Pure Brilliance: DWWA 2026's Best in Show whites and rosés

The annual Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) are about much more than awards. They’re about the trends revealed by the results and the stories they tell about people and places – and there was plenty to dig into in the Best in Show white & rosé styles. Austria on the up Two Best in Show medals came from Austrian producers, and both were notable for marking DWWA ‘firsts’. This year marked the first time that an Austrian Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) from any region claimed a Best in Show award, with the excellent example from Domäne Roland Chan, Wösendorf Alte Reben Smaragd Weissburgunder, Wachau, Niederösterreich 2023. The other ‘first’ came from Birgit Eichinger’s Ried Lamm 1ötw Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Niederösterreich 2024 – the first-ever Best in Show appearance by a wine from Austria’s Kamptal DAC. This outstanding wine is made by a mother-and daughter team, Birgit and Gloria Eichinger. Gloria sums up their guiding winemaking principle in three short sentences: 'As little as necessary. As consciously as possible. Out of respect for what is there. We want our origin, the Kamptal, to be evident in every sip. Wines from the Kamptal region impress with their elegance and freshness. They are meant to bring joy and moments of pleasure without ever getting boring.' This is not a wine that could ever be called boring. Judging the wine blind, tasters noted 'magnificently limpid winemaking with raw materials, which must surely come from a fine site or combination of sites'. Single-vineyard wines How right the judges were. The Eichingers have a laser focus on single-vineyards. As Gloria explains: 'We have many historic vineyards with a variety of soils, such as slate, gneiss, loess, sandstone… This results in wines that vary greatly in style, flavour and finesse. That’s what makes our wine-growing region so fascinating.' Get our daily fine wine reviews, latest wine ratings, news and travel guides delivered straight to your inbox. The 23-hectare Ried Lamm is 'one of the most important vineyards in the Kamptal', she says, with a long history of winemaking, and planted almost exclusively to Grüner Veltliner. There is plenty of geological complexity and Gloria believes that it’s the interplay of calcareous soils resting on loess and sandstone that give this wine its minerality and body. The significant role of single vineyards was also evident in an Assyrtiko from Greece – Santo Wines, Kontarades, Santorini, Aegean Islands 2024. It’s a wine that is produced exclusively a single vineyard in the Kontarades area of Megalochori on Santorini, which is home to some of the world’s oldest ungrafted vineyards. Nikos Vargarios, who, along with Konstantina Argyrou, made this outstanding example, says, 'The vineyard is planted on the island’s distinctive volcanic soils, composed primarily of pumice stone and basaltic rocks. The single-vineyard origin allows the authentic expression of this site and its unique characteristics.' The result, he says, 'a clear reflection of Santorini’s exceptional volcanic terroir'. Terra cotta Maturing wine in clay vessels is as old as winemaking itself, but its reemergence in contemporary viticulture continues to make headlines, with qvevri, tinajas and amphorae being put to use in cellars around the world, from the Caucasus to California. Just one amphora-matured wine was among the 50 Best in Show wines this year – this Greek example from Santorini. 'Clay amphorae are far more than archaeological artefacts,' says Vargarios. 'They represent one of the oldest winemaking vessels in history. We chose amphora ageing because it allows us to express both the vineyard and the grape variety without the flavour influence of oak, while still benefiting from some of the advantages associated with barrel maturation.' The porous nature of these vessels, says Vargarios, 'enables gentle micro-oxygenation, contributing to complexity and texture while preserving the purity of fruit, the pronounced minerality and the freshness that define Santorini Assyrtiko.' Chenin Blanc: the chameleon grape Chenin Blanc is known for its ability to express a range of traits depending on where and how it’s grown, and this chameleon character was borne out by the two contrasting styles: the ‘classic’ from the Loire, Château D’Epiré, Clos De Rochepin, Savennières-Roche aux Moines 2022, and its South African counterpart, Stellenbosch Reserve, Hangbrug Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2025. Stellenbosch Reserve was started by Jean Engelbrecht (owner of Rust en Vrede Wine Estate) in 2005, explains commercial director Warren Granat-Mulder. 'It was initially a small batch of a single wine made for friends and the odd restaurant. Over the years, the brand has evolved into what you see today – a winery next door to Rust en Vrede, with its own cellar, vineyards, winemaker and tasting room/restaurant.' Of this wine, he says: 'We are looking to make a wine that is true to the varietal and the profile one would expect from a Stellenbosch Chenin. It should have texture and elegance, hence the short stint in the barrel, however there is a focus of keeping the wine fruit forward, yet fresh and zesty.' Granat-Mulder believes that, in South Africa, Chenin is 'definitely more respected today than it was even ten years ago', and that 'the trend of Chenin’s premiumisation and consumer appeal will continue in the coming years'. Rosé: the future is bright for Provence As was the case in 2025, there was just a single rosé Best in Show this year – Château De L'Aumérade, Marie-Christine, Côtes de Provence Cru Classé, Provence, France 2025. And, as last year, it came from Provence. 'We’re always looking out for new rosé stars, including from sources other than Provence,' the judging panel said before concluding, 'Year after year, though, it’s Provence that most impresses'. Marie-Christine is the signature cuvée of this 300-hectare estate north of Pierrefeu-du-Var, and part of the family-owned Fabre Domains. A rosé specialist, about 90% of the production is dedicated to this style. Part of what sets this wine apart is its terroir: the grapes come from plots designated cru classé by the INAO in 1955 – a relative rarity (just 18 estates in Provence hold this title). Classics never become classics without good reason, and the team at Aumérade have a few ideas about Provencal rosé’s continued popularity. 'The reason Provence rosés are so popular may well be down to the region’s heritage, which has historically been dedicated to rosé wines. For a long time, Provence was the only region in France to produce dry rosés. The local climate was ideal for the consumption of wines that are light on the palate. The people of Provence were therefore naturally inclined to drink this type of wine.' It isn’t just people in Provence who are inclined to drink well-made dry rosé, of course, as this award proves, and Provence’s future continues to look rosé. Find all winners at awards.decanter.com DWWA 2026: Best in Show whites & rosé winners Australia Brokenwood, ILR Reserve Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales 2019 Best in Show, 97 points Our eighth Best In Show Hunter Valley Semillon is every bit as classical as its predecessors. Lovers of the style will know that this isn’t a wine to broach early; indeed in most vintages the more time you can give the wine, the more you’ll be rewarded. The DWWA judges once daringly rewarded a two-year-old with Best In Show, but mostly this accolade has been reserved for wines between six and 13 years old; this year’s nine-year post-harvest storage means that it’s just beginning to sing. Look out for a bright silver-green colour, followed by oily scents of tropical and citrus (lemon and lime) fruits and vegetal notes, too – broad beans, parsley and courgette. On the palate, you’ll find a darting and quicksilver wine with the same aromatic repertoire and a light-textured, acid-freshened palate. Its delicacy and flavour purity keep it moving swiftly and cleanly through the mouth. If you’d like a little more improbable toasty richness to be magicked up out of nowhere … just wait. Alcohol 11.5% Pewsey Vale, Estate Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia 2025 Best in Show, 97 points This wine marks another debut appearance in our Best In Show selection – for Eden Valley Riesling, though we’ve featured Eden Valley Shiraz/Syrah here in the past. It’s a young wine and light on its feet (just 11.5%). Riesling here manages, remarkably enough, to deliver full-season fruit complexities at this strength since phenolic ripeness continues, in the High Eden’s skeletal soils, even after sugar ripeness has slowed, including in very warm vintages like that of 2025. It’s an enticingly aromatic wine with a tumble of blossom blowing about an aromatic core of zesty lemon, lime, fresh dessert apple and early season nectarine. On the palate, the wine is bright and tangy with racy apple and rhubarb acidity; it has ample mid-palate wealth and poised texture, then the blossoms come blowing back to lift its brisk, mouth-freshening finish. Its Eden Valley pedigree suggests that this beautifully vinified wine will age well, too. Alc 11.5% Austria Birgit Eichinger, Ried Lamm 1ötw Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Niederösterreich 2024 Best in Show, 97 points This is the first-ever Best In Show appearance by a wine from Austria’s Kamptal, and the judges who had a chance to assess this wine were impressed by its texture, layering, complexity and what one judge called its “strength of fruit”. Gruner Veltliner is never a forceful or focused aromatic variety, but the soft melding of apple, yellow plum, wild meadow flowers and gentle crème anglaise notes (all hints, nothing spelt out) makes for a winning aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is richly textured and powerful, tumbling and unfolding over the tongue; it retains an orchard fruit profile while at the same time hinting at something a little more exotic and high-summery. The acidity is soft, tender and drips with fruit intensity. Magnificently limpid winemaking with raw materials which must surely come from a fine site or combination of sites. Alc 13% Domäne Roland Chan, Wösendorf Alte Reben Smaragd Weissburgunder, Wachau, Niederösterreich 2023 Best in Show, 97 points This is the second appearance of a Wachau wine in our Best In Show selection, and the first for an Austrian Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) wine from any region. It’s bright gold in colour, with rich, warm aromas in which the fruit notes (apple, pear, melon and peach) are sketched out with the discretion and restraint typical for this variety. On the palate, though, the wine is more Wachau than Weissburgunder, and crafted in ripe, Smaragd style. This word literally means ‘emerald’ and refers to the green lizards which frequent the Wachau terrace walls in high summer; it’s used of wines made from the ripest musts, generally given some bottle age. You’ll find all of that in the plush palate profile with its soft, ample textures and long, clean, well-rounded and comforting finish. For all that, it’s a Smaragd of some delicacy, and very amenable to a wide range of food partnerships. Alc 14% France Albert Bichot, Hospices De Beaune Cuvée Docteur Peste, Corton Grand Cru, Burgundy 2024 Best in Show, 97 points The daunting difficulties of the 2024 vintage in Bourgogne have been described in the notes for our Chablis Grand Cru Best In Show wine, and growers in the Côte de Beaune had no easier time of it than did their Chablis confrères. Here, though, is another example of just how successful careful white-wine makers were in picking their way through all the hazards and bringing healthy, balanced fruit back to the wineries. Corton (the first wine we’ve had in Best In Show with this particular iteration of the name, though Charlemagne variants came through in 2018 and 2024) is always one of the most restrained of all Bourgogne’s white Grands Crus, and in some vintages can remain tight-lipped and mute for years. Not here: this wine is already murmuring its stony-savoury charms on the nose, while the palate is mouthfilling and structured, delicately spicy from its barrel-fermentation, vivid with refined grapefruit citrus yet ultimately light on its feet. As with the Chablis Grand Cru, no need to wait … though cellar years will bring further softening. Alc 12.9% Château De L'Aumérade, Marie-Christine, Côtes de Provence Cru Classé, Provence 2025 Best in Show, 97 points The battle for rosé supremacy is always closely fought in both DWWA judging week and gold week; we’re always looking out for new rosé stars, including from sources other than Provence. Year after year, though, it’s Provence that most impresses, whether from the low-lying sandy coastal vineyards or the acid-soiled uplands; indeed it often seems as if the natural vocation of varieties like Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah (the trio in play here) in Provence is truly for pink wine rather than red, for reasons that remain mysterious. This wine, from one of the estates classified as crus classés back in 1955, is exemplary: a pretty petal-pink colour, with a honeyed, peach-and-yellow-plum aroma, vivid freshness combined with creamy textures and admirable herbal restraint on the finish. Drinkability, delicacy and restraint are paramount for rosé, and much more important than concentration, impact or acid balance; this wine conveys its subtle fruits in exactly that way, yet there is still an extra dimension here of focus and delivery that marked the wine out from its peers. Alc 13% Château D'Epiré, Clos De Rochepin, Savennières-Roche aux Moines, Loire 2022 Best in Show, 97 points This is the second appearance of a Savennières in our Best In Show selection – and it’s a wine that, for one of our tasters, “could be nothing else”. This magnificent site on the north side of the river Loire, with its warmly exposed banks of schist and rhyolite soils, gives dry Loire whites of unique distinction, both aromatically and on the palate. The aromas evoke lanolin, apple, honeysuckle and meadow herbs, and the palate has (as the same taster put it) “weight without weight”: splendid complexities of interwoven fruit, fruit acidity, lees tenderness and subtle, carefully judged oak. It’s dry and long, yet a mist of honey seems to hover tantalisingly over the whole; once you’ve swallowed, the flavours metamorphose on your tongue into something more evocative of soil and stone than of fruit. It’s powerful yet gracious. You might think, in sipping, that its overall tenderness means that it’s best young – but it will last well, too. Alc 13.5% Château Vitallis, Pouilly, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Cru, Burgundy 2024 Best in Show, 97 points Like Chablis and the Côte d’Or, the Mâconnais had a tough (and sodden) time of it over the course of the 2024 vintage, but it did have an ace up its sleeve: August here was warmer and sunnier than elsewhere in Burgundy (328 hours of sunshine was significantly above its long-term average), and that put the wines of this sub-region on a firmer foundation than elsewhere. In any case, Pouilly-Fuissé usually delivers some of Bourgogne’s ripest white wines every year. This Premier Cru version (only the second Best In Show appearance for a Pouilly-Fuissé) has assurance and wealth to it, indeed even a little appealing baby fat. There are delicious hazels and peach fruits apparent on the aroma, and the flavours are rich, sapid, vinous and structured, with appetising melon and peach generosity. The vintage adds an undertow of vivacious acidity relatively rare in recent years in Pouilly-Fuissé, too, lending the wine additional poise and drinkability. Alc 13% Domaine Pinson Frères, Les Clos, Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy 2024 Best in Show, 97 points It’s a measure of the confusion and chaos brought by climate change that near-catastrophic vintages in weather terms can, in a region like Chablis, deliver wines which often seem more classical today than do those from ‘great’ (i.e. warmer and more generous) vintages. Here’s an example. Nothing was easy in Chablis in 2024, beginning with a colossally wet spring (the town of Chablis flooded twice), continuing with a cool May, June and July, and ending with a largely chilly September. Poor flowering and mildew ravaged yields, as did May hail. And yet, and yet … this Grand Cru Chablis (the fourth we have featured in our Best In Show selection) has an articulacy rare in young Grand Cru wines: look out for apple, blossom, white tea and herbal aromas. There’s more apple and citrus on the palate, and a sense of finesse and layered complexity; its freshness is very classical, yet it doesn’t come at the expense of Grand Cru breadth. Above all, it’s a Grand Cru you won’t have to wait for, though it will see out a decade easily enough. Alc 13% Jean-Paul Balland, Grande Cuvée, Sancerre, Loire 2023 Best in Show, 97 points Perhaps surprisingly, this is only the second appearance of a Sancerre wine in our Best In Show selection, and the first since 2017. Welcome back, Sancerre! The vineyards of the Centre Loire had a much more successful 2023 vintage than did their Anjou and Touraine counterparts; indeed August was so dry here that the early September rains were welcomed as a pre-harvest refresher. Our judges loved the smoky-flinty-herbal classicism of this wine’s aromatics: one sniff and you’re there among the Sauvignon vines on the airily exposed limestone vineyards that surround this unforgettable hill town. The wine is both tense and taut, yet at the same time ample and resonant. As with other Best In Show wines from classic white-wine zones this year, the oak has been skilfully employed, bringing complexity and a sense of light and shade to the haunting Loire Sauvignon fruit, qualifying its print of soft spring leaf. Alc 13.5% Greece Santo Wines, Kontarades, Santorini, Aegean Islands 2024 Best in Show, 97 points Our judges love the white, Assyrtico-based wines of Santorini: this year’s brace brings the Cycladic island’s Best In Show total up to eight, while the Santorini mantelpiece boasted no fewer than 11 Regional Trophies under our old 2004-2015 system. This year’s wine comes from the hot, windy, drought-striken 2024 vintage, a year when the island’s total harvest was as low as 750 tonnes. The resilience of Santorini vines (and growers) under these circumstances is remarkable. This is a warmer-than-usual example, and you might find candied lemon skin and Mirabelle plum notes alongside the usual aromatic hints of earth and stone. It is -- of course! -- salty and full on the palate, amply structured, broad and rewarding, with more glycerol and slightly lower acidity than in other vintages. As always, though, the balance comes from deep-rooted vines searching the volcanic ash and tephra soils and seeming to convey their print in flavour, giving this singular wine unique authority and conviction. One sip shows you that this is a world original. Alc 14% New Zealand Rapaura Springs, ROHE Sauvignon Blanc, Blind River, Marlborough 2025 Best in Show, 97 points This is the sixth Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to feature in our Best In Show selection – and of those six, half have carried an Awatere Valley origin, suggesting that this may prove to be one of the finest of Marlborough’s sub-regions. This is a hugely impressive wine. Silver in colour, it has arresting vitality and energy on the nose, but unusual complexity, too: melon, mango, pear, Japanese citrus, resin, thyme and rue were among the notes our judges detected, woven together with great skill and discernment, and with no note dominating or lacking refinement. On the palate it’s excitingly flavoury in all of the ways the aromas sketched out – yet it’s also soft, complex, textured and hauntingly savoury as well as floral and fruity. 2026 was an outstanding DWWA year for New Zealand Sauvignon, and this layered, high-finesse yet at the same time amply drinkable wine had to see off many competitors to win its place in the Top 50. Alc 13% South Africa Stellenbosch Reserve, Hangbrug Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2025 Best in Show, 97 points A number of our judges commented on the impressive differentiation of Chenin Blanc wines according to their regional origin in the 2026 DWWA South Africa cohort: the best of all reasons for making the choice of a particular Best In Show wine difficult. This was the bottle that eventually emerged triumphant, admired on multiple fronts. One was the delivery of varietal character with spotless precision, together with splendid brightness and freshness. Its Stellenbosch classicism brought an assured poise as well as charm … with just enough inner austerity to keep the drinker coming back to the glass. The oaking, finally, was much admired here for not obscuring that primary charm - but filling out the mid-palate, adding texture, and providing a faint flavoury undertow of extra richness. There even seemed to be a little salty intrigue to the palate for some judges, enhancing the sense of authenticity and site. Assured work and an encouraging introduction to the exciting South African white-wine scene. Alc 13.5% Spain Pazo Señorans, Selección De Añada Albariño, Rías Baixas 2015 Best in Show, 97 points This is the fifth appearance of a Rias Baixas Albariño in our Best in Show selection, and triumphantly endorses local traditions for long lees ageing followed by bottle age: the wine is now in its eleventh year since the fine 2015 harvest. Our previous winners had been aged for 9, 5, 2 and just 1 year; indeed the popularity of this ‘heroic viticulture’ category means that there is now intense commercial pressure to hurry the wines to market, so classical long-aged alternatives can be hard to find. Pour it into the glass, though, and you’ll be amazed: the colour is still pale gold, while the aromas are fresh though complex: expect notes of nectarine, apricot, honeysuckle and citrus zest. The only clue to the wine’s age is its mushroomy aromatic back-tones. On the palate, age has brought softness and amplitude but the cut-stone acidity has kept its buoyant freshness; the delicacy and charm remain uncompromised while the stony finesse almost seems to emerge more memorably with time. A masterclass in regional tradition. Alc 13% Sparkling Glory: DWWA 2026's Best in Show winners Success for English wine at DWWA 2026