Record-breaking Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 assesses over 18,000 wines from 54 countries all over the world.
The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) earlier this week announced the results of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022. The 19th edition of the world’s largest and most influential wine competition saw a total of 18,244 wines tasted from 54 countries all over the globe submitted for assessment. Some of the winning entries hail from incredibly diverse emerging winemaking regions that may just raise an eyebrow or two.
This year, DWWA gathered almost 250 expert judges – including 41 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers – its rigorous judging process. The judging proceedings took place took place over two weeks in London in April, which was followed by a final round of tasting where Gold medal-winning wines were 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 then promoted to Platinum medals.
Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 altogether awarded a total of 165 Platinum and 676 Gold medals. This is just 0.9% and 3.7% respectively of the total wines tasted. Amongst the 165 Platinum medals, just 50 were awarded Best ‘in Show’.
Unsurprisingly, the Old World led award rankings.
France took back 10 Best in Show medals with two Value Best in Show from Bordeaux. Eight went to Italy, making it the second most successful country in this category.
Australia led the New World with six Best in Show medals, more than any of its New World counterparts.
But there were many surprises too.
Ukraine’s Beykush Winery took a surprise Gold medal with its Reserve Chardonnay 2019. The winery sits in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, right on the edge of Russian-occupied territory ion the current Ukraine-Russia conflict. It’s the third time Beykush is participating in DWWA, but this year its wines had to be hand-delivered via a friend in Hungary who carried them to the UK for judging.
China emerged with excellent results, landing a total of 234 medals of which 17 were Gold. India too took nine medals, with all nine – including seven from Sula – hailing from its Nashik, Maharashtra sub-region.
Japan surprised with a Platinum medal from for a Koshu from the country’s southern island Kyushu with the Sanwa Shurui, Ajimu Moroya Koshu 2021. It’s Kyushu’s first-ever win at the DWWA, for a region for more famous for its shochu than production of wine.
Other encouraging results included a first-ever entry from Andorra – the Borda Sabate, Escol Riesling 2016 – that landed a Bronze, as well as a Gold for Armenia with the Noa, Noah of Areni 2019.
Orange wines, an often misunderstood and derided category, made a good showing with six Gold winners from Croatia, Georgia, Italy and France. There was even a Platinum for Dvorska Šoškić, Haiku, Plešivica, Continental, Croatia 2019, an orange made with Riesling and Manzoni Bianco.
“These wines have been through a lot of hands and palates from those who work in the wine business, to get to that medal-winning level – whether that’s a Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum or Best in Show. So, if it gets to the point where it’s a Platinum, it really is the best of the best,” says Ronan Sayburn MS, Co-Chair at DWWA 2022.
[Image credits: Nic Crilly Hargrave]
The full list of winners of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 can be found at awards.decanter.com.
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