Judges heaped praise on the spicy, earthy character of this wine, clearly deserving of Gold. Portland Restaurant’s James Fryer found ‘dried cherries and dry earth, with some sweet spice and smoke too. On the palate, the fruit is lifted, with more spice. A match for duck.’ Markus Dilger of MAD F&B Consulting liked its ‘herbal, earthy and smoky notes, with fresh fruit and good acidity’.

£34.03 Boutinot

This was singled out for its typicity and great value, and awarded Gold for it, too. Team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW noted its ‘glinting pale purple colour’, before describing it as: ‘Nicely meaty with a good chewy texture, and unexpectedly flavoursome for the price and colour.’ Portland Restaurant’s James Fryer liked its ‘red cherry, smoke and spice, with a generous red-fruit palate and crunchy acidity’.

£10.18 Castelnau Wine Agencies

Andre Luis Martins of the Cavalry & Guards Club was drawn to this Gold Lister’s ‘smoky, sour cassis and fresh cherry aromas’, enjoying its ‘elegant strawberry flavours with earthier notes, leading to a richly charming finish’. ‘Well structured, lasts and lasts in the mouth – an attractive dinner wine,’ added Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering. ‘Amazing with guinea fowl or other game,’ concluded Gabriele Galuppo of Theo Randall at the InterContinental.

£45.30 Top Selection Ltd

Andre Luis Martins of the Cavalry & Guards Club found ‘fresh red fruit with elegant herbal characters, sour cherry with spice’, while Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering was impressed with its ‘very soft and silky, attractive savoury character, a classy wine developing well in the mouth in a good length’.

£36.04 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

‘Decent fruit character with sour cherries and good use of oak,’ said team leader Martin Lam, with Typing Room’s Fred Marti noting its ‘light, fragrant red berries’, and Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous calling ‘English strawberry fields and wet stones’ to mind.

£19.21 Matthew Clark

‘Gentle on the nose with fresh straw notes and elegant white spices,’ began Andre Luis Martins of the Cavalry & Guards club, also finding ‘fresh and elegant fruit on the palate with gentle tannin’. ‘Bright and attractive, nicely balanced. Roast lamb comes to mind,’ added Michael Moore of The London Cookhouse.

£19.19 Liberty Wines

‘A surprisingly fruit-forward wine with dark, brooding intensity, after purple fruit and sweet sap on the nose, and finishing with some black pepper,’ thought Portland Restaurant’s James Fryer. MAD F&B Consulting’s Markus Dilger enjoyed ‘plum, blackberry and forest floor notes, with some liquorice, too’.

£105.24 Liberty Wines

Fred Marti of Typing Room found ‘great drinkability, with vibrant fruits, nice layers of flavour and good length’, while team leader Martin Lam noted its ‘cherry brightness, a lick of new oak and very chewy character’.

£15.34 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘A young, spicy wine, with dark forest fruits and and some earthy notes, and a herbal element, too, not to mention some good acidity,’ thought Markus Dilger of MAD F&B Consulting, while Portland Restaurant’s James Fryer liked this wine’s ‘earthiness, as well as some black pepper’.

£31.72 Top Selection Ltd

‘Bright on the nose with red fruit and some earthy notes, but this is good value for money,’ said Giancarlo Cuccuru of The Ned Hotel, with Jacopo Armenio of Vinarius also noting ‘red fruit clusters, sour cherry notes and good savoury character with some intensity’.

£12.60 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering found that this ‘grows on you in mid-palate, and it develops in the mouth, making it quite a big wine for a Burgundy’, adding that: ‘With some flavoursome meat dishes it could show very well.’

£32.73 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£40.69 Top Selection Ltd

£17.69 Enotria&Coe