The sparkling-wine story that emerged from this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) results unfolded like a good drama. Champagne, awarded two of the four Best in Show awards, played a strong leading role, showing that it remains a benchmark for this style.
An international contingent provided plenty of narrative interest. Italy’s Franciacorta is producing stellar examples and in the UK, there is noteworthy local talent too.
Champagne: setting the benchmark
A careful observer will notice similarities in the two Best in Show winners from Champagne.
Both De Saint-Gall, Orpale Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru and Charles Collin, Cuvée Charles Blanc be Blancs are pure Chardonnays, and both were from the 2012 vintage.
Should that come as a surprise? On the first point, Charles Curtis MW, Regional Chair for Champagne, says, ‘De Saint-Gall is based in Avize [in the Côte des Blancs], so it’s no surprise they make good Chardonnay. Charles Collin is interesting since they are in the Côte des Bar, which is Pinot Noir country. However, the soils are largely Kimmeridgian; I have always suspected that there was a lot of potential to the Chardonnays from that part of France, particularly in a not-too-hot vintage such as 2012.’
On the second point, the 2012 vintage in Champagne was what many would call ‘challenging’, with a cold wet spring, April frosts and the odd unexpected hailstorm providing plot twists – although Nature eventually smiled on the region at harvest time. ‘From the worst to the best’ is how Charles Curtis has described it.
Seek out and savour Champagnes from the 2012 vintage while they last.
I rank it (2012) as a five-star vintage. For me, it is the best since the epic 2008 vintage.
Charles Curtis MW
English sparkling strikes again
Following last year’s Best in Show from Sussex (Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams 2009), a wine from Kent waved the Union Jack this year: Balfour, Blanc De Blancs 2018.
Head winemaker and director of wine is Fergus Elias, who may just have winemaking in his blood – his father Owen was head winemaker at Chapel Down until 2010 and is considered one of the founding fathers of contemporary English wine. ‘I am extremely fortunate to be one of relatively few second-generation winemakers in the country’, Fergus says.
‘I spent much of my youth working in vineyards, wineries and cellar doors, first at Chapel Down and then, after 2010, in various roles across vineyards and wineries in the South East. That said, it was never my plan to become a winemaker. I wanted to join the RAF as a pilot.’ A torn ligament playing rugby put paid to his RAF aspirations, but he initially had no plans to follow in his father’s footsteps: ‘My early view of winery work was mostly disgorging, labelling and cleaning drains.’
That changed soon after joining Balfour in 2014. ‘Within a few weeks I knew I had found both my career and the place where I wanted to build it.’ An MSc in Viticulture and Oenology at Plumpton College followed, and by 2019 he was head winemaker.
The Blanc des Blancs is made only in the best years, and so far just three vintages have been released: 2010, 2014 and 2018. It is made from ‘the very best Chardonnay fruit and only in vintages where we think the wine genuinely deserves to stand on its own.
In 2018, we knew during harvest that we were looking at a vintage with the quality, scale and confidence to produce something exceptional.
Fergus Elias, head winemaker and director of wine at Balfour
Balfour 2018 was bottled en magnum and is a brut nature – but, Fergus says, ‘I do not think zero dosage or extra brut is automatically a badge of honour unless that is genuinely where the wine works best.’
He describes the Balfour style as ‘fruit-driven, clean and pure’, adding, ‘One thing we are very keen to avoid at Balfour is simply aping Champagne. We are our own category and we should make wines in our own style’.
A first for Franciacorta
For those after a contemporary success story, look no further than Franciacorta from Lombardy. A relatively new star in the sparkling-wine firmament, its official consorzio was founded in 1990. In 1995, a separate DOCG for sparkling wines was created, making Franciacorta Italy’s first DOCG dedicated solely to metodo classico styles.
Franciacorta has claimed seven Platinum DWWA awards in past years, and 2026 marked its first Best in Show with the impressive Freccianera, Satèn Brut 2022.
The Freccianera range is from the family estate of Fratelli Berlucchi – pioneers of this region and style since the early 1960s, and no strangers to DWWA awards in past years. The zesty, textured palate of this 100 per cent Chardonnay is good enough reason to pop the cork; then there’s the texture, which, as the name ‘satèn’ suggests, has a satin-like mouthfeel, achieved through a lower-than-usual pressure of five bars. This slightly softer style makes satèn styles particularly suited to drinking with food (as opposed to having it as an aperitif), recommends Charles Curtis MW.
The majority of Franciacorta is drunk in Italy – just over 12 per cent is exported – although more bottles are finding their way to other European countries and to the UK. Tasting this wine blind, judges noted its wide appeal. For stylish, top-pedigree sparkling wines, Franciacorta is a name to look out for.
Find all winners at awards.decanter.com
DWWA 2026: Best in Show sparkling winners
Balfour, Blanc De Blancs, Kent, England, United Kingdom 2018 (magnum)
(Image credit: Future)
Best in Show, 97 points
For the second year in a row, the sparkling wine which most impressed our GB and Ireland panel was one bottled in magnum. In contrast to last year’s Sussex blend, though, the 2026 laureate was a Blanc de Blancs wine from Kent. It was a much younger wine, too – a 2018 rather than a 2009. A youthful style, then, with a seethe of fine-beaded bubbles and incision to the fore in its sensual profile? Absolutely. But remember what a generous summer the UK enjoyed in 2018. The aromas of this pale sparkler sing: poised lemon cream, sourdough and cut stone tease and linger in the glass. While the palate is bracing, mouth-watering and impactful, that splendid season is evident in its length and resonance. The extra-dry style throws the spotlight on the wine’s fruit qualities (orchard fruits as well as lemony citrus) and the quality of its acidity (dominant, taut yet unquestionably ripe – as you can see in the wine’s latent aromatics). This is an English wine magnum with a long future ahead if well stored. Alcohol 12%
Charles Collin, Cuvée Charles Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, France 2012
(Image credit: Future)
Best in Show, 97 points
Three Champagnes featured in our Best In Show selection last year, one of which was a Blanc de Blancs. This year we have only two – but both are Blanc de Blancs. That in turn means that all four of our sparkling wines in this year’s pantheon are Blanc de Blancs – a testament to the enduring appeal of this fine-boned style. (Lovers of blends, don’t despair: you’ll find much to enjoy in our Platinum selection. PLEASE CHECK.) Both of this year’s Best In Show Champagnes, too, are based on the 2012 vintage, and for a little more on that challenge-to-triumph vintage, see the note for this wine’s fellow Champagne laureate. Meanwhile, what’s in the glass here? A Champagne that combines controlled generosity with remarkable refinement. It’s gratifyingly aromatic: peach, quince, brioche, dried lemon and root botanicals all appeared in our judges’ notes. On the palate, it’s vibrant and multi-faceted, elegant and refreshing. There’s a breadth and carriage to the wine which you won’t always find in the Blanc de Blanc style, but it’s nimble on its feet and stylistically restrained: an alluring and hugely enjoyable combination. Alc 12%
De Saint-Gall, Orpale Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru, Champagne, France 2012
(Image credit: Future)
Best in Show, 97 points
The second of this year’s Best In Show Champagne laureates is, like the first, a 2012 wine, so it’s worth spending a little time considering this vintage. If you’d arrived in Champagne in late July, it was a glum scene: a cold, wet spring had seen yields slashed by April frosts, wild-card hailstorms and chaotic flowering. June and July remained grumpy; disease pressure was intense. A magnificent August then stepped in to save the day, while September was sunny, bright and airy. Nothing could remedy the low yields, but these late-season conditions meant the fruit ripened fully, over the length of a sustained season (time on the vine is critical for Champagne). All of this plays out in this splendid Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs. Pale yellow in colour, with a fine-beaded mousse, the aromas are complex and plant-infused as well as richly fruited, with hints of mocha and toasted brioche. On the palate, the wine has authentic Grand Cru concentration and length with the balance and resonance that comes from perfect ripeness; there’s a hint of fruit-salt and stone on the finish. Enjoy 2012 while you can. Alc 12.5%
Freccianera, Satèn Brut, Franciacorta, Lombardy, Italy 2022
(Image credit: Future)
Best in Show, 97 points
One of modern Italy’s most impressive success stories is the Franciacorta wines of Lombardy, produced (since 1961) by fastidiously following traditional-method principles from Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco grapes grown on gravels and glacial-moraine soils. Wines from Franciacorta have achieved seven Platinum medals in the past in our competition; this year’s Best In Show appearance perhaps marks a new high point for these always-impressive wines. It’s a Blanc de Blancs, pure-Chardonnay example from the fine, warm 2022 vintage. Silver-green in colour, the aromas are pristine, harmonious and gratifying with tenderly ripe orchard fruit and unobtrusive, subtle light-cream freshness. On the palate, the wine is poised, open-pored, tinglingly zesty yet at the same time impressively textured. The apples and quince apparent on the nose haunt the affable, glowing acidity, and there’s a washed-stone freshness to the finish. Wholly successful and with wide appeal, this makes a great introduction to (and benchmark for) the Franciacorta style. Alc 12.5%
(Image credit: Future)
