Judges’ Pick-of-the-Bunch: White Wine Bronzes

You’re in a small French restaurant. The kitchen team is gathered after service, whites still dusted with flour and oil, waiting for the Michelin inspector’s verdict. The owner slides a crisp envelope from its red wax seal, hands trembling after months of twelve-hour shifts and countless recipe tweaks. Inside: one star. For a heartbeat, no one moves - then someone whoops, a bottle of Champagne is yanked from the fridge, and the room erupts in relief, pride and hugs. Nobody folds that letter away and returns to plating salads; a Michelin star, be it one or three, is a life-changing endorsement.

That, says John Hoskins MW, is exactly how we should view an IWSC Bronze: “Michelin stars are few, but they hold unparalleled prestige… An IWSC award offers a similar stature - an award that signifies absolute distinction and respect.” In other words, a Bronze is far more than a token.

Favourite Varietals

Unsurprisingly, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominated the bronze medal count, together accounting for nearly 60% of all white wine awards. But within these familiar categories, judges found real nuance and standout wines.

Cool-climate Chardonnays from Chablis, Ontario, British Columbia and Hemel-en-Aarde delivered citrus precision and restrained oak - styles praised for their elegance and tension. Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough, Loire and coastal Chile were commended for their freshness and varietal clarity, avoiding the green overload that can sometimes plague the style.

Other judges’ favourites included Riesling, Albariño and Pinot Grigio, which performed particularly well from Germany, Spain and Northern Italy, respectively. But the real interest lay in lesser-known varieties: Fetească Regală, Viura, Arinto, and skin-contact Pinot Gris emerged as quietly confident contenders, offering depth and character in spades. White blends – often overlooked – were praised for their balance and regional identity.

Regions Turning Heads

While France (Loire, Alsace, Burgundy), Italy (Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige) and New Zealand (Marlborough) dominated the medal table, some of the most memorable wines came from less expected places.

Canada impressed across the board, with British Columbia delivering 41 Bronze medals and Ontario 23 – a signal that judges responded to the cool-climate finesse of Canadian whites. South Africa’s Western Cape stood out for Chenin Blanc and innovative blends, earning 20 medals and praise for combining technical polish with expressive regional identity.

Japan, though not high in medal count, piqued judges' curiosity with its distinctive Koshu and Aligoté wines – a space worth watching.

Quality at Every Shelf

Large-scale producers and supermarket own-labels also made a strong impression. Examples include Waitrose’s own-label Gavi 2023 (89), a crisp Italian white made from Cortese; Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Petit Chablis 2023 (89); and Tesco’s Finest Falanghina 2024 (89), produced by Feudi di San Gregorio in Campania. These examples highlight a growing trend: that everyday wine drinkers can access award-winning quality at their local supermarket.

They’re the wines that make it onto restaurant lists, into retail baskets and – most crucially – into repeat rotation at the table.

Explore the full list of IWSC 2025 89 and 88 point Bronze medal-winning white wines follows. The full list of results can be viewed our our website.