Golden 50 list celebrates UK’s top wines as English wine sector gathers pace

WineGB’s 2025 Golden 50 Wine List reveals record-breaking producers and global competition wins, as the UK prepares for what could be one of its most promising harvests in years.

WineGB has unveiled its 2025 Golden 50 Wine List, celebrating the top 50 UK wines awarded gold medals this year across 10 leading national and international competitions, including the Global Wine Masters. The list was created in partnership with the Vineyard & Winery Show and represents what WineGB describes as “an incredibly hard task to select just the best 50” from a pool of 105 gold-winning wines.

The Golden 50 selection will be available to taste at the Vineyard & Winery Show on 19 November 2025, featuring 34 sparkling wines and 16 still wines produced across the country. This comes in a year that has already seen historic achievements, including the first-ever 99-point score in the WineGB Awards and an English winner of the International Wine Challenge Champion Sparkling Trophy.

Top producers dominate multiple competitions

Of the producers featured, 17 won gold medals across multiple competitions. Gusbourne in Kent led the field with 11 golds across four competitions, followed by Chapel Down with 7 golds, Langham with 6, Nyetimber with 4, and Balfour, Harrow & Hope and Sugrue South Downs each with 3 gold medals.

Eleven wines received multiple golds, including All Angels Ten Year Anniversary Classic Cuvee Brut 2014, Gusbourne Estate Blanc de Noirs 2020 and Sugrue South Downs The Trouble with Dreams Magnum Brut 2009. Others included standout still and sparkling wines from Chapel Down, Greyfriars, Langham Wine Estate, Lyme Bay Winery, The Grange and Weyborne.

WineGB chief executive Nicola Bates said: “This has been another incredible year for wines from the UK and it is so important for us to recognise the wonderful achievements of these award-winners. We have seen our first 99-point wine, and with another global trophy from the International Wine Challenge, it is very clear that quality is continually increasing.”

Jamie McGrorty, publisher of Vineyard Magazine, added that it was “a real asset to showcase the incredible Golden 50” and a chance to celebrate “a very talented pool of winemakers and vineyards in the UK”.

Competitions set a global stage

The Golden 50 wines were selected from winners at the WineGB Awards, Decanter World Wine Awards, International Wine Challenge (IWC), International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), The Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships,, Sommelier Wine Awards, London Wine Competition, Sommeliers’ Choice Awards, the London Wine Fair Battle of the Bubbles and the Global Wine Masters.

This multi-competition approach reflects an increasingly competitive and international outlook for English and Welsh producers. As reported by the drinks business, exports grew to 9% of sales in 2024, while domestic sales also increased, despite challenging economic conditions.

Harvest optimism adds to buoyant mood

The unveiling of the Golden 50 comes amid widespread optimism about the upcoming 2025 harvest. Warm weather and ideal flowering conditions have prompted many producers to draw comparisons to the celebrated 2018 vintage.

At Tinwood Estate in Sussex, owner Art Tukker said 2025 is “shaping up to be one of the best harvests, in terms of quality, that we have seen for quite some time.” Bud break and flowering are two weeks ahead of average and yields are expected to be slightly above normal.

Similarly, Nyetimber senior winemaker Brad Greatrix said the cumulative heat this season is “very similar to 2018”, predicting that an early harvest could lead to excellent fruit ripeness. Nyetimber expects to produce between 1.6m and 1.8m bottles this year, nearly triple its 2015 output.

Viticultural consultant Stephen Skelton MW described the outlook as “very good”, attributing strong conditions to early summer heatwaves. He said: “It’s going to be a good year, there’s no doubt about it, and all the fruit growers are saying that, so we’re not alone.”

Sector growth continues apace

WineGB’s most recent industry report shows that English wine sales rose 3% in 2024, with still wine sales climbing by 10%. Vineyard area has expanded to 4,841 hectares, more than a 500% increase since 2005, and employment has surged to 3,300 full-time equivalent roles.

Kent remains the most planted county, while Essex has risen to third place, reflecting strong investment and planting activity. Chardonnay now accounts for 33% of plantings, with Pinot Noir at 30%.

Bates commented: “Our industry shows resilience and remains in a growth phase with planting and employment continuing to show an upward trend.”

Related news

‘Business as usual’ for Ridgeview as English sparkling wine producer enters administration

Boutique brands push boundaries of English sparkling wine

‘We are crazy’: Gusbourne tasting shows the ambition behind English wine’s rise