Results from Decanter World Wine Awards 2025 (DWWA) have revealed a record-breaking year for China, with the country receiving its first-ever Best in Show wins for two red wines.
Celebrating its 22nd year, DWWA is firmly established as the world’s largest and most influential wine competition, renowned for its rigorous judging process. At this year’s awards wines from 57 countries were evaluated by 248 top international wine experts, from 35 countries – including 22 Master Sommeliers and 72 Masters of Wine – the highest in the competition's history.
One out of the five judging rooms, with judges tasting in their regional panels. Credit: Nic Crilly-Hargrave
Medals awarded at DWWA range from the top-tier 50 Best in Show, then Platinum and Gold (all scoring 95+ points) followed by Silver and Bronze. This year the 50 Best in Show medals represented just 0.30% of wines tasted.
Two red wines from Ningxia and Shandong respectively have been awarded the top accolade, Best in Show, at the 2025 DWWA – marking a historic milestone for Chinese wine at the world’s biggest wine competition.
Dongfang Yuxing Winery’s Geruihong Yeguangbei 2022, from the Hongsipu sub-region of Helan Mountain East in Ningxia, and Changyu’s Noble Dragon N188 2022, from Yantai in Shandong, have been named among the top 50 wines at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards.
Dongfangyuxing, Geruihong Yeguangbei 2022
Changyu’s Noble Dragon N188 2022
This is the first time Chinese wines achieved the Best in Show since its introduction in 2016, replacing the former top award, ‘International Trophy’. These two wines are also the only entries from Asia to reach the top 50 this year.
The name of Dongfang Yuxing Winery’s ‘Geruihong’ range is derived from ‘a red blossom on the Gobi’. Led by winemaker WU Xiuyong, the winery is situated in Hongsipu, a remote, relatively cooler subregion at the southern tip of Helan Mountain East, about a two-hour drive from Yinchuan. Judges particularly praised the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 9% Dornfelder and 6% Cabernet Gernischt (Carmenère) for its ‘seductive plunge of fruit and spice’ on the palate and ‘carefully extracted tannins’.
Based in the Shandong Peninsula, Changyu is China’s largest and oldest modern wine company. After achieving the top score (96 points) for Chinese wines at the 2024 DWWA with Chateau Changyu Tinlot 2016 from its premium range, the century-old producer this year claimed the top award with a wine from its heritage ‘Noble Dragon’ line. The N188 (a nod to its retail price of ￥188 or £20) is a blend of Cabernet Gernischt (75%) and Cabernet Sauvignon, reinforcing its reputation for quality at the mid-tier level and as a reliable choice for dining occasions.
DWWA 2025 Co-Chairs at the Decanter Tasting Suite. From left to right: Ronan Sayburn MS, Beth Willard, Andrew Jefford, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Michael Hill Smith AM MW. Photo credit: Ellen Richardson
Although one Best in Show hails from sun-baked, inland Ningxia and the other from maritime Shandong, ‘the lesson [for us] is the same: China is capable of making not just fruity red wines, but structured red wines in which rich tannins provide the bone structure that gives beguiling fruit flesh an inner seriousness of purpose,’ commented DWWA Co-Chair Andrew Jefford.
The Platinum and Golds
Li's Estate’s, Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, also from Helan Mountain East of Ningxia has achieved a Platinum medal (97 points) at this year's competition – a distinction reserved for the very best wines of their region.
Li-s Estate’s, Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
10 Gold medal winners (scoring 95 points or above) add to China’s impressive medal tally. Among them, the Geruihong Maselan 2024, from Best in Show winner Dongfang Yuxing Winery, also making it to the Top Value Gold List, awarded only to the best 30 Gold-awarded wines retailing under £15 a bottle.
Adding to Ningxia’s top award rush this year are four more Golds across a diverse range of styles. Domaine Pushang’s Marselan 2022, Mountain Wave Winery’s Mountain Wave Malbec 2021 and Pernod Ricard Ningxia’s Helan Mountain Xiao Feng Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 further reinforce Helan Mountain East’s growing reputation for producing outstanding red wines. Devo Winery’s Mv03 Brut Nature NV, meanwhile, earned the only Gold medal for Chinese sparkling wines this year.
DWWA 2025 judging week. Credit: Ellen Richardson
Three Gold medals were awarded to ice wines from Huanren in Liaoning Province, Northeast China – a stellar region for the category gaining recognition internationally. Two were again taken home by Sanhe for its Cailonglin Jinding Icewine Vidal 2018 and 2020 vintages, continuing the producer’s track record of Golds in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 DWWA. The third Gold for Chinese sweet wine goes to Hanxiang Liquor’s Nabaifu Reserva Icewine Vidal 2018.
Mystic Island Winery’s Yihu Qiushan Reserve Chardonnay 2022 and Longting Vineyard’s Reserve Sea Breeze Chardonnay 2020, both from Penglai in Shandong, are proof of the growing acclaim for whites from this maritime region on China’s eastern coast.
The Platinum and Best in Show judging took place at the Decanter Tasting Suite in London. Credit: Ellen Richardson
The top-scoring regions
A total of 181 wines from China received medals at this year’s awards, a slight increase from DWWA 2024 despite a drop of entry numbers. In addition to the two Best in Shows, one Platinum and 10 Golds, 62 wines were awarded Silver and 106 Bronze.
Ningxia is without a doubt the top-performing wine region at this year’s DWWA, achieving 81 medals, including one Best in Show, one Platinum, five Golds, 31 Silvers and 43 Bronzes.
Further inland, Xinjiang received 46 awards, including four 94-point ‘high-scoring Silvers’ from Silk Road Vineyards, Éclat Winery, Puchang Vineyard and Chateau Changyu Baron Balboa.
Shandong with 11 wins in total, claimed one Best in Show and two Gold medals. Hebei achieved three Silvers among its 11 medals.
From the highlands of Yunnan, southwest of China, Shangri-La Winery and Tinnyu Winery both scored 94 points. Chateau Summer Land of Gansu, and Tonghua Winery from Jilin, are also among those achieving ‘high Silvers’.
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