Full results from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 have been released revealing impressive wins for established wine producers as well as many surprises from incredibly diverse emerging regions making exciting wines across the globe.
After a record-breaking year for total wines tasted in 2021, DWWA has again broken this record with the most wines entered and tasted in the competition’s 19-year history. As part of the rigorous judging process, almost 250 expert judges, including 41 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers, evaluated 18,244 wines from 54 countries at DWWA 2022, making it a record year for wines tasted.
Judging took place over two weeks at London's CentEd at ExCel after two years of strict covid-19 protocols followed by a second round at Decanter’s Tasting Suite in Paddington where Gold medal-winning wines are re-categorised by country, region, sub-region, grape, vintage and price band and re-tasted by Regional Chairs and Co-Chairs. The best wines are promoted to Platinum medals.
Only 50 wines were awarded a prestigious Best in Show medal. There were also 165 Platinum and 676 Gold medals awarded.
New Zealand saw its best-ever performance for Best in Show, with four wines awarded the medal and scoring 97 points. They were:
- Rimapere Plot 101 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021
- Craggy Range Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020
- Church Road Grand Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
- Valli Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Awarded to just 50 wines, this year’s Best in Show winners represented just 0.27% of the total wines tasted and of the competition’s top 50 wines, 40% come from New World countries – more than double that of the 2021 results.
“Our Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2020 just won Best in Show with 97 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards! Judges commented that in this ‘outstanding’ wine, ‘freshness and richness are beautifully paired in the aromas’, calling it ‘memorable’, concentrated and confident’,” expressed Church Road Winery in a statement.
Now in its 19th year, the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world's largest and most influential wine competition, with unrivalled global reach. Judged by top wine experts from around the globe, DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process.
