The only wine competition where all the judges are independent retailers
This month’s mailing of The Wine Merchant magazine includes our Top 100 Winners’ Supplement.
It features write-ups of all 100 winning wines, as well as the 167 runners-up that just missed the cut.
The digital version is here. Congratulations again to all this year’s winners.
Congratulations to the winners in this year’s Wine Merchant Top 100. It was a tough judging process, with our panel of 21 independents assessing wines not just on their taste credentials, but the value that they offer.
Some excellent wines missed out simply because judges weren’t comfortable with their pricing. The winners this year, all listed below, all impressed with their RRPs – even though many of the wines certainly aren’t cheap. But they do, in the opinion of the judges, offer good value.
The wines – and out 167 Highly Commended wines – will be discussed in more depth in our forthcoming winners’ supplement. All wines in the Top 100 are also available to taste this week at our London Wine Fair stand, upstairs and adjacent to Esoterica.
Trophies
Best Red
Uvas Felices El Hombre Bala Old Vine Garnacha, Madrid, Spain 2015 (£21.99, Boutinot)
Best White
Druida Reserva, Dão, Portugal 2016 (£24, The Knotted Vine)
Best Sparkling
Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, Champagne, France NV (£36.49, Hallgarten)
Best Fortified
Barros Colheita Port, Douro, Portugal 2005 (£29, Hallgarten)
Best Rosé
Bird in Hand Pinot Noir Rosé, Adelaide Hills, Australia 2017
(£14.99, Seckford Agencies)
Best-Value Red
Cantina di Montalcino Brunito, Tuscany, Italy 2015 (£9.95, Enotria & Coe)
Best-Value White
Cavit Bottega Vinai Nosiola, Trentino, Italy 2017 (£9.99, Boutinot)
Best-Value Sparkling
Durello Palladiano Spumante Brut, Veneto, Italy NV (£9.99, Boutinot)
Best-Value Fortified
Valdespino Single-Vineyard Fino, Jerez, Spain NV (£18.49, Liberty Wines)
Best-Value Rosé
Domaines Paul Mas Claude Val Rosé, IGP Pays d’Oc, France 2017
(£6.99, Domaines Paul Mas)
Another judging day has come and gone. Almost 700 wines have been put through their paces by a team of 21 independent wine merchants and soon our winners will be announced.
This year’s judges came from as far afield as Orkney, Manchester, south Wales and the Isle of Wight. Between them they represent a pretty good cross section of the independent wine trade.
We worked them hard, and there were some tough decisions to be made. And we’re confident that the wines that they enjoyed the most – whether they turn out to be Top 100 winners or the Highly Commended wines that just missed the cut – will make for interesting tasting on our stand at the London Wine Fair.
We’ll unveil the winners on May 21. Watch this space!
