New World: Zinfandel & Pinotage
2016 Gold: 2 Silver: 0 Bronze: 3 Commended: 6
2015 Gold: 1 Silver: 2 Bronze: 5 Commended: 5
Protein is big at the moment. You can’t walk 50 yards in London without coming across a £20 Burger Joint or Beer Fondled Cow Steakery [Are you sure about this? Ed]. And if two wine styles were nailed-on perfect for dead Ermintrude, it’s Zin and Pinotage, so they ought to be cashing in. But they’re not.
It’s not so much a lack of Golds in the Sommelier Wine Awards that’s the problem – two was at the upper end of what we tend to get in this section – but rather that we’d expect to get a lot more entries to choose from in the first place.
OK, we admit somms generally are not likely to pick a glass of Pinotage over cru Burgundy, but it has its uses, and our judges tend to be pretty open minded in this competition. And Zinfandel’s track record here is not bad at all – even with more expensive wines such as the excellent Seghesio.
Note to merchants: more of these next year, please. There are encouraging signs but we need more to be certain.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘I didn’t write the word “alcohol” in my tasting notes once for the Zins. It’s something I wouldn’t have expected. They were really quite refreshing.’ Sam Caporn MW, team leader
‘I appreciated the cleanness of the Pinotages. They have listened to the palate of buyers.’ Devon Pryor, Blandford Comptoir
‘There was a real mix of styles in the Zins, from light and vibrant to much richer and heavier. I liked that this flight delivered across a variety of expressions – and at the price points that the wines were.’ Mya Brown, The Ledbury
‘The Zins were a very consistent flight in terms of quality, though there were still variations of style within it. And good value at the lower end.’ Enikő Heidenwolf, 67 Pall Mall