The tasting gave Patrick Schmitt MW a sense of what’s coming the consumer’s way over the next few months. Pexels

In partnership with The Drinks Business.

Today’s champagnes may be more expensive, but they’re also riper, richer, more complex and just plain better, reports Patrick Schmitt MW.

Many would say it’s a privileged position—and Patrick Schmitt MW would have to agree. Patrick is talking about his chairing the Champagne Masters, which is 2025’s first major, comprehensive blind tasting competition for this fabled French region in the UK. As a result, it means that, by March this year, he’d tasted a generous array of the latest and impending releases from Champagne, giving him a sense of what’s coming the consumer’s way over the next few months.

With that in mind, Patrick has not only picked out the best performers from this year’s competition to provide an overview of the judges’ favourites from 2025—which you can see in full in The Drinks Business 2025 Champagne Report—but also outlined what he thinks are the key trends in champagne style right now (which you can read here). Meanwhile, please scroll down to see all the medallists from this year’s competition, which are listed by style, as well as to find out more about the tasting, including the judges who took part this year.

Non-vintage

Vintage

Prestige Cuvée

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Noirs

Rosé

Comments from co-chairs of the Champagne Masters

Jonathan Pedley MW

“We had three star categories: blanc de blancs, vintage and prestige cuvée. The majority of our gold medals and our three ‘masters’ came from these groups. As the individual notes show, there were some glorious wines here. Perhaps more than in any previous edition of the Champagne Masters, I was struck by the big step up in quality between most of the non-vintage wines and the vintage/prestige cuvée bottlings.

“On this showing, I guess that we have to grit our teeth, raid the piggy bank and restrict our champagne purchases to the occasional top wine for special events.”

Patricia Stefanowicz MW

“The so-called non-vintage wines were rather variable. We found a few gems but, even at higher prices, the wines do not always deliver value for money.

“Vintage champagnes were far more consistent, despite the different vintages.

“Throughout the categories, I found that many of the extra bruts were too austere—even for me, a world-class acid-freak! I was convinced in a number of cases that the wines would have benefitted from a little more dosage, or possibly more ageing on the lees?

“Our group of prestige cuvées performed very well, with the more expensive wines all getting gold medals. Gosset and Deutz were two stand-outs.

“Rosés were extremely variable, from adequate to very, very good. Our golds included Telmont, de Venoge, Penfolds-Thiénot and Deutz at £50-70, while Joseph Perrier seemed a bargain gold at under £50.”

First published in The Drinks Business. Patrick Schmitt MW (Apr 1, 2025). All the medallists from The Champagne Masters 2025.