The IEWA 2026 results are here, and while I would customarily do my own short analysis results, I’ve handed the mic over to IEWA founder Alex Taylor this year for his own summary of the competition. As usual, my initital thoughts thoughts on all of the Gold medal-winning wines are featured below the results.
“The IEWA exists to celebrate, champion and shout about the best of English wine, and I genuinely don’t think there has ever been a more exciting time to be drinking it.
This year was our 10th IEWA and we welcomed a record 160 wines from 70 producers, making IEWA26 our biggest competition yet. And perhaps the biggest headline of all? Around 75% of the entries were still wines. That tells you so much about where English wine is right now. The old assumptions simply don’t hold any more.
What our judges found this year was thrilling. Brilliant Bacchus. Gorgeous Chardonnay. Skin-contact wines. Col Fondos. Pinot Noir. Experimental blends. Flor-aged wines. Rosés. Traditional method sparkling. Styles and grape varieties from all over the country. English wine has become one of the most dynamic and creative categories anywhere, and the IEWA medal list reflects that energy in full.
And is this the year of Norfolk? You’d have to say the county has made a serious statement. Golds for Burn Valley and Flint Vineyard, with Cobble Hill taking Gold and Top Still Wine, made Norfolk one of the stories of the competition. The quality coming out of the region right now is impossible to ignore.
One of the things I love most about running the IEWA comp is its ability to uncover producers that many wine drinkers may never have heard of. This year, newly launched Longdown Vineyard took the top sparkling wine trophy, proving once again that there are exciting new names emerging all the time, and that English wine still totally has the power to surprise us.
Meanwhile, Vagabond were deservedly crowned IEWA Producer of the Year after another sensational performance across an astonishing range of styles. Their Solena Batch 004 – a solera-aged, skin-contact Ortega with partial flor ageing – took Gold for the third year running, and the Best Alternative / Experimental Still Wine trophy. Wines like that made here in England would have sounded completely unhinged a decade ago. Today, they’re right amongst it as the best wines being made here.
That’s what I love about this category. There really are no rules. No clichés. No single style. Just bold, passionate people making fascinating wines, and constantly pushing things forward.
Whatever you think English wine is, I can guarantee there are bottles on this year’s IEWA medal list that will surprise you, challenge you and, hopefully, delight you. Perhaps even change your life!
Huge thanks to every producer who entered and to our fantastic judging panel. The standard keeps rising, the stories keep getting better, and I honestly believe the future of English wine has never looked brighter.”
Alex Taylor, IEWA Founder
Photo & Bottle Shot Credit: Pete Axford
As with my previous year’s coverage on the IEWA, I’ve focused here on the Gold medal winners, but the full list of all medal winners can be found at www.iewa.uk
The Gold Medal Winners
Trophies
John’s Gold Medal Thoughts
Longdown English Sparkling White 2022
Region: Hampshire
A new name in English wine, and they took the sparkling trophy this year! This maiden release from Longdown immediately impressed with its bright orchard fruit and citrus aromas.
The palate is fresh and crunchy, the mousse refined and delightful; overall, this is such an accomplished and complete sparkling wine.
Cobble Hill Bacchus 2025
Region: Norfolk
Bacchus triumphs at the IEWA this year! Cobble Hill have won gold before, but this sensational 2025 Bacchus elevated them to the top of the podium.
Gushing aromatics, vibrant lime and tropical-fruit ripeness, with refreshing acidity and a delicate smoky texture. Absolutely outstanding!
Brabourne Blanc de Noirs 2020
Region: Kent
This is a subtle but beautiful expression of Blanc de Noirs. Aromas of red apple, cherry and hints of blood orange and toastiness.
The palate is sublime with its soft mousse and generous ripe red apple and peach, while the crisp acidity and subtle nuttiness makes this an incredibly morish offering.
Burn Valley Bacchus Fume 2023
Region: Norfolk
Another stand-out Bacchus that has triumphed again in the IEWA, Burn Valley’s Fumé adds layers of oak texture to a ripe and expressive Bacchus.
The palate is delightfully rounded, edging towards stone-fruit flavours while retaining that classic zesty, grassy Bacchus quality.
Flint Silex 2024
Region: Norfolk
One of my personal favourites in the competition this year, Flint’s Silex impressed immediately with its opulent nose of peach, apricot and aromatic orchard fruit.
The palate has a sumptuous, ripe mix of fleshy peach and ripe apple, balanced with leesy richness and real vinous grip. It’s such a generous, expressive wine, and hugely memorable.
Halfpenny Green Bacchus 2025
Region: Staffordshire
Another Bacchus that really stood out this year was the HPG 2025. The vintage once again shows its ripeness, with classic citrus freshness and ripe melon and tropical notes.
This is juicy and fruit-forward, full of bright melon and tropical fruit flavours, but bursting with acidity and a really long, textured finish.
Higham Vineyard Pinot Noir 2024
Region: Suffolk
The standout red wine in the competition, which is impressive, given the challenges in England in 2024. The Higham’s nose is ripe with red fruit, cracked black pepper and spice.
The palate has a lovely balance of youthful red fruit, bright acidity, and lovely peppery depth. It’s light, but layered with fine tannin and a hint of plummy generosity.
Mountfield Blanc de Blancs NV
Region: Sussex
This is a great example of how extended lees ageing can do wonders for English sparkling. The nose is opulent and rich, full of baked apple, peach and buttered toast.
On the palate, there’s a beautiful balance of that rich baked apple and ripe stone fruit, deep nutty, toasty autolytic development with a really brisk, crisp acidity cutting through it all. Really quite wonderful.
New Hall Signature 2025
Region: Essex
I’ve long been an advocate of English white blends, and this three-grape fusion from New Hall really stood out with its ripe fruit and floral lift.
Overall, a hugely successful blend, combining a generous fruit-forward profile with delicate floral and exotic fruit notes.
Vagabond Solena Ortega
Region: London
This is the third year in a row that this delicious wine has taken home a gold medal. The wine immediately intrigues with its complex fusion of stone fruit, citrus and spice.
The palate is bold and commanding; both fleshy and ripe, but with intense grapefruit and orange right, as well as gorgeous black tea and spice complexities.
