UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO EXCEL AT DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS 2025

Wines from across the across the USA enjoy success with emerging regions continuing to showcase the diversity

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Results from Decanter World Wine Awards 2025 (DWWA) have revealed another successful year for the United States, with West Coast wines dominating and lesser-known regions continuing to compete on the global stage.

Celebrating its 22nd year, DWWA is firmly established as the world’s largest and most influential wine competition, renowned for its rigorous judging process. At this year’s awards wines from 57 countries were evaluated by 248 top international wine experts, from 35 countries – including 22 Master Sommeliers and 72 Masters of Wine – the highest in the competition's history.

Medals awarded at DWWA range from the top-tier 50 Best in Show, then Platinum and Gold (all scoring 95+ points) followed by Silver and Bronze. This year the 50 Best in Show medals represented just 0.30% of wines tasted.

The United States delivered a confident and quality-driven performance, earning 20 top-tier medals (95+ points). It was awarded two coveted Best in Show and four Platinum medals, increasing the count on both of these from last year. The country also collected 14 Gold medals.

California topped the charts with 143 medals. The state claimed both Best in Show winners with producer Clos du Val celebrating the top accolade for a second year in a row, this year with Cabernet Franc, Stags Leap District 2022. Kenwood Vineyards, Six Ridges Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2021 was the other top-scoring wine with judges noting: ‘We’re thrilled to see a wine from Alexander Valley join the nine California red-wine peers that have already featured in our Best in Show selection. This distinctive zone clearly offers Cabernet of significantly different style to Napa: amply fleshed, yes, but with a savoury, mountain wildness to that flesh, and a different acid emphasis.’

In addition to its Best in Show medals, the state received two Platinum medals. For the first time in the competition’s history, this medal was awarded to a sparkling wine from Los Carneros for Chandon, Etoile Brut NV. There were also six Gold medals.

Oregon continues to perform well and has significantly increased its medal haul from last year. Willamette Valley claimed a Platinum medal for a second consecutive year, this time for Domaine Serene, Yamhill Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022, with judges labelling the wine ‘a masterstroke of Pinot Noir making!’. The state celebrated a further three top-tier Gold medals.

Continuing along the west coast, Washington State increased its medal haul fivefold, taking home 78 in total. It was awarded a Platinum for Echolands Winery, Blue Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Walla Walla Valley 2022. The region also claimed three Gold medals.

Last year, wines from Pennsylvania and Virginia achieved their first-ever Gold medals and this year they replicated this success, showcasing the expanding excellence and national breadth in US wine.

Virginia collected nine medals overall, including Gold for Early Mountain, Petit Manseng 2022, which judges described as ‘richly flavoured and texturally gastronomic’.

Pennsylvania won Gold for Benigna's, Traminette NV, a 100% Traminette still white, with the state picking up a further two Silver and two Bronze medals.
Other states that recorded medals included Colorado, Missouri, New York, and Texas.

Nimmi Malhotra, DWWA judge, commented: ‘For a producer, a Decanter World Wine Award medal means recognition. But it's not just recognition of your peers. It's recognition that is identifiable by consumers because they all know of Decanter. It's like being awarded by the whole parliament. A collective decision. So the value of that award is just that much deeper.’

Decanter’s North America editor, Clive Pursehouse, added, ‘We’ve been reviewing thousands of wines from the US over the last two years, so if anything, I’d say there’s a lot more out there. The calibre of American wine is on par with the greatest regions in the world, so we should expect to see this trend continue as participation grows.’

Thomas Wright
Panthera Communications
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