There were champion wines from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. France proved to be the ultimate winner with two champion wines.
Tuscany-based vineyard Castello Romitorio received the 2015 Champion Red Wine award for its 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Filo di Seta.
The 2015 IWC Champion White Wine award was given to Bordeaux winery Château Brown for its Château Brown 2013 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend. Château Brown also received a silver medal for its red Château Brown 2012, Merlot/Petit Verdot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.
German winemaker Staatlicher Hofkeller Würzburg picked up the top prize for Sweet wine, with its 2013 Hörsteiner Abtsberg Beerenauslese receiving the Alois Kracher Trophy for Champion Sweet Wine.
Spain-based winery Harveys was awarded the IWC Champion Fortified Wine for its Very Old Palo Cortado 30 Year Old V.O.R.S. This wine comes from the Spanish region of Jerez-Sherry and is made of Palomino and Pedro Ximénez grapes.
Charles Heidsieck was awarded the Daniel Thibault Trophy for Champion Sparkling Wine 2015 for its 1995 Champagne Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires. This is the fourth time in the last seven years that Charles Heidsieck has produced the Champion sparkling wine.
Piper Heidsieck was also awarded the IWC 2015 Champion of Champions Award for its Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Rare 1998 Magnum. This new category is open to wines that have received champion status in a previous IWC competition. If past champions are entered again into the competition and receive a trophy, they qualify to be re-tasted again and the International Wine Challenge panel chairs select their Champion of Champions.
These Champion wines were selected following a rigorous judging process. The wines were awarded IWC trophies during two weeks of tasting in April this year at London’s Kia Oval. The best wines in each style from every country were then awarded national trophies. Finally, these national champions went head-to-head before the co-chairmen of the IWC to decide which were the ultimate winners of each of the five categories.
