All the medallists from the Global Carmenere Masters 2025

Carmenere has come a long way from its Bordeaux origins, finding a warm welcome in vineyards as far-flung as Chile and Italy, reports Patricia Stefanowicz MW.

CARMENERE IS a grape variety that produces wines that flow across the tongue as lightly and almost as frivolously as its name. The wines are excellent value for money, as the judges discovered in our most recent Global Carmenere Masters.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Bordeaux growers exported Carmenere and its field-blend relatives to Chile, and Carmenere vines were also sent to north and northeast Italy, where the variety shows its worth in blends and as a varietal wine.

Chile is Carmenere’s modern homeland, as our results from this Global Carmenere Masters demonstrate. With well over 10,000 hectares of vineyards, Chile delivers a wide range of styles and prices. Nearly all of our Gold and Master medals this year were Chilean, although some top producers in Italy also weighed in with fine wines.

Unoaked Carmenere is sometimes a little bit hollow and simplistic. But the juicy flavours and brisk acidity are welcome, and there are inexpensive, juicy wines that work well, slightly chilled, with cold meats or patés, cheeses and salads, such as Tenuta Monte San Giorgio from the Veneto or Viñedos Marchigüe from the O’Higgins region of Chile. But Carmenere seems to need some oak ageing to fill the mid-palate and add depth and complexity. The judges awarded some Golds in the £10–£15 bracket. Viña La Rosa’s La Capitana and Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada, which earned a well-deserved Master, are both worth looking out for.

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In the £15–£20 price bracket, golds were awarded to Ventisquero, Luis Felipe Edwards, Santa Ema and Santa Carolina, while Viña La Rosa scored a Master for its blended Don Reca Cuvée.

The wines at £20–£30, whether varietal or blended, were truly interesting: textured, layered, and balanced. The wines from Casa Silva, Valdivieso, Santa Ema and Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s Escudo Rojo are well worth sourcing. Meanwhile, Inama flew the Italian flag with a beautiful Gold-winner too, and Viña La Rosa’s ‘La Rosa’ was awarded a Master among this group.

Above £30, Invina’s Cuartel 4A, Inama’s Oratorio de San Lorenzo, Valdivieso’s Caballo Loco, and Vik’s La Piu Belle blend all won Golds. A Master was given to Santa Rita’s Pewën from the Apalta Valley, but the title of Grand Master went to Ventisquero’s Obliqua, a fabulous Bordeaux blend, and affordable at £40. Based on the 2025 competition, it seems impossible to go wrong with Carmenere at almost every price point, whether under £15 or over £50. The grape and its blends have the agility to match a diverse array of foods, so we in the wine industry have a duty to demonstrate Carmenere’s beauty to consumers.

Unoaked 100% Carmenere

Oaked 100% Carmenere

Oaked Carmenere Blend

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Global Carmenere Masters provides a chance for your wines to shine. The 2025 competition was judged on 20 August at The Belvedere in London, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolades – the titles of Carmenere Master or Grand Master. This report features medal winners only. Please visit the Global Masters website for more information or, to enter future competitions, with a chance to appear in print and online, call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Aston at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com