Patrick Schmitt, master of wine and chairman of the Global Masters competition in the UK, asked: “What is the perfect Pinot Noir? It’s a question I found myself asking after our blind tasting of wines made in a wide range of styles and from diverse regions.”
“From underripe and overworked to beautifully balanced, our tasting reveals the quality gap in Pinot Noir, and who is getting it right,” he noted.
All of its competitions are tasted blind, with only a price bracket and the category revealed to the judges. Judging panels include Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and senior buyers. They award medals ranging from Bronze through to Gold and, for a handful of exceptional examples, the title of Master.
Schmitt discusses the ideal expression of the grape that most wine professionals hold in their heads. He covers taste and texture and the differences between young and well-aged wines.
“What disappoints in Pinot at any price? Underripe or overripe flavours – from green and stemmy to baked and jammy, along with excessive barrel-related notes, such as chocolate-covered coconut, and anything bruised from premature oxidation or, conversely, sulphidic from reduction – which Pinot is prone to,” Schmitt writes. “This year’s tasting suggested that balance is being struck more consistently. Cooler climates are delivering ripe yet fresh expressions, with fewer underweight, green wines.”
The majority of Golds were awarded over £30, although there were a couple of standout cheaper Pinot Noirs: one from De Bortoli in the Yarra Valley, and the other from Ventisquero in Chile’s Casablanca Valley.
Cloudy Bay 2021 Te Wahi
“Other standouts were Cloudy Bay’s Central Otago expression, Te Wāhi, and the Grand Master for 2026, Platt Vineyard’s Estate Reserve from Sonoma. When it comes to US Pinot Noir, there is much excited commentary about the quality of wines being made in Oregon. But our experience, based on this competition, is that California – especially cool coastal parts of Sonoma County – is the most reliable source of greatness,” Schmitt wrote (and I agree).
Burgundy, the benchmark region for Pinot Noir, underperformed at sub-£50 price points. The Côte d’Or’s top Pinots did not feature – perhaps because they are too expensive and rarefied to take part in competitions, he wrote.
Here are the Gold, Master, and Grand Master winners, grouped alphabetically by price category, in Pounds Sterling (approximately $1.35 in USD). Find the Silver and Bronze winners on the Wine Business site.
2026 Global Pinot Noir Masters
Gold, Master & Grand Master Winners Only
Sparkling White Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noirs)
| Price Category | Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| £30–£50 | Casa Valduga 130 Blanc De Noirs Limited Edition (NV) | Rio Grande do Sul | Brazil | Gold |
| £30–£50 | Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs (2015) | Champagne | France | Master |
| £70–£100 | Champagne Bollinger PN TX20 (NV) | Champagne | France | Gold |
Sparkling Rosé Pinot Noir
| Price Category | Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| £100+ | Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Millésime en Palmes d’Or Rosé Intense (2008) | Champagne | France | Gold |
Still Red Pinot Noir – Unoaked
| Price Category | Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| £15–£20 | De Bortoli La Bohème Pinot Noir (2025) | Yarra Valley | Australia | Gold |
| £20–£30 | De Bortoli PHI Pinot Noir (2024) | Yarra Valley | Australia | Gold |
These were among the competition’s notable value-priced Gold winners.
Still Red Pinot Noir – Oaked
£20–£30
| Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| Ventisquero Herú Pinot Noir (2024) | Casablanca Valley | Chile | Gold |
£30–£50
| Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| Balfour Luke’s Pinot Noir (2024) | Kent | United Kingdom | Gold |
| De Bortoli Lusatia Pinot Noir (2024) | Yarra Valley | Australia | Gold |
| Canihan Family Winery Pinot Noir (2022) | Sonoma | USA | Gold |
| Bream Creek Reserve Pinot Noir (2024) | Tasmania | Australia | Gold |
| Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir (2023) | San Antonio Valley | Chile | Gold |
| Lowestoft Estate SV Jacoben Pinot Noir (2024) | Tasmania | Australia | Gold |
| Balfour Signature Pinot Noir (2022) | Kent | United Kingdom | Gold |
| Hasher Family Wines Ernest Pinot Noir (2023) | Western Cape | South Africa | Gold |
| Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir (2023) | Marlborough | New Zealand | Gold |
| Marimar Estate La Masia Pinot Noir (2021) | California | USA | Gold |
| Akarua Pinot Noir (2023) | Central Otago | New Zealand | Gold |
| McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Pinot Noir (2025) | Central Otago | New Zealand | Gold |
£50–£70
| Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| Cono Sur Ocio Pinot Noir (2023) | San Antonio | Chile | Master |
| Giant Steps Circle of Fifths Pinot Noir (2024) | Victoria | Australia | Gold |
| Marimar Estate Cristina Pinot Noir (2019) | California | USA | Gold |
| Christoph Edelbauer Ried Käferthal Pinot Noir (2020) | Niederösterreich | Austria | Gold |
£70–£100
| Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| Cloudy Bay Te Wāhi (2021) | Central Otago | New Zealand | Master |
| Martin’s Lane Naramata Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir (2023) | Okanagan Valley | Canada | Gold |
| Platt Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir (2023) | California | USA | Gold |
| Martin’s Lane Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir (2023) | Okanagan Valley | Canada | Gold |
£100+
| Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| Platt Vineyard Estate Reserve Pinot Noir (2023) | California | USA | Grand Master |
Still Red Pinot Noir Blend – Oaked
| Price Category | Wine | Region | Country | Medal |
| £70–£100 | Artiste “Inspired” (2019) | Santa Barbara | USA | Gold |
| £70–£100 | Artiste “Mujer con Uvas” (2022) | Santa Barbara | USA | Gold |
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