Rosé Champagne
2015: Gold 2 Silver 8 Bronze 2 Commended 3
2014: Gold 0 Silver 4 Bronze 8 Commended 1
There have been some horror shows in this section down the years, with the gap between the price on the label and the quality in the bottle sometimes so big you could lose a grower’s 4x4 in there. This year, though, was not one of them. Two Gold-listed wines was a decent performance and, perhaps more to the point, the pricing was fair, with the odd solo voice raised in hesitant concern, rather than a full-blown chorus of dissent. This year, the teams saw food matching as an optional extra, rather than a way of making over-structured, fruit-free wines drinkable, and there was genuine excitement about some of the higher medal winners.
Star Performer
Congratulations (again) to Charles Heidsieck, which made it a three-card trick: Golds for vintage, non-vintage and rosé. A powerhouse performance.
From the Tasting Teams
‘Some of the more expensive rosés did not excite me as much as I thought, but the lower to medium price brackets in some instances over-delivered. By the glass as aperitif they are very nice, they had good acidity and long finishes. For aperitif I absolutely found what I wanted.’ Gareth Ferreira, Launceston Place
‘At the higher end there were some more oxidative styles which were really complex. Diego Muntoni, Oxo Tower Restaurant
‘Some of the more expensive rosés did not excite me as much as I thought, but the lower to medium price brackets in some instances over-delivered. By the glass as aperitif they are very nice, they had good acidity and long finishes. For aperitif I absolutely found what I wanted.’ Gareth Ferreira, Launceston Place
‘The flight was very interesting with beautiful things. It’s a delicate point, but I found it hard to find value there.’ Joao Ribeiro, Buddha Bar London
‘Overall we were quite impressed. The great wines were exciting, really elegant, they really grabbed your attention.’ Jade Koch, team leader