The International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world’s most influential and rigorously judged global wine competition, has named Australia’s Ed Carr its 2026 Sparkling Winemaker of the Year.
The House of Arras winemaker was named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year for the second time. The accolade follows another exceptional year for the producer, which secured four Gold medals. House of Arras Grand Vintage 2017 also scored 96 points and was awarded the Australian Sparkling Trophy.
Carr remains the only non‑European sparkling winemaker to ever receive this prestigious global honour — having first won in 2024.
House of Arras described the win as a landmark moment for Australian sparkling wine. It comes two weeks after being named Winery of the Year in the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.
International Wine Challenge Director Chris Ashton said: “The Champion Wines and Winemakers of the Year represent the very highest level of achievement at the International Wine Challenge.
“Each winning wine has succeeded through a series of rigorous blind tastings by an international panel of experts, while the individual awards recognise winemakers whose skill, consistency and dedication have placed them at the forefront of their field. This year’s winners demonstrate the extraordinary quality and diversity found across the global wine industry.”
The full list of Trophy and Champion winners at the 2026 International Wine Challenge announced on 8 September can be viewed here.
The gem that Accolade sold off
House of Arras was acquired from Accolade Wines by DMG Fine Wine in 2023. According to DMG founder William Dong, it was sold for a song.
“When we went through the sale process – the people, product and vision – and our emotion and our passion just got deeper and deeper, we got to the stage that we must try everything to get it,” Dong told The Australian.
At the time, Accolade Wines was owned by one of the world’s largest private equity firms, Carlyle Group, which was eager to divest brands and lower debt.
Dong said Arras had received strong support from restaurants, boutique retailers and parts of the trade since the acquisition. He told The Australian that sommeliers and managers tell him that when Arras is listed against champagne, it often outsells the better-known international names.
“They say it sells much better than the champagne,” he said. “Australian people, they are recognising the quality of the Arras.”