Nyetimber awarded champion sparkling wine at the International Wine Challange, in a first for English sparkling wine

- Nyetimber was awarded Champion Sparkling Wine Trophy, becoming the first ever non-Champagne to do so -

- Nyetimber’s Head Winemaker, Cherie Spriggs won Sparkling Winemaker of the Year for the second time, and remains the only woman to have ever held the title -

Last night, pioneering English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber was awarded two of the top trophies at the International Wine Challenge (IWC): Champion Sparkling Wine and Sparkling Winemaker of the Year.

The highly coveted Champion Sparkling Wine trophy went to Nyetimber’s Blanc de Blancs 2016 Magnum, marking the first time in the trophy’s 34-year history that it has gone to a non-Champagne. Following a blind tasting of over 1000 wines earlier this year, Nyetimber Blanc de Blanc 2016 Magnum was awarded 97 points by the IWC, with the judges describing it as, ‘a time capsule of a wine with mouth-watering acidity, flavours of citrus zest and camomile with a chalky finish.’

Furthermore, Nyetimber’s Head Winemaker Cherie Spriggs won Sparkling Winemaker of the Year for the second time, having first been awarded the trophy in 2018. At that time, she was the first person outside of Champagne to win the award, and she remains the only woman to ever have done so.

A true pioneer, Nyetimber was the first producer of English sparkling wine to exclusively grow the three celebrated grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. With 11 vineyards spanning 425 hectares in West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent, all Nyetimber wines are made from one hundred percent estate-grown grapes – allowing for complete control over every step of the winemaking process from vine to bottle.

Nyetimber CEO and Owner, Eric Heerema said, “These two trophies are huge accolades for us, and we are honoured to have received them from such a renowned awards body. At Nyetimber we strive for perfection in everything we do, and the trophies provide real recognition of our winemaking teams and all the hard work and dedication that they put into creating world-class sparkling wines.

“We are truly delighted to be the first ever non-Champagne to have been awarded the Champion Sparkling Wine trophy, and to have done so for our Blanc de Blancs – a wine that is very special to us, having been the first ever created at Nyetimber – feels very special. For Cherie to have won Sparkling Winemaker of the Year for the second time is incredibly impressive and demonstrates her outstanding talent and the huge effort she puts into crafting the sparkling wines that we are so proud of.

“We hope that these wins help to further bolster awareness and the appreciation of top-quality English sparkling wines both at home and around the world.”

The International Wine Challenge has been running for over 40 years, and is the world's most influential, impartial and rigorously judged global wine competition. In this year’s competition, Nyetimber also won Gold medals for its 1086 by Nyetimber and 1086 by Nyetimber Rosé 2013 vintages; both of which scored 96 points out of 100. This follows an award win earlier this year at London Wine Fair’s Battle of the Bubbles competition, when 1086 by Nyetimber 2010 was awarded top scoring Global sparkling and the top scoring wine overall; pipping prestige cuvées from Champagne – including Dom Perignon 2013 and Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition – to reach the top spot.

About Nyetimber

For 37 years, Nyetimber has had one single aim: crafting exceptional English sparkling wine that rivals the very best in the world. A true pioneer, Nyetimber was the first producer of English sparkling wine to exclusively grow the three celebrated grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Regarded by many as England's finest sparkling wine, Nyetimber is made from one hundred percent estate-grown grapes. Owner and CEO Eric Heerema acquired Nyetimber in 2006 and is the visionary and driving force behind Nyetimber today. Eric works with Head Winemaker Cherie Spriggs and Senior Winemaker Brad Greatrix to produce wine of extraordinary elegance and quality, with every bottle being made from 100% estate-owned fruit. Cherie Spriggs has been named 'Sparkling Winemaker of the Year' at the International Wine Challenge twice – once in 2018 and once in 2025. She was the first person to win this award outside of Champagne, and is still the only woman to have done so. Nyetimber has 11 vineyards spanning 425 hectares in West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent and is served in some of the most renowned venues in the UK, including The Savoy, Scott’s Mayfair, The Ivy, The Social Company (Jason Atherton restaurants), as well as around the world, including Ritz Carlton Berlin, Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam, Maaemo in Oslo, Franzen in Stockholm, The Edition Tokyo, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Dubai and many more.