills and Black Chalk. What is the rationale for this? Stephen Duckett of Hundred Hills is quite outspoken about it:

“I don’t buy the non-vintage thing in England. Why do we need to copy that [Champagne] strategy today, just selling the same thing over and over again in the modern world? I’d rather always be selling them something new.”

Jacob Leadley and Zoë Driver at Black Chalk aim to build complexity into the wines through focused viticulture, “working with the vine and the climate and the soils to produce fruit of a certain character”.

As the English wine industry matures, we are also starting to see the release of wines that have spent a considerable amount of time on the lees. I had the pleasure of attending a dinner hosted by the Libération Tardive Foundation (motto: Great Wines Take Time) at The Skinners Hall Wine Vaults in London earlier in the year showcasing older vintages from Hattingley Valley, Gusbourne and Breaky Bottom.

The 2013 Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs Late Disgorged, the Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvée 2010 and the Breaky Bottom Seyval Blanc Brut Cuvée Koizumi Yakumo 2010 showed exceptionally well, as did the latter in our tasting. All with more than a decade of age, the Coates & Seely Blanc de Noirs 2014 is one of our wine awards of the year, the Digby Fine English 2013 and the Sugrue The Trouble With Dreams 2009 in magnum (winner of Best of Show at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards) both made the wines of the year shortlist and we have already sung the praises of both Nyetimber’s 2013 prestige cuvées.

Perhaps what The Real Review rankings conceal is the stealthy progress of England’s still wines, most notably chardonnay, and to an extent, pinot gris. Danbury Ridge, which came in last year’s top 10, didn’t enter this year, nor did Jackson Family Wines, whose Marbury Chardonnay we have covered in these pages this year. Both are from Essex, where recent plantings have catapulted the county to third place in the UK’s area under vine.

Also from Essex, Lyme Bay, Martin’s Lane and The Heretics all scored 90 or more for their chardonnays, as did Oastbrook (East Sussex), Black Chalk (Hampshire), Gusbourne (Kent) and Oxney (East Sussex). Distinctive new still wine styles including a superb sweet bacchus called Entice, from Hattingley Valley, and an unusual Montilla-style white, Sonny, from Sandridge Barton, are doing their bit in adding to the gaiety of the nation.

From the samples of sparkling wines submitted for this year’s tasting, there were 53 classic blends (32 vintage, 21 non-vintage) which averaged out at a score of 91.94 out of 100.

Of the other three main styles, sparkling rosé actually pipped blanc de blancs (23 of them vintage) to the post with 30 samples (19 of them vintage), averaging 92.03 as against 29 blanc de blancs, although blanc de blancs averaged the highest score, marginally, of 92.38.

There were 17 blanc de noirs (all vintage) and these averaged out at 92.24. What’s interesting here is how close the average scores were for all four major styles of sparkling wine and that there is no one style—not yet at least—that is in the ascendant.

On Thursday 5th of June, Top Wineries of New Zealand descended upon Metita at Sky City in Auckland, home to superstar chef Michael Meredith’s refined Pasifika, Samoan-inspired cuisine.

The full house of guests, who were expertly looked after by Alex and her team, included representatives from several Top Wineries. The wines came out thick and fast, each glass special in their own right, making it a dizzying selection.

The first course consisted of several snacks: Natural Oyster with hibiscus vinegar, lemon oil; Corned Beef Steamed Bun, lardo, soy; Fried Pork Belly, spiced caramel, shiso leaf, lemon. Accompanying these were a trio of stunning sparkling wines: Esses Encore Methodé Traditionnelle Vintage 2016, No.1 Reine Cuvée Reserve NV and Sparkling Wine of the Year 2025 – Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blancs 2017.

The development and complexity in these bottles were brought further into focus by the complexity of the food flavours. Mel Skinner (Esses), Virginie Le Brun (No.1 Family Estate) and Lianne Collins (Quartz Reef) took to the ‘stage’ and shared their personal stories surrounding the wines and the estates.

The second course, Kingfish, buffalo curd, mandarin, okra, lime, was matched to a trio of chardonnay: Felton Road Chardonnay 2023, Kumeu River Maté Vineyard Chardonnay 2020 and our White Wine of the Year 2025 – Prophet’s Rock Cuvée Aux Antipodes Blanc 2022. Here, we had three winemakers head to head; James Coleman (Felton Road), Michael Brajkovich MW (Kumeu River) and Paul Pujol (Prophet’s Rock) getting into the nitty-gritty of chardonnay winemaking and site.

Things changed gear with the spectacular course of Charred Fe’e (octopus), roasted onion, miti, radish, which guests enjoyed with a range of pinot-based wine, from Rosé of the Year 2025 – Te Whare Ra Single Vineyard 5182 Rosé 2023 to our Red Wine of the Year 2025 – Doctors Flat Pinot Noir 2021 and the beautiful single-vineyard Ata Rangi McCrone Pinot Noir 2020.

The audience was divided here with several preferring the weight and size of the McCrone over the lighter style of Doctors Flat, but it showed even more how personal pinot noir preferences can be in Aotearoa!

The big red course came next, a generous plate of Slow Braised Lamb Shanks, spiced coconut gravy, ulu, sesame
served with a heap of Roasted Carrots, drauni kari, cashews, and yoghurt. This was accompanied by Craggy Range Sophia 2021, Smith & Sheth CRU Omahu Syrah 2021 and the rare Passage Rock Generation Cabernet 2021.

We had young winemaker Johnny Evans present to talk about his family’s wine before he dashed off to catch the ferry back to Waiheke Island. There was significant bottle variation in the Smith & Sheth which led to much discussion about closures and oxidation.

We also took this opportunity to present the Winery of the Year Trophy (or helmet) to James Coleman on behalf of Felton Road. Things closed in a sweet and sticky way with our Sweet Wine of the Year 2025 – Astrolabe Wrekin Vineyard Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2022 and the very sweet, botrytised Framingham Noble Riesling 2024, which guests enjoyed alongside Passion fruit, niu sorbet, and coconut yogurt.

We had several guests inform us that the food was the finest they have had of any Top Wineries of New Zealand Dinner. I must agree that we were spoilt for quality that night!

After a day off from events (as a team, we went to Waiheke to visit Destiny Bay on Friday), we returned to Auckland CBD for a long day on Saturday when three sessions were held of the Top Wineries of New Zealand Tasting. This year, we took over Brad’s Warehouse which was a very funky, cool space.

The tasting was held across the upper floor. It was extremely heartwarming and humbling to see the fantastic turnout from hospitality and sommeliers for the Trade Session which preceded the public sessions. Each session was sold out and the room hummed with fantastic energy as The Real Review readers tasted, enjoyed and exchanged thoughts with the winemakers and winery representatives present. We were also very fortunate to have Cameron Douglas MS present as he was helping out his friends at Domaine-Thomson. The roll call of great New Zealand wine names was as follows:

• Church Road: Chris Scott
• Grasshopper Rock: Phil Handford
• Esses: Mel Skinner
• Elephant Hill: Hugh Crichton
• Domaine-Thomson: Deborah Adams and Cameron Douglas MS
• Isabel Estate: Nick Lamain
• Dry River: Benjamin McNab
• Wild Irishman: Brian Shaw
• Rising Star of the Year 2025 – A Thousand Gods: Simon Sharpe and Lauren Keenan
• Craggy Range: Ben Tombs
• Pegasus Bay: Mike Donaldson
• Prophet’s Rock: Paul Pujol
• Clos Henri: Damien Yvon
• Destiny Bay: Ella Meckel-Kritos and Sean Spratt
• Mora: Catherine Douglas
• Pyramid Valley: Dan Shea and Huw Kinch
• Quartz Reef: Lianne Collins
• No.1 Family Estate: Antonia Romero and Annie Le Brun
• Felton Road: James Coleman
• Paritua: Oliver Kettle

One of the most notable things about the event was the diversity of attendees, on both the winery side and the wine lovers, particularly with a broader range of ages and a more youthful average than most wine events. The meeting of seasoned and fresh perspectives and the ensuing conversations were utterly invigorating and bode well for our wine community. Long may it continue. For now, we get to settle in and taste through another year’s worth of wine samples until Top Wineries rolls around again in 2026.

Martin and Karen Spedding of Ten Minutes By Tractor Wines. Ten Minutes By Tractor

The highest ranked wineries in The Real Review’s Top Wineries of Australia 2025 have many expensive, famous and often rare wines, but here’s a list of five wines everybody can afford to buy and enjoy.

My personal selection of five value bottles from the Top Wineries list:

Ten Minutes by Tractor 10X Chardonnay 2023, AUD $38

Top Wineries rank: #20

A remarkable wine which possesses many of the attributes of this exalted Mornington Peninsula winery’s much more expensive single-vineyard chardonnays, which are AUD $90. It’s a blend of seven vineyards, wild fermented and matured in barrels, 11% of which were new. Toasty, buttery, crusty bread and buttery croissant barrel-fermented aromas, gliding with medium-light body and silky texture.

Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz 2023, AUD $29

Top Wineries rank: #25

Torbreck has a treasure trove of very expensive Barossa Valley red wines, peaking with The Laird Shiraz at nearly AUD $900. This very inexpensive shiraz offers some of the generosity of flavour and ripe plummy, meaty, earthy characters of its famous big brothers. It has that glass-staining purple colour, full body and almost jammy fruit characters that Torbreck fans love.

Jim Barry Lodge Hill Riesling 2024, AUD $28

Top Wineries rank: #27

The Clare Valley is the first place to look for riesling and every winery offers some bottles at seriously modest prices. This single-vineyard wine has the limy nuances that define Clare riesling along with pastry, quartz and seaspray touches, a refreshingly dry, balanced finish and while it’s lovely now, it will evolve and build complexity for at least a decade.

Yangarra Old Vine GSM Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2023, AUD $38

Top Wineries rank: #28

Yangarra is an outstanding winery perched at the top of the McLaren Vale region near Clarendon, where it grows sensational grenache, shiraz and mataro/mourvèdre, some of the labels quite costly—its top grenache, High Sands, is AUD $325. This GSM is perennially excellent value, with bold chocolate-coated liquorice, vanilla and dark plum flavours, the palate rich and supple with glossy tannins.

Chandon Vintage Blanc de Blancs 2018, AUD $48

Top Wineries rank: #145

Really smart sparkling wine is nearly always more expensive than the equivalent in still wine, but Chandon does a great job of serving up value in its non-vintage range. Just a few dollars more will buy you a vintage wine, and this pure chardonnay blanc de blancs is a lovely, elegant wine, with intense aromas and flavours of toasted bread and stone fruits including peach and nectarine.

This year’s Top Wineries had some significant movers and some well-deserved newcomers. Here’s a selection of wineries to watch, that have either rocketed up the charts from the previous year, or are new entrants that have not previously been listed in the rankings.

Nic Peterkin’s Margaret River based winery L.A.S. Vino jumped 170 spots from 206 in 2024 to 36. Wines like his Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 and his Wildberry Springs Chardonnay 2023 are the reason for the significant move, fabulously pure and expressive examples of their genre.

Rutherglen stalwart Buller also leapt up the rankings, going to 54 from 238, a jump of 184 places. Not only did their exquisite fortifieds such as the Calliope Rare Topaque boost their ranking, it’s also wines like the plush and juicy Calliope Shiraz 2019 that contributed to the rise.

Whilst on the Rutherglen angle, it was also fabulous to see Morris and Chamber’s Rosewood enter the rankings for the first time, coming in at 21 and 22 respectively. These two ‘elder statesmen’ of Rutherglen produce fortifieds of incredible age, complexity and deliciousness. I most recently reviewed the Morris Old Premium Rare Liqueur Topaque and awarded it 97 points. It truly is a wine of wonder and awesomeness. Likewise, Huon recently reviewed the Chambers Grand Muscadelle and awarded it a very deserving 98 points. These are wines unique to Australia and deserve their position among the great wine styles of the world.

Relatively new Barossa label Utopos, made by the highly regarded Kym Teusner jumped a whopping 153 places, from 213 to 60. The Mataro Grenache Shiraz 2022, Shiraz 2022 and the Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 all garnering 95 points, so the rapid rise is understandable.

Established just over a decade ago, Silkman Wines is the passion and micro project of Liz and Shaun Silkman. Silkman moved a staggering 182 places this year, from 290 to 98. Their semillon, chardonnay and shiraz across the ‘regular’ and reserve labels are all outstanding examples of what the Hunter Valley can produce and display their sense of place superbly.

Lowestoft is the key Tasmanian brand of the premium Fogarty Wine Group and it jumped from 350 to 102. Its array of sparkling, chardonnay and pinot noir wines sourced from the Coal River, Derwent, Tamar and Huon Valleys, have established Lowestoft as a fine regional brand in a relatively short space of time.

I’ve been impressed with the wines of Mulline out of Geelong over the last couple of years: its range of chardonnays and pinot noirs is very pure and precise and shows fabulous regionality. Mulline jumps into the rankings at 52 and cements its place as a top producer, going places fast.

Likewise, Crittenden Wines has come up to land at position 61. Crittenden is a name that’s been around for many years and is synonymous with high quality Mornington Peninsula wines. Their chardonnay and pinot noir are benchmark styles; throw in the quirky and delicious Jura-style Cri de Coeur Sous Voile Savagnin and Macvin savagnin, and it’s no wonder that it’s made an appearance for the first time—and so high on the list.

This year’s Top Wineries list displays a number of ‘sure things’ but it’s also incredibly satisfying to see those that soared upwards in their ranking, as well as those who made the list for the first time.