The 2026 Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards In Macau Brought Chinese Wines To The World
Find out which wine was crowned the ‘Best Wine of China’.
China’s modern wine industry is still relatively young compared to its European counterpart, but it has become increasingly important over the past few decades. Interestingly, China’s winemaking traditions date back millennia, but its first modern winery was only founded in 1892 by Chinese entrepreneur Cheong Fatt Tze, none other than the eponymous founder of The Blue Mansion in Penang. In recent years, Chinese wines have begun to develop recognisable terroir-driven styles and have shifted towards higher-quality production and export growth. This has led China to emerge as a premium, distinctive wine producer and a serious player in the international wine landscape.
Wynn Palace in Macau recently placed these wines front and centre on the international stage as host of the 2026 Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards ceremony. Wynn Palace is the second luxury integrated resort from international resort developer Wynn Resorts in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, following the launch of Wynn Macau. The world’s largest international-standard Chinese wine competition brought together more than 200 wine experts, representatives from Chinese wineries, industry professionals, international media, and oenophiles for a night of toasting and feasting.
Eddie McDougall, creator and chairman of Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards, said, “China is certainly a new frontier in terms of the modern world of the winemaking community. The industry itself isn’t just making a drink—it actually stimulates the economy in different ways, including creating domestic tourism and different industries, including farming. Chinese people love to be proud of their own products, and Chinese wine gives people something to be proud of.
“The idea is simple: every Chinese restaurant in the world should serve Chinese wines, but they don’t. We want to build the understanding that the wines of China are of high quality, and there are a number of different regions that have their own style, variety, and personality,” McDougall added. “We hope that this will permeate the multitude of Chinese restaurants all over the world. The whole idea is to build trust in Chinese wines. Everyone is confident to order a Tsingtao beer, but they haven’t been confident to order Chinese wine—until now.”
Choosing The Best Of Chinese Wine
The glitzy annual event, now in its third year, awarded 36 trophies to China’s finest wineries. More than 800 wines from approximately 180 Chinese wineries were submitted for the awards. The international judging panel—comprising 23 of the world’s leading wine authorities, including 11 Masters of Wine and 2 Master Sommeliers—conducted blind tastings using an internationally recognised 100-point system. Medals were awarded using a tiered scoring system: Bronze (85–89), Silver (90–94), and Gold (95–100).
Gold medal winners then competed for 36 trophies, including honours across three divisions: the Wynn Signature, Varietals Champion, and Regional Champion categories, as well as the Wynn Sommelier’s Choice and Best Young Winemaker awards.
“One of the aspects I’ve really focused on is making sure that our judges aren’t just handing out medals, but also giving good justifications as to why they’ve been awarded,” McDougall explained. “Even if a wine didn’t receive a medal, they’re given quality feedback from some of the best tasters in the world. It’s not just about the fancy awards, but really about creating a synergy between the wine producers and the wine-drinking community.”
The most coveted award and the highest honour of the night, the ‘Best Wine of China’, went to the Amethyard Petit Manseng Sweet White Wine 2024. The white wine hailing from Hebei also earned the ‘Best of North China’ and ‘Best Sweet Wine’ awards. Meanwhile, the He Lan Hong Dry Red Wine 2019 was also a big winner, sweeping up four trophies, including the ‘Best of Ningxia’, ‘Best Red Blends’, ‘Best Value Wine’, and ‘Best Cabernet Sauvignon Blends’.
A Decadent Dining Affair
It was not only a celebration of wine, but also a tribute to Wynn’s 20th anniversary and culinary artistry, as a 20-Hands dinner featured culinary creations by Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace’s best chefs and restaurants. Wynn Palace boasts more Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurants than any other individual resort in the world, and this offered guests a rare opportunity to sample a wide range of its celebrated cuisine in one destination.
This included the signature dish of sand ginger-marinated Zhongshan pigeon paired with the Canaan Winery Chapter and Verse Reserve Chardonnay 2020 by two-Michelin-starred Chef Tam’s Seasons, also ranked at No.7 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026. Other creations included wok-fried lobster with seasonal vegetables in X.O. sauce by Chef Chan Tak Kwong of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Wing Lei.
Bringing Chinese Wines To The World
Beyond The Awards
Beyond the ceremony, aficionados can visit award-winning wineries through the Wynn Signature Wine Tours, as part of Wynn’s initiatives to boost market expansion on a global scale. McDougall shared that these regions within China are also resonating strongly with Asia-Pacific audiences, which connoisseurs should keep an eye out for. “Ningxia is one of the most talked about in international circuits. One of the real spiritual homes of winemaking in modern times is Shandong, who produce some great white wines,” he said. “If you head all the way west to Xinjiang, it is a big region which is producing more and more wines in various styles.”
This year, Wynn’s signature dining establishments and bars will be expanding their list of award-winning wines, with recommendations available from its sommeliers. To further boost brand visibility, the wines will be presented at Wynn’s dining events, including wine tastings, themed wine dinners, and food and wine pairings. Their promotional events will also venture to new destinations in China and around the world, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Linda Chen, president, vice chairman and executive director of Wynn Macau, Limited, said, “The Awards help bring Chinese gastronomy and beverages to a global stage and inject new momentum into Macau’s moderate economic diversification and sustainable development. Moving forward, Wynn will continue to leverage Macau as a window to deepen international exchanges and bridge China to the world.”
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