Champagne is often considered the uncontested front-runner in the sparkling wine category, but at this year’s steeply competitive International Wine Challenge (IWC), a bottle of bubbly from outside the lauded French region was crowned the best sparkling wine in the world.

Nynetimbersa renowned English sparkling wine producer, took home the prize of Champion Sparkling Wine for its 2016 Blanc de Blancs Magnum, marking the first time in the global competition’s history that a non-Champagne selection received the top distinction.

Head winemaker Cherie Spriggs calls the award a striking achievement for Nyetimber, the first British producer to exclusively focus on traditional-method sparkling wine by growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noirand Meunier on its 11 vineyards in West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent.

“Blanc de Blancs is a very special wine in the Nyetimber portfolio, as it was the first wine ever produced,” Spriggs details. “Becoming the best sparkling wine in the world feels like a very significant first for English sparkling wine. It shows how Chardonnay can be made at the highest level in the world here in England.”

The bottle received 97 points from the IWC judges after an anonymous tasting of more than 1,000 wines. Judges described the traditional-method sparkling wine as “a time capsule of a wine with mouthwatering acidity, citrus zest, and chamomile, with a chalky finish.”

Spriggs was honored for the second time as Sparkling Wine Maker of the Year and was the first woman to receive the award in 2018. The winemaker explains that Blanc de Blancs was a tricky style of sparkling wine to perfect because it’s made exclusively with white grapes, requiring a careful approach to achieve balance and harmony with solely Chardonnay fruit.

“When I was a winemaking student, I was drawn to the challenge of creating balanced sparkling wines, as there is nowhere to hide mistakes,” she recalls. “So being recognized for this feat at a world-renowned competition so many years later is a joy.”

Once an overlooked secondary market, English sparkling wine is gaining traction around the world. In addition to achieving recognition from awards bodies like IWC, the region is becoming more popular with sommeliers, who are taking note of its offerings and adding them to wine lists.

“Over the past 10 to 15 years I’ve heard repeatedly that (English sparkling wine’s) quality has improved dramatically,” says Junho (Ryan) Lee, sommelier at Yeah ok in New York City. “Many English sites share climatic and viticultural similarities with Champagneand producers are planting the same varieties. Combined with significant advances in both vineyard management and traditional-method winemaking, the overall standard has stepped up considerably.”

Dan Davis, the wine director at New Orleans staple restaurant Commander’s Palacecalls today a “magical time for English bubbles.” As an industry ambassador for Gusbourne, another English sparkling wine producer, Davis says he’s energized by the newfound interest in the region’s products.

“I have offered English sparkling wine as my most premium pour by the glass at Commander’s Palace for more than one season. And yet, it still excites me every time I open a bottle or am offered a glass,” the wine director notes. “It still feels quite new and a little bit naughty, even as it gains well-deserved popularity and press.”