Andy Howard MW, Christine Allen and Eugenio Egorov tasted 131 wines, with 3 Outstanding and 71 Highly Recommended.
Sparkling wines of the Americas: Panel tasting scores
131 wines tasted
Exceptional 0
Outstanding 3
Highly recommended 71
Recommended 55
Commended 2
Fair 0
Poor 0
Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release sparkling wines from any recognised appellation in the Americas, north or south – vintage or non-vintage, of any colour white, rosé or red, and produced according to the traditional or ancestral methods (ie, respectively, secondary fermentation in bottle or a single fermentation in bottle.
The judging panel were impressed by the outright quality on show in this tasting, from areas as diverse as the Niagara Peninsula and Nova Scotia in Canada down to the southerly extremes of Patagonia. At the end, Eugenio Egorov enthused about ‘the rise of American sparkling wine – a New World of bubbles’.
He observed: ‘A quiet revolution is underway across the Americas, and the results are nothing short of impressive.’ Andy Howard MW agreed: ‘The quality came as a surprise, with fantastic balance and precision in the top-scoring wines.’
Scroll down to see the top results from the sparkling wines of the Americas panel tasting
Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair. A former retail wine buyer for more than 30 years, he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing.
Christine Allen is marketing director for distributor Maisons Marques et Domaines, particularly focusing on Old World regions, Champagne and sparkling wine. She has years of experience across sales, marketing and buying in the fine wine market, and is a DWWA judge.
Eugenio Egorov is head sommelier at AA five-star The Stafford in London. Born in Ukraine, he began his hospitality career in restaurants in Italy and Florida, USA, before moving to London in 2014, where he rose as a sommelier at the likes of 45 Park Lane and The Dorchester.
