Why Bronze Still Sparkles: The Value of an IWSC Medal

In the wine world, bronze medals are often dismissed as consolation prizes - something to tuck away rather than trumpet. Many producers choose not to mention a Bronze win at all, viewing them as polite pats on the back rather than meaningful achievements. But at the IWSC, we, and our expert judges, take bronze medals very seriously. And here’s why you should, too.

Why an IWSC Bronze Means More

The IWSC doesn’t hand out medals lightly. Our rigorous judging process sets us apart from other competitions. We pay our judges above industry standard and strictly limit the number of samples they taste per session, averaging just 65 assessments daily, ensuring "the first drink gets the same attention as the last." This meticulous approach guarantees fair evaluation and detailed, actionable insights for every wine, regardless of medal level.

What Bronze Sparkling Wines Deliver

For sparkling wines specifically, bronze medals represent far more than baseline quality. Sarah Abbott MW, who judged this year's sparkling wine flights, explains that bronze medals are awarded to approximately one-third of entries. “That should give you an idea of just how hard-won these medals are. It's by no means automatic.” Judges assess for all the key quality markers - balance, typicity, texture, purity - and in sparkling wine, they look closely at mousse and strike on the palate. For Abbott, while Bronze-winning sparkling may not be the most concentrated or long-lived, they are “simply delicious wines that you’d be proud to serve and share with your friends.” In 2025, standout sparkling Bronzes included heritage styles like Lambrusco and Asolo Prosecco. Abbott described them as “really lovely sparkling wines with good fruit intensity and a fine texture.”

The 2025 results also reflected the stylistic diversity of the category.

While the majority of Bronze medals went to white sparkling wines, a significant number of rosé entries also performed strongly. Traditional-method styles led the way, but Tank-method and aromatic sparkling wines were also well represented - a testament to the breadth of approaches now delivering consistent quality.

The Bigger Picture: Bronze as a Benchmark

That global scope is worth highlighting. In 2025, Bronze medals were awarded to sparkling wines from classic regions such as Champagne, Franciacorta, and the Prosecco Hills - but also from emerging areas including Sussex (England), Serra Gaúcha (Brazil) and Ontario (Canada). Notably, Champagne producers such as Gremillet, Philippe Fourrier and Veuve Clicquot were among the top-performing Bronze medal winners, alongside England’s Gusbourne. Indigenous grapes like Glera, Lambrusco, and Spain’s traditional varieties (Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Trepat) featured prominently, alongside global staples like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

As Dawn Davies MW put it, Bronze is also about progress. “It means we as judges see potential. You're doing the right things. Take it and run with it – next year you’ll be a Silver, and the year after a Gold.” Ultimately, an IWSC Bronze medal is not the end of a journey. It’s a sign that you’re on exactly the right path.

A list of Bronze Medal winners receiving 89 and 88 points follows. Explore our full results on our website.