The 2026 “50 Great Sparkling Wines of the World” competition once again delivered a spectacular set of results, showcasing genuinely high-quality sparkling wines from around the globe. The integrity of the results is underpinned by the rigorous judging process: the wines were assessed blind, with judges only provided with the wines’ method of production, time on lees, and residual sugar level (dosage). This review highlights the top-scoring wines, participating countries, and performance across various production methods.
Overall Achievements and Top Scores
The high quality of entries was confirmed by three wines achieving the highest score of 99/100. The 2026 competition was dominated by Italian excellence in the most prestigious, long-aged categories, with two of top scorers produced by the Italian winery FRECCIANERA (Fratelli Berlucchi) using the Traditional Method, showcasing the supreme quality attained in the 60-100 months aging category:
- FRECCIANERA CASA DELLE COLONNE ZERO RISERVA 2015 – Lombardy – Franciacorta – Italy (Brut Nature – 60-100 mths)
- FRECCIANERA CASA DELLE COLONNE BRUT RISERVA 2015 Lombardy – Franciacorta – Italy (Brut – 60-100 mths)
- BUSI JACOBSOHN BLANC DE NOIR 2018 – Sussex – UK (Brut – 30 -50 mths)
Rounding out the top placements were other exceptional Traditional Method wines from Italy (La Scolca) and strong competition from a high-scoring Charmat Method wine from Australia (Sidewood Estate), both achieving 98/100.
Participating Countries
The competition saw sparkling wine producers from across the globe, with strong representation from Europe. Entries were received from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, UK and USA.
Performance by Production Method
The scores highlight the distinct quality levels achieved by various production methods:
- Traditional Method: This method, involving secondary fermentation in the bottle, achieved the highest score of 99/100 with the aforementioned wines from FRECCIANERA (Italy). It dominated the top-tier, age-worthy categories, proving its capacity for world-class complexity.
- Charmat Method: Wines produced using the Charmat (or Tank) Method, known for preserving fresh fruit character, achieved a remarkable top score of 98/100 with Sidewood Estate’s Estate Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose from Australia. This score demonstrates that this method can produce truly world-class, high-quality sparkling wines.
- Frizzante: The light, semi-sparkling category peaked at 92/100 with J.García Carrión’s Frizzante Verdejo from Spain.
Explore the 2026 results to uncover new gems and perhaps a few surprises that reflect the diversity and innovation in sparkling wine production today. To note. The wines were judged in flights based on dosage and time on the lees (Traditional Method). The results table presents all Gold and Silver medal winners together and is not arranged by flight. Accordingly, comparisons between wines should not be drawn from the table.