What a popular wine – and with good reason. Picking up the Pizza Food Match Trophy is no mean feat, but that wasn't the only tip. Think game, confit duck or duck and cherry, lamb! As with the other judges, what impressed Frédéric Jean-Yves Billet of Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa was this wine's complexity: 'Deep red colour, blackberry jammy character and concentrated.'
'Violet and heather notes, with a spicy, hot palate and nice lengthy finish,' added Louise Gordon of Lime Wood Hotel.

£9.87 Matthew Clark

What a star! 'It's gutsy and leathery, with bark and beetroot. Both complex and balanced, with red notes of violets and roses,' said enthused team leader Andrea Briccarello. Equally, consultant Michael Harrison was taken by this wine's 'mid-intensity and good varietal nose', saying: 'Lovely, integrated oak and a leafy textural palate.'
'Super-ripe, fine tannins and lovely balance,' added Neil Bruce of Studio Alto. Although still young, 'There's a lovely grassy, pomegranate freshness to the full and rich body, with its good acidity. This is ready to go,' said Vittorio Gentile of Theo Randall at The InterContinental Hotel, suggestiong beef tagliate with rocket and parmigiano. Other tips included lamb, game, steak and cheese.

£24.00 Pol Roger

Wonderful complexity on the nose, with roses, violets and savoury notes intertwined, made The Mentors a stand-out.

'Clear and expressive with notes of spice, the acidity adds definition,' said Laszlo Vagasi of Kensington Wine Rooms, while team leader Angela Reddin found this a 'very classic Cabernet Franc' thanks to being picked ripe: 'Sweet, ripe, soft red fruits with a sprinkle of herbs and tobacco leaf.'
Match with grilled fish with soy sauce.

£11.66 Bottle Green

'Deep, rich, dried fruit nose, with crunchy bramble and spice palate and a leafy lift,' said Studio Alto's Neil Bruce.

'Sour cherry, red capsicum nose, comes together nicely with a clove oak finish,' added team leader Angela Reddin.

£10.10 Boutinot

'Sweet red and black fruit with nice herbal touches,' said team leader Angela Reddin, adding: 'Silky mouth entry with a lively, ripe tannic bite, and a sensational finish.'
Match with steaks, grilled lamb, lemon chicken, venison, or duck.

£8.50 The Flying Corkscrew

'Velvet ripe, and big,' said an enthusiastic Neil Bruce of Studio Alto. Equally impressed, team leader Angela Reddin said: 'Dense, dark colour, lifted nose of rosehips, redcurrants and hints of orange peel. Smooth as silk in the mouth, with perfect poise and length.'
With votes for wild boar and terrines, Louise Gordon of Lime Wood Hotel felt this was 'crying out for venison'.

£40.45 Darioush

'Deep, clean, leafy, plummy/bramble fruits. Dry, tart with ripe tannins,' said Neil Bruce of Studio Alto.

'Lovely raspberry leafy nose, medium length and weight,' added team leader Angela Reddin. Very good value, match with liver and kidney.

£5.96 Kingsland, Ravensbourne Wines

Still regarded as young, this wine has a bright future, but already it's 'very Cabernet on the nose, ripe and well structured, with lots of cranberries and bluberries. A well-balanced, textbook palate,' said impressed team leader, Andrea Briccarello. We'd love a return visit.

£14.25 Berkmann Wine Cellars

'Well extracted with good typicity, leafy and crunchy,' said consultant Michael Harrison.

'Smoke, leather and tar, dense flavours and very earthy. Still young,' agreed team leader Angela Reddin.

'Lovely blackcurrant and bramble jam with hints of spice. Veal shank,' said Louise Gordon of Lime Wood Hotel.

£13.37 Morgenhof Wine Estate

Impressed with the 'lovely winemaking' evident on the palate, team leader Angela Reddin noted: 'Brooding, deep nose, dark forest berries, smoke and earth. Elegant flavours.'
'Rich, big, spicy and intense,' agreed Studio Alto's Neil Bruce.

£11.28 Bibendum

'With confit of redcurrants and a shot of earthy bramble fruit, the oak is showing nicely and it's balanced,' said Louise Gordon of Lime Wood Hotel, adding: 'Venison and cherry would be fab!' 'Soft and fruity, with a structured finesse and good minerality,' said consultant sommelier Deborah-Lynn Morris, adding: 'Great value for money.'

£10.20 Ellis of Richmond

'Good cherry style, solid and tannic but tasty too, with a nice savoury edge,' commented team leader Simon Woods, adding: 'Intense and grippy.'
'Minty, spicy, black pepper and green pepper,' noted Frédéric Jean-Yves Billet of Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa.

£13.03 Enotria&Coe

£13.90 EWGA

£14.60 Bibendum

£8.50 Berkmann Wine Cellars