The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2025 (CSWWC) is the 12th edition of the event so far awarding a total 175 Gold and 280 Silver medals to the world’s finest sparkling wines, reinforcing its status as the most rigorous and prestigious competition of its kind. This year saw 1000 sparkling wines judged over 11 days from 23 countries world wide at the iconic Goodnestone Park in Kent, England. The medal winners of the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC) were announced September 16th. With the major awards ceremony taking place October 30th.
Taking the top prize was Piper-Heidsieck’s first vintage Magnum release since the 1980s. The newly launched Piper-Heidsieck 2014 Magnum is already displaying exceptional quality, living up to our high expectations — a fact confirmed by its win of the Supreme World Champion Award.
Piper-Heidsieck have won many awards for their vintage champagnes 2008 & 2012 over the years. In the past the 2014 in magnum won a gold medal at the CSWWC 2022 and 2024 awards and recently claimed Supreme World Champion at CSWWC 2025.
94/100 Essi Avellan MW
“This Piper vintage is a blend of 19 villages, with Pinot Noir coming from the Montagne de Reims, and Chardonnay from both the Côte des Blancs and the Montagne de Reims. Charmingly fruity and inviting nose, with soft vanilla-coated notes of red apple, peach, mirabelle plum and lemon curd, all enveloped in a complex toasty whole. Similarly joyful fireworks of fruit continue on the rich, rounded palate, which is beautifully silky and juicy, with a fine acid line leading to a long, sweetly fruity finish. A seductive vintage ready to impress. Dosage 7g/l”
In addition to the Piper-Heidsieck 2014 Magnum, two other notable award winners were the Palmer Blanc de Noirs Magnum and the Rare Millésime 2012, which took home the titles of World Champion Blanc de Noirs and Best Deluxe Champagne, respectively.
This years World Champion Blanc de Noirs Palmer Blanc de Noirs in Magnum, has previously won an array of awards in the CSWWC award ceremony including Best In Class in 2024 and 2022 and World Champion in 2022. A perfect balance between Pinot Noir and Meunier has a well structured fruitiness, delicate aromas of peach and apricot lifted by vibrant notes of grapefruits and gooseberries.
Rare 2012 was awarded Best Deluxe Champagne having also won a Gold Medal at this years awards.
95+/100 Kristaps Karklins
“One of the greatest hits from Rare Champagne, the 2012 Rare Millésime is produced from fruit harvested between September 10 and 26. Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of eight grams per liter, it is a rich and flamboyant wine that harnesses the season’s maturity to its advantage. It unfurls in the glass with a complex bouquet of crisp pear, freshly baked bread and white flowers, mingling with roasted pineapple, caramelized sugar and a deft touch of smoky reduction. On the palate, it is full-bodied, muscular, ample and textural, with a simultaneously generous but elegant expression of fruit underpinned by succulent yet vibrant acidity and concluding with a long, saline finish tinged with toast. Concentrated but harmonious, it is dangerously drinkable now yet promises a long window of pleasure. The blend is the classic 70% Chardonnay (predominantly from Villers-Marmery) and 30% Pinot Noir.”
