New World: Carmenère
2015: Gold 2 Silver 1 Bronze 7 Commended 9
2014: Gold 2 Silver 3 Bronze 5 Commended 6
Carmenère in the Sommelier Wine Awards is running more or less parallel to Malbec, but just two or three years behind. It has established itself as a solid ‘two wines on the Gold List’ category, and the judges have no problem in seeing a use for it; the fact that there is usually one sub-£10 Gold and one more expensive is testament to that.
But the grape’s challenge would be to raise the standard across the board. Whereas Malbec, for instance, saw a stack of Silvers this year, the bulge in Carmenère’s entry was in Bronzes and Commendeds instead.
From the Tasting Teams
‘Some had a green side, too much so at times. But some were rounder and showed a little more fruit and will be more enjoyable in the future as the tannin softens.’ Athila Roos, The Arts Club
‘The best have real Carmenère typicity, without the influence of too much winemaking, and there is absolutely a place for good Carmenère on the list, maybe 85%+ blends with perhaps a splash of Syrah – it could make fantastic wines that Rhône lovers might buy, as well as helping people to explore and break out of the Chilean Cabernet and Merlot armlock.’ Martin Lam, team leader