London Wine Fair 2026 to Stage Global Chardonnay Showdown at 2026 Icon Tasting
On May 18, the opening day of London Wine Fair 2026 at Olympia London, the exhibition’s third annual Icon Tasting will return with “The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown” as its central theme. Following “Judgement of London” in 2024 and “Battle of the Bubbles” in 2025, which attracted the attention of wine professionals and enthusiasts from around the world, this year’s central theme will be “The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown.” London Wine Fair is a nominee of the Wine Travel Awards in the Event of the Year category.
As in previous years, the wine selection will be curated by Sarah Abbott, wine marketing consultant, co-founder of The Old Vine Conference, IWSC committee judge and Wine Travel Awards judge, and Ronan Sayburn, CEO of The Court of Master Sommeliers.
“The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown” will be conducted as a double-blind tasting, with some of the world’s leading Chardonnay wines assessed according to style, terroir, winemaking approach, oak maturation, cultural significance, and historical legacy. During a three-hour session held in a private tasting room at London Wine Fair 2026, judges will evaluate 30 Chardonnay wines under rigorous professional tasting conditions.
The jury will include around 20 of the United Kingdom’s most respected wine industry professionals — Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, fine wine buyers, and wine journalists specialising in Chardonnay. Confirmed judges already include Emily Brighton, Susie Barrie, Oz Clarke, Dawn Davies, Tina Gellie, Laura Jewell, Victoria Mason, Peter Richards, Jancis Robinson and Patrick Schmitt.
The judging system will be exceptionally rigorous and will determine: The Overall Greatest Chardonnay of the World; Top 10 Greatest Chardonnays of the World; Best Classic Region Chardonnay; Best Emerging Region Chardonnay; and Best Value Chardonnay (based on the highest points per £ RRP).
The results will be announced on the Centre Stage at London Wine Fair on May 20 at 11:45 am.
Commenting on the upcoming tasting, Sarah Abbott stated: “Our first challenge has been narrowing the selection: Chardonnay is the lingua franca of fine white wine, and even our long-list read like a kind of poem. I know that our judges will relish tasting and assessing these iconic wines.”
“Great Chardonnay doesn’t just reflect where it’s from – it reveals how it tastes when the winemakers judgement and precision balances the climate, soils and techniques to make the wines come together in a single glass,” added Ronan Sayburn.
Chair of London Wine Fair 2026 Hannah Tovey emphasised that Icon Tasting has already become one of the most highly anticipated events in the wine industry, drawing attention to the world’s finest wines and reinforcing London’s status as one of the leading global centres of fine wine.
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