England shines at glitzy IWC 2026 Awards bash

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 10 September, 2026

The very old and the very new were on show this week (8 September) as the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Awards burst into action at a packed Guildhall in London. With an array of leading drinks trade figures gathered for the 2026 Awards dinner in the fifteenth century hall, it was revealed that the modern English wine industry had delivered a resounding showing, boasting the highest number of gold conversions of any country, with 25 golds having been awarded and 21 of those for sparkling wines.

Wiston Estate’s Vintage Cuvée Magnum 2009 took top spot with the English Sparkling trophy, joined by 1276 Wines from Herefordshire, which also gained a trophy for its 2024 Chardonnay. Sam Caporn MW, who along with the likes of Oz Clarke, Helen McGinn and Peter McCombie MW presented the Awards, described the homegrown winemaking scene as: “A category and country that is on the up and deservedly so.”

However, on the night the main focus was the announcement of the IWC Industry Awards, with expectant and hopeful members of the UK trade falling quiet as the reveal on their category arrived. Among the big hitters, Tesco retained Supermarket of the Year, while Majestic bagged Large Multiple Retailer of the Year for the third year running (pictured).

Read more: Hannah Wilkins – ‘Looking Back, Forging Ahead’

Meanwhile, a delighted Tanners Wines secured its first win as Medium Retailer of the Year, and Highbury Vintners retained its Small Retailer of the Year title. Northumberland got a look in too, with a clearly delighted Vanessa Stoltz of Restaurant Pine stepping up to receive Restaurant Wine List of the Year.

Other notable gongs included: both Online Retailer/Wine Club of the Year and Sustainable Specialist of the Year for The Wine Society; Graft Wine’s Agent of the Year (Small); Hallgarten & Novum Wine’s on-trade Wine Supplier of the Year; Liberty’s Trade Educator of the Year and Specialist of the Year – Italy awards; and Hatch Mansfield’s Agent of the Year (Large) recognition. And the Sake Specialist of the Year went to Tazaki Foods of London.

Opening and closing the Awards announcements, IWC director Chris Ashton said: “The International Wine Challenge is about recognising excellence at every level of the wine industry, from the producers creating world-class wines to the retailers, suppliers, educators and hospitality businesses helping bring those wines to consumers.

“I'd like to congratulate all of this year's Industry Award winners, whose expertise, passion and innovation continue to strengthen the UK wine trade and raise standards across the sector.”

For full details of all the IWC 2026 Awards, including the Great Value Champion Wines category, visit the website here.

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