Portugal has taken the top spot in one of the wine world’s most closely watched rankings, with a Portuguese estate named the world’s best wine producer in 2025. The result places the winery ahead of major names from South Africa, Spain, Greece and Austria.
What the IWSC?
For anyone following wine news, the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) is one of the benchmarks that professionals pay attention to each year. Founded in the late 1960s, it has grown into a major global competition that brings together wines and spirits from established regions and emerging producers.
Why is IWSC considered a leading global wine authority?
The IWSC is widely respected because it uses blind tasting and a clear scoring framework. Wines are awarded medals from Gold Outstanding and Gold through to Silver and Bronze.
Over time, its medals have become a recognised shorthand for quality in the trade. For consumers, seeing an IWSC medal on a label signals that the wine has been through a demanding, expert-led judging process. Importers, retailers and restaurant buyers regularly consult the results when choosing what to stock.
How the IWSC Top 50 wine producers are ranked
The IWSC Top 50 ranking looks beyond single, standout bottles and instead analyses three years of competition results for each producer. This longer view is designed to reward wineries that maintain high standards across multiple vintages and across their full range of wines.
The underlying scores come from a tightly controlled blind‑tasting system, in which wines are pre‑poured in numbered glasses, kept anonymous, and assessed by panels of critics and commercial buyers. Judges are limited to 65 samples per day to avoid palate fatigue and allow time for discussion.
D’Oliveiras tops the IWSC world ranking of wine producers
Based on the island of Madeira, the family-run house Pereira D’Oliveira is renowned for its long‑aged fortified wines and deep library of old vintages. These have been built up over generations and bolstered by the acquisition of several historic cellars dating back to 1820. Madeiras, often bottled only after decades in cask, are prized for complexity, freshness and longevity, and the estate now stands as one of the most respected names on the archipelago.
Top 5 ranking for 2025
The top of the table underlines how international the competition has become. Behind D’Oliveiras, the rest of the top five is made up of producers from four different countries:
- 2nd – Graham Beck (South Africa): celebrated internationally for its traditional‑method sparkling wines, particularly those made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
- 3rd – Bodegas Fundador (Spain): a historic name associated with Sherry and brandy, with a growing profile in quality fortified wines and spirits.
- 4th – Estate Argyros (Greece): a leading producer on the island of Santorini, known for its Assyrtiko-based whites and age‑worthy styles.
- 5th – Weingut Leth (Austria): a family winery recognised for crisp, precise whites such as Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the Danube region.
Portugal’s wine tourism and global reputation
Portugal is at the head of a field where traditional heavyweights like France and Italy are no longer the only reference points in global rankings. D’Oliveiras’ success in the IWSC Top 50 is not just a victory for a single producer. It also adds weight to Portugal’s broader reputation as a serious wine country, punching above its size on the world stage.
Over the past two decades, the country has built a strong record in red and white wines as well, often at competitive prices. From the UNESCO-protected terraces of the Douro and the rolling plains of Alentejo to the cooler, greener landscapes of Vinho Verde and Dão.
This diversity is also one of the reasons why wine tourism and the popularity of wine festivals in Portugal have grown so strongly. Visitors can combine time in cities such as Lisbon and Porto with day trips or longer stays in nearby wine regions.
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