The results of the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) have been revealed and Australia has ranked No.1 for medal yield – taking home four Best in Show, 11 Platinum, and 65 Gold medals.

This new, key metric recognises the number of medals earned relative to a country’s vineyard area.

Combining scale with precision, Australia earned 643 medals — the fourth-highest total overall — and achieved the world’s highest medal yield at 4.04 medals per 1000 hectares.

“This reflects a system where regional specialisation and strong export standards continue to drive excellence,” said Head of Marketing for the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards Lilla O’Connor.

“Australia’s global reputation was further reinforced with four wines featured in the prestigious Top 50, representing four distinct regions: Wirra Wirra The 12th Man Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2024; Xanadu Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River 2022; Barossa Old Vine Company Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2022; and Trentham Estate Reserve Shiraz, Heathcote 2023.”

South Australia was the best-performing state, with an impressive haul of 309 medals in total. These included two coveted Best in Show awards for wines from the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley.

Margaret River in Western Australia was the standout subregion, reinforcing its global reputation for premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Victoria continues to rise through the ranks with 16 top-tier medals, including one Best in Show, while the Hunter Valley’s McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon 2018 appeared in the Top 30 Value Golds list.

Although smaller in volume, Tasmania showed a solid performance in cool-climate varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, posting one Platinum medal.

DDWWA Australian co-chair Huon Hooke said: “Australia continues its well-established history of punching above its weight, placing fourth in total medal count behind the big three—France, Italy, and Spain.

“While there was a slight dip in the number of ‘Best in Show’ awards, a strong overall medal count has placed Australia first in the new metric of medals per hectare of vineyard area. The mix of regions and producers was also heartening, with some of our most renowned wineries performing as expected, but also some lesser-known names emerging to receive well-
deserved recognition.”

DWWA is the world’s largest and most influential wine competition, where wines from over 50 countries are judged through a rigorous, multi-stage blind tasting process.

Each wine is tasted by a panel of judges, including at least one Regional Chair or expert. Wines awarded Gold or higher are re-tasted by senior judging panels to confirm medal status. The awards range from Bronze and Silver to Gold, Platinum, and the coveted Best in Show.

Decanter is the world’s leading wine media brand with a total monthly reach in excess of two million via its print, digital and social channels.