Argentina and Chile Crack the World’s Top 50 Wines

Wine · Latin America

Two South American labels reached the Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 top 50, an honour that can sell out a winery overnight and shine a light on a region still fighting for global shelf space.

South American reds earned two of the Decanter World Wine Awards Best in Show spots for 2026. (Photo internet reproduction)

A wine competition in London does not usually move markets in Mendoza or the Maipo Valley. This month, one did.

The Decanter World Wine Awards named its Best in Show selection for 2026, the very top of one of the industry’s most influential contests. Two of the fifty wines come from South America, one Argentine and one Chilean.

For a region that often sells on price rather than prestige, that is a meaningful flag planted on the global stage. It is also, quietly, a business story.

What the Decanter World Wine Awards selection means

The numbers explain the prestige. According to the awards’ published results, the Best in Show list was drawn from nearly 17,000 entries, with only 50 wines making the cut.

That is a tiny fraction, roughly three in every thousand wines tasted. The wines are judged blind by hundreds of experts, including dozens of Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers, over several rounds.

Blind judging is the key to its credibility. Tasters do not know the label or the price, so a wine rises or falls on what is in the glass alone.

The list spans sixteen countries and leans heavily European, with most of the fifty from the old wine world. Against that backdrop, two South American entries stand out.

The Argentine winner is a Malbec, the grape that has become the country’s calling card. Money Times identified it as the Rutini Single Vineyard Malbec 2023, while the Chilean entry is a Carménère, the variety Chile has made its own.

Both picks are telling. They reward exactly the signature grapes that built each country’s reputation abroad, rather than an experimental outlier.

Why a medal moves money

The commercial effect is the part worth watching. Decanter itself notes that some producers report never having sold as much as on the day the list is published.

The Rio Times reads the award as a marketing asset more than a trophy. A Best in Show sticker travels onto shelves and wine lists worldwide, turning a single tasting result into months of sales.

That matters because South American wine has had a hard few years. Exports have been squeezed by a shrinking global market, currency swings and weather, even as Argentina and Chile sit among the world’s top ten producers.

A top-fifty nod helps push the story up-market. The region’s long-running challenge is to be seen as a source of fine wine, not just cheap and cheerful bottles, and prizes like this are how that perception shifts.

There is an accessibility twist, too. Brazilian coverage of the list highlighted that one of the celebrated South American bottles can be found for a relatively modest sum, a rarity among wines crowned the best on Earth.

For the curious drinker abroad, that is the appeal. A wine judged among the world’s finest, at a price that does not require a collector’s budget, is a rare and tempting combination.

A turn from volume to value

The forward implication is about momentum. If South American producers can convert recognition into steady premium sales, the region edges from a volume play toward a value one, the shift its winemakers have chased for years.

The grapes carrying that hope are well chosen. Malbec is now shorthand for Argentina the way Champagne is for its corner of France, and Carménère has given Chile a signature few rivals can copy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Decanter World Wine Awards?

They are one of the world’s largest and most influential wine competitions, judged blind in London by hundreds of experts. The Best in Show tier is the very top, with only 50 wines chosen from nearly 17,000 entries in 2026.

Which South American wines made the 2026 list?

Two of the fifty Best in Show wines come from South America, an Argentine Malbec and a Chilean Carménère. Money Times identified the Argentine entry as the Rutini Single Vineyard Malbec 2023.

Why does the award matter commercially?

A Best in Show listing acts as a global shop window, and Decanter notes some producers report record sales when the list is published. For South American wine, it helps shift perception toward the premium end of the market.