Blackbook Winery tops the competition at Wine GB awards with two trophies for 2023 Pygmalion Chardonnay
“A wine that fires the soul”, and a zeitgeist vibe
Blackbook Winery tops the competition for best English still wine
Press release, July 2026
At Thursday night’s 2026 Wine GB Awards, London Urban Winery, Blackbook, was awarded two industry-topping trophies. One for ‘Best Still Wine: Chardonnay’ and the other, for ‘Best Still Wine’ overall.
Both trophies recognise Blackbook’s gold-medal winning 2023 ‘Pygmalion’- a 100% Chardonnay, made from grapes grown on the South Bank Vineyard in coastal Essex’s Crouch Valley. This is the fourth vintage of this wine to be made (2022, 2020 and 2018) - and is only made in exceptional years.
During the awards, host Peter Richards MW, acknowledged that English and Welsh wine continues to excel thanks to “Quality, confidence and zeitgeist”. These factors echo the same cornerstones of co-founder Sergio Verrillo’s belief in championing English still wine - a confidence in the category he has held from the outset.
From studying journalism and economics at the University of New Hampshire to running a garage for his dad, before becoming a record label ‘gopher’, Verrillo’s move into making wine has been one of dogged determination and creativity. As son of an Italian-born mechanic and paratrooper for Nato, and a Hungarian National Basketball team player, wine arose through family and a similarly passionate climate he found while working in hospitality - something he maintains in his outlook and own work to this day. In 2017 Verrillo co-founded Blackbook with his wife Lynsey.
Sergio says of winning these trophies: “Being a part of the U.K wine industry and to also be recognised for that is fantastic. I think every year we’re seeing the energy and spirit behind English wines grow more and more, witnessing the progression that we’re making as a whole. The vibe of the awards, and what is currently happening here is brilliant, vibrant and super fun.”
On winning Best still wine: Chardonnay, he says: “Cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were always at the heart of the Blackbook mission. Our urban winery wines are made thanks to better site selection, lower yields, and more intentional winemaking, all of which are driving a step change in overall quality. At the same time, stylistically, there is a growing confidence. Rather than referencing other regions, we are now able to define what our own expressions of varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and even Sauvignon Blanc should look like. Winning Best Red wine last year and now best Chardonnay proves what we set out to do.”
On winning ‘Best still wine’ overall he says: “This makes me super proud when I think of how from 2011 or so I travelled around the world working harvests at the best Chardonnay and Pinot noir producers that would let me through their doors [Burgundy, New Zealand, California]. Over the past 15 years, and particularly in the last decade of making wine at Blackbook, there has been a clear shift in how still wine is viewed in the U.K. It is no longer a secondary output, but now a core part of each English producer’s portfolio and identity. With traditional varieties growers are understanding the vital role that still wines are playing in the market, while more obscure PIWI’s are coming to light to show a massive amount of potential in the experimental realm. To me, we are already in the midst of the next stage of the English wine evolution, and it is an honour to be recognised for our belief in, and contribution to, that. I’m really excited about where things are heading! ”
Wine GB stated on their website: “The 2026 WineGB Awards [...] have confirmed a decisive shift in the trajectory of English and Welsh wine. Confidence, diversity and technical mastery were the defining themes of this year’s results, with judges praising an industry that has “outgrown the box” and is now producing wines of world‑class calibre across multiple styles.”
Blackbook were awarded three gold medals in this year’s competition:
2022 I’d rather be a rebel Rosé (London/Essex)
2023 Pygmalion Chardonnay (London/Essex)
2020 Painter of Light Reserve Chardonnay (London/Essex)
In Wine GB’s 2025 Awards, Blackbook won the trophy for ‘Best Red Wine’: Blackbook Winery – Nightjar 2022. In December the same year the 2022 Nightjar was selected as Wine GB's Top 50 wines 2025. Earlier this year, Vinous.com scored Blackbook’s wines amongst the highest in the country, with the Painter of Light Reserve Chardonnay 2020 taking 94 points, the highest rated English still wine in the report.
Wine GB’s official tasting note for 2023 Pygmalion Chardonnay:
“Some depth to the hue. Roasted hazelnut, freshly buttered toast aromas. Rich, generous but profoundly savoury. This is outstanding Chardonnay, bravura stuff. Touch of oxidation but it works in a barrel-aged context. Lovely grounding acidity and minerality, with a delicious saline lick on the finish. This is a wine that fires the soul, gets you really excited. Stunning.”
