Merchants of the Year 2024
We are very grateful to all of the UK wine merchants – large and small – that entered their wines into the Sommelier Wine Awards in 2024. This year’s entries covered a wide range of styles, regions and price points, with some merchants focusing more on one particular area and others covering all bases. As ever, there were a few that stood out from the crowd and these special awards honour those wine merchants that went home with a significant medal haul this year.
LARGE MERCHANT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: HALLGARTEN & NOVUM WINES
Shortlist: Bibendum, Hallgarten & Novum Wines, Liberty Wines
Hallgarten has always been a significant presence at the Sommelier Wine Awards and this year was no exception. You’ll find it listed on every page of our awards, as well as being responsible for several wines with extra awards and trophies too. Indeed, five of our Critics’ Choice wines came from Hallgarten, as did our Red Fine Wine of the Year – and Overall Wine of the Year – the ‘simply delicious’ Barbera from Michele Chiarlo. At the value end, its white Santorini from Gaia received the Gastropub Wine of the Year trophy. In fact, Hallgarten’s Greek producers (Alpha Estate, in particular) really shone, taking 22 medals across Gold, Silver and Bronze. It was French wines that were responsible for 50% of Hallgarten’s 18 Golds, however, including two Laurent-Perrier Champagnes, as well as standout examples from Burgundy, the Loire and elsewhere. Hallgarten’s total medal count was an impressive 182, with white, red, rosé, orange and sparkling wines all represented, at an average price of £22.64, making it a go-to supplier for all types of wine list.
SMALL MERCHANT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: POL ROGER
Shortlist: Gonzalez Byass, Jascots, Pol Roger
Here, it was all about quality rather than quantity, and Pol Roger’s small but perfectly formed entry saw significant wins across several categories. There were no value house wines here, however – and with an average price of £35.52, it’s no surprise that some of its biggest wins came from top-end Italian wines, including Barolo, Barbera and Valpolicella. Three out of Pol Roger’s five Gold medal-winning wines were Italian, and although Old World wines were responsible for 61% of its medals overall, the other two Golds came from the New World, one of which (Robert Sinskey Vineyards’ Abraxas from California) took a Critics’ Choice award too. Elsewhere, it was a strong performance for Australian producers, with four medals for Margaret River’s Voyager Estate and three for Victoria’s Mulline. From Spain, Artadi from Rioja was awarded three medals – for a well-received sparkling wine and two reds.
FINE WINE MERCHANT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: LIBERTY WINES
Shortlist: Alliance Wine, Hallgarten & Novum Wines, Liberty Wines
Liberty Wines was shortlisted for a number of Merchant awards this year, but ultimately secured the Fine Wine Merchant of the Year award for the breadth of its medal-winning wines priced at £20 and above. Two-thirds of its wines in this bracket came from the Old World, with a high percentage from Italy and France – particularly from the Loire and Burgundy, the latter responsible for one of the highest accolades, the White Fine Wine of the Year trophy, for Domaine Vrignaud’s impressive citrus-driven Chablis. Liberty was also responsible for some of the high-end Argentinian winners, including two from Otronia at £46 each, as well as Bordeaux’s priciest Gold winner from Château Petit-Village at £45.20, and the most expensive New World Cabernet Sauvignon Gold (Far Mountain’s Fission at £46.44). When it came to sweet and fortified wines, Liberty’s entry was a highlight too, responsible for 100% of the Gold medals.
VALUE MERCHANT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: LWC DRINKS
Shortlist: Bibendum, Gonzalez Byass, LWC Drinks, Majestic Commercial
Not only was LWC Drinks responsible for the House White of the Year trophy-winning wine – Calmel & Joseph’s Villa Blanche Chardonnay (£9.18) – three-quarters of its Gold medal winners were priced under £10. With an overall average price of just £9.81 across all its medal winners, it was a clear frontrunner when it came to value. Look online at SWA’s House Wine pages and you’ll see LWC Drinks listed again and again, with a strong showing for France (13 medals), as well as Italy, Chile, South Africa and Spain – the latter responsible for a By the Glass award for Viña Cerrada Blanco from Rioja Vega (which took four medals in total, including two Golds). LWC’s lower-priced French selection came into its own here, with both Famille Perrin and Domaine de l’Herré taking home a trio of medals each for their red, white and rosé wines, and the trophy-winning Calmel & Joseph receiving five medals, including two Golds.
NEW WORLD MERCHANT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: BIBENDUM
Shortlist: Bibendum, Liberty Wines, Pol Roger
Like Liberty and Hallgarten, Bibendum was a strong contender for a number of Merchant awards this year. But in a competition that was dominated by Old World regions, its medal haul for New World wines was notable. From Argentinian Malbecs and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs to Canadian icewine and a trio of winning reds from Brazil, the selection ticks off most must-list categories from outside Europe. Together, South Africa and the USA took almost half of Bibendum’s New World medals, helped by some strong brand performances from the likes of Washington State’s Columbia Crest and Château Ste Michelle, and Journey’s End, Shannon and Stellenrust from South Africa – the latter taking the only Gold medal for Chenin Blanc this year. From New Zealand, meanwhile, Nelson based Neudorf received six medals for its mid- to high-priced reds and whites, with its organic Pinot Noir taking Gold.
CLASSIC REGIONS MERCHANT OF THE YEAR
WINNER: ALLIANCE WINE
Shortlist: Alliance Wine, Hallgarten & Novum Wines, Liberty Wines
Although Alliance Wine picked up several Golds – and a Critics’ Choice award – for its New World selection, 82% of its medal winning wines came from classic regions, with 20% of these receiving a Gold medal. The highest number of the merchant’s medals by far went to Italy, representing a spread of regions from north to south, and covering every price point too. Indeed, Alliance was responsible for both the Sicilian white from Fabrizio Vella (£8.82) that received both a Pub & Bar and Critics’ Choice award, and the £65 Brunello di Montalcino from San Polino (which was also awarded a Critics’ Choice award). Elsewhere, there was good representation from all the classics – from vintage Champagne and English sparkling wine to Provence rosé and Rioja reserva. A special mention to its ‘sherryesque’ Altolandon orange wine too, which took home the only Gold in that category.