Latest news with #wineawards
CNN
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
This country has the best wines in the world for 2025
How's your tuxedo looking? Our travel news roundup this week is an award show spectacular. Read on to find out the winners of the world's most liveable city, the best airline for 2025, the world's best restaurant and the country with the finest wines. Knives out, everybody, it's foodie award season and only the very best will get their just deserts. First, an aperitif before dinner. The winners of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2025 were revealed Wednesday and one country triumphed as the grape GOAT. France took home 3,200 medals in total (1,000 more than its closest competitor) and 14 Best in Shows, which is surely worth celebrating with a glass of Champagne. (The famous sparkling wine won 27 honors alone.) Italy won 2,204 awards and six Best in Shows, improving its position with 31 more top-tier honors than in 2024. Spain fortuitously won 2,025 medals in 2025, including five Best in Shows. International wine-lovers should consider a trip to the Rioja region: Not only did it win three platinum medals and 21 gold, it's the least visited area of Spain. It's a great way to avoid the high-season crowds in Andalusia and Catalonia. The rest of the top 10 medal-winning countries were (in descending order): Australia, Portugal, South Africa, Argentina, Croatia, Canada and Chile. Canadian wine, you say? Yes, their ice wine can go for up to $250,000 a bottle. Prev Next The pisco sours will be flowing in Lima this weekend as the Peruvian capital celebrates two of its restaurants being named among the world's top 10 on Thursday. Maido, owned and run by chef Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura, was crowned the best on the planet on the 2025 list of the 'World's 50 Best Restaurants.' It serves Japanese-Peruvian fusion food known as Nikkei cuisine. US restaurants were honored Monday night at the 2025 James Beard Awards, with a Boulder eatery being named Outstanding Restaurant and a Minneapolis spot making waves as Best New Restaurant. To round things off, June 21 is World Martini Day (let's hope you've recovered by now from National Martini Day on June 19). Espresso martinis — vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar — aren't technically true martinis, but they are, however, a lip-smacking delight. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have this guide to everything you need to make espresso martinis at home, according to top bartenders. The upcoming nuptials of billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez are proving to be the final straw for many Venetians who are tired of their city being a tourist playground. Protesters against the wedding this month have threatened that they'll 'block the canals,' but others in the city welcome the 'cash influx' that the event will bring. Rising waters and overtourism are killing Venice, critics say, a city where the 30 million tourists annually dwarf the local population of fewer than 50,000. 'There's not going to be another Venice,' said one local businessman. 'Once you have helped change this place forever, it's not coming back.' There were anti-tourism protests across southern Europe last weekend, with Barcelona being the epicenter of the unrest, where water pistols are the weapon of choice for spraying unwelcome visitors. Cities are being 'turned into theme parks,' complained a Spanish government minister last month, addressing the housing deficit exacerbated by the rise of Airbnb and vacation rentals. Time to book that Rioja trip instead. Northern border-hugging US states such as Vermont and New York have long enjoyed an annual surge of Canadian tourists, but travel has dipped amid international tensions. Now US businesses are trying to woo their northern neighbors with 'Canadians only' deals, with perks ranging from cheaper stays to free activities. 'We wanted to make a meaningful gesture that says, 'We see you, we value you and we want you here,'' said one Vermonter. With many Canadians boycotting the States, some American travelers are worried about the reception they might face in the land of the maple leaf. Canadian tourism boards have launched campaigns to reassure Americans of a warm welcome, but how do everyday Canadians feel? CNN Travel investigated. North America is by no means the only place where escalating disputes are harming international travel. The air map of the world is currently filling up with no-fly zones and airlines are scrambling to reroute amid increasing global conflict. Nonstop flights between Hong Kong and London are now two hours longer, for example, and short-haul flights between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf are particularly affected. Three-year-old Australian girl Kinga might not speak Japanese, but she's loving her time in southern Japan's Wakayama Prefecture. Her family joined a preschool exchange that's giving them a kid-first window into Japanese culture. A viral video has prompted a mass cleanup of caves near China's famed 'Avatar' mountains. The astounding footage shows a decade of garbage buildup. An 80-year-old man drove down Rome's Spanish Steps and got stuck. He told police he'd taken a wrong turn. And there are more international awards that people have been going crazy for. The world's best airline for 2025 was named by Skytrax. Lastly, a European capital stole Vienna's crown as the world's most liveable city for 2025.
Forbes
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Latest Wine Trends From The 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards
Five friends cheering with glasses of red wine. getty Decanter has just announced the results of its 22nd annual World Wine Awards. The DWWA is the largest and one of the most respected wine competitions globally. Below is a summary of the results from the world's leading wine regions and highlights of the industry's most significant trends. Renowned for its rigorous blind-tasting process, the DWWA sets a high bar for quality and consistency in the wine world. This year's event drew an impressive 16,000+ entries from 57 countries, all carefully evaluated by 248 leading experts, including a record 22 Master Sommeliers and 72 Masters of Wine — the highest number of top-level judges in the competition's history. At the DWWA, medals signal excellence across different tiers: the top fifty wines worldwide earn the elite 'Best in Show', followed by Platinum and Gold medals, all awarded to wines scoring 95 points or higher. To put this in perspective, the 50 Best in Show winners represent just 0.30% of all wines judged this year. In addition, the competition awarded 137 Platinum and 732 Gold medals, highlighting truly exceptional wines from across the globe. Only about 5% of the wines entered reached this highest tier of excellence. Another noteworthy list is the Value Gold Top 30, which showcases high-quality wines priced under $20, reinforcing the idea that great wine can still be affordable. France once again led the medal count, securing 187 top-tier awards: 14 Best in Show, 33 Platinum, and 140 Gold. The Champagne region was the standout, producing 27 top-tier winners, including three Best in Show medals for vintage Champagnes. Italy also performed strongly, earning 138 top-tier medals, including two Value Golds for high-quality yet wallet-friendly Prosecco and Langhe wines. Spain continued its strong showing, with Sherry producers standing out: González Byass won two Best in Show awards, contributing to Spain's total of 105 top-tier medals: five Best in Show, 16 Platinum, and 84 Gold. Notably, Ribeira Sacra celebrated its first-ever Best in Show. In the UK, English sparkling wine producers continued to impress, winning a Best in Show for a magnum — a first for the DWWA — along with two Platinum and six Gold medals. Greece also enjoyed a historic year, with 20 top-tier medals and its first-ever Best in Show wins for wines from Peloponnese, Goumenissa, and Epanomi. Other European highlights included Portugal, which received five Best in Show awards, and Slovenia, which claimed its first Best in Show for an orange wine. Australia maintained its reputation for consistent quality, securing 80 top-tier medals, including four Best in Show. New Zealand added one Best in Show and 24 Gold medals to its tally. For the United States, results were equally outstanding. California led the charge, with two Best in Show awards — one of which went to Clos du Val for the second consecutive year. Judges praised the winery for its refined style and approachability. Oregon and Washington State also earned top-tier recognition, while Virginia and Pennsylvania continued to build momentum, each repeating their gold medal successes from the previous year. Assortment or various type of cheese, wine glasses and bottles on the table in a restaurant. getty In South America, Argentina achieved a record result, with a 50% increase in top-tier medals compared to last year, totaling 46 high-scoring wines, including two Best in Show awards. Eight of Argentina's awards were Value Golds, reinforcing its reputation for delivering excellent quality at competitive prices. Chile earned two Best in Show medals, including a first for the Secano Interior region, while Uruguay collected 14 medals overall, including three Golds. South Africa broke its record by achieving 45 Gold medals, the country's highest total to date. Worcester earned its first Gold for a sweet 100% Muscat Blanc, underscoring the diversity of the region's offerings. China reached a milestone with 13 top-tier awards, including its first-ever Best in Show medals — a significant achievement for the emerging wine market. Additional notable performances came from Japan, which secured eight top-tier medals; Austria, with 21 top-tier awards; and Croatia, which recorded its highest medal count to date, with 386 medals overall. Canada brought home two prestigious Platinum medals for its renowned sweet ice wines. The awards also marked some 'firsts' this year: Denmark received its first medal, a Bronze. Uzbekistan made its debut with Silver and Bronze medals, Mexico repeated its Gold medal performance from last year, and Armenia returned to the spotlight with three Golds. The DWWA continues to reflect broader trends in the wine industry. Orange wines gained further recognition, with 87 medals awarded, including Slovenia's first-ever Best in Show for this style of wine. Fortified wines also excelled, with four Best in Show medals split evenly between Sherry and Port. Platinum medals in this category increased from 17 to 20, with standout entries from Australia, France's Languedoc-Roussillon, Portugal, and Spain. Additionally, heritage and lesser-known grape varieties received increased attention. Argentina earned its first Gold medal for a 100% Criolla wine, while Italy secured its first Gold for an Erbaluce di Caluso bottling. The Decanter World Wine Awards continue to showcase the diversity, quality, and innovation taking place in wineries worldwide. For American wine enthusiasts, the strong showing by domestic producers — particularly those from California, Oregon, and Washington — reinforces the West Coast's reputation as a leader in premium winemaking. Visit the Decanter website for a complete list of this year's medalists, tasting notes, and more details on each award-winning wine. Whether you're seeking iconic labels or exploring new regions and varietals, the DWWA is an excellent guide to some of the world's best wines.
