New World: Riesling

2016 Gold: 2 Silver: 7 Bronze: 4 Commended: 7
2015 Gold: 2 Silver: 5 Bronze: 6 Commended: 12

In unoaked whites, there’s nowhere to hide when it comes to price, and arguably it’s the factor that struck our tasters most in the various flights on offer here. Two Gold medals each year is absolutely par for the course with New World Riesling – as is the fact that they tend to go to Australia – and our tasters are more or less resigned to having to pay around the £12 mark for Gold-Listed wines.

What is unusual, however, is the lack of a decent swathe of Silver or Bronze medals at more easily sellable prices. As recently as 2014, half our medals were £10 or under. But this year, only two of our 13 medal winners came the right side of that sensitive dividing line.

It matters with Riesling, too. Because however much our tasters like it, the public (rightly or wrongly) often take some convincing, so it’s handy if the price can be attractive to begin with.

Special congratulations, though, to Chateau Ste Michelle for being our cheapest medallist this year, and making it two Silvers in two years, and to Best’s, which made it on to the Gold List for the second year on the trot.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘A lot of the Australians just needed a bit more bottle age. With a couple more years they’d emerge from this “chrysalis stage”… they were not particularly good value for money – but they will be when they’re ready.’ Angela Reddin, team leader

‘Australia needs to keep working on Riesling. I’ll take the minerality, but sometimes the acidity can be too high.’ Carlos Ferreira, The Sign of the Don

‘You don’t find a lot of elegance and subtlety in Australian Riesling – lots of acidity and greenness. It’s hard to shift, too. Compared to other regions, it’s not good value.’ Mahesh Nair, Charlotte Street Hotel

‘There were some exciting wines here – they had minerality and they were well priced compared to Germany.’ Gustavo Medina, Tate Britain
‘Riesling is a sommelier wine because it’s very complex, very exciting, comes in dry to sweet styles and ages beautifully.’ Bart Michalewicz, The Arts Club

‘They were very New World – lime zest, lime cordial and the acidity was very high. The off-dry examples were better because they balanced the acidity. They were all varietally classic.’ Laurent Richet MS, Restaurant Sat Bains

“The problem of Riesling is its bad image. But as sommeliers, we really like it and we liked these.” Bart Michalewicz, The Arts Club