An appealing, savoury style, accompanied by plenty of fruit, was enough to elevate this to Gold. ‘Dark fruit with some animal characteristics, prominent tannin yet good freshness on the palate, too, this will improve further with time,’ said Street XO’s Raphael Thierry, while team leader Sam Caporn MW found it ‘well structured and classic, with tight red and black cherry aromas’.

£8.83 Boutinot

A complete wine for team leader Angela Reddin, earning it Gold. ‘Lifted framboise and sweet plum aromas, a whiff of Asian spice, and a generous, fruit-laden palate held together by nice acid and svelte tannin. Lovely,’ she said. Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia described ‘an elegant, light and meaty wine, with cooked fruit and touches of spice’, while team leader Sam Caporn MW enjoyed its ‘classic summer pudding aromatics’.

£12.53 Majestic Commercial

Herbaceous and packed with red fruit, this took Gold for Domaine de la Solitude. ‘Eucalyptus and lifted cherry notes, with an elegant and perfumed palate,’ thought Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia. ‘A really well-made wine, with spice and red-berry fruit,’ praised team leader Sam Caporn MW, adding: ‘Seamless and characterful. This is young, with lots of potential, and a great match for bresaola with porcini mushroom risotto.’

£24.34 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘This Gold absolutely nailed Rhône Syrah, with that lovely meaty, spicy pepperiness and fantastic texture on the palate, good acidity and a nice grippiness to the tannins,’ said an impressed Neil Tabraham of Paris House, adding: ‘Exceptionally good value for money and could sit comfortably on any wine list.’ Team leader Laura Rhys MS praised its ‘rich, bold, crunchy fruit, prune character and nice, vibrant complexity’, with WSET’s Mike Best concluding: ‘Wow, balanced and vibrant, so versatile and food friendly.’ Team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW thought this a perfect match for ‘venison with blackberries or beetroot’.

£15.57 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Very well balanced, red and black fruits with a little spice and pepper,’ began The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira, who found it ‘still a bit green, but will be better with another year in the bottle’, while WSET’s Mike Best enjoyed its ‘great, earthy ripe fruit, mouthwatering acidity and delicious complexity, deserving of beef fillet’.

£15.60 Boutinot

‘Farmyardy and leather aromas with chocolate and vanilla notes, big red and black fruit on the palate, nice balance with good acidity and a long finish,’ said The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira, with WSET’s Mike Best finding it ‘rich and charming, minty and spicy, deserving of a 5-star dish such as rack of lamb’.

£30.31 Hatch Mansfield

‘Plenty of red fruit on an expressive nose, notes of black tea, strawberry and cherry on the palate which is elegant, gracious with fine tannin and a long finish,’ said Sake No Hana’s Tobias Brauweiler MS.

£11.28 Boutinot

Mike Best of the WSET was taken with its ‘bright and vibrant’ character, noting: ‘Sun-smacked red cherry and white pepper, crunchy red fruit and restraint, with great length driven by concentration of fruit and freshness.’ ‘Good balance, and perfect for a barbecue,’ added The Sign of the Don’s Carlos Ferreira.

£11.84 Bibendum

‘Bright, fresh florals and juicy dark berries on the nose,’ began team leader Angela Reddin, concluding: ‘A twist of orange rind and great concentration on the palate of fruit, spice and tannin, all of which are happy.’

£17.50 Matthew Clark

Team leader Sam Caporn MW was very taken with this wine’s ‘succulent blue fruit and liquorice style’, finding it ‘soft, supple and characterful’, while Alessandro de Angelis of Jamavar enjoyed its ‘floral and sour red fruit aromas, subtle and refreshing palate’.

£9.11 Matthew Clark

All our panel members were in agreement with this choice, team leader Angela Reddin noting: ‘Red fruit and lifted white pepper, sandalwood, a sprinkle of dark fruits and more spice on a finish that goes on and on.’ ‘All the components are there, but needs time to knit together,’ added Harry Crowther of M Wine Store.

£25.55 Matthew Clark

Giuseppe Longobardi of The 3A Pub Company enjoyed its ‘violets, black fruit, hint of spice, balance on the palate and long taste, with a nice jammy end’, with Mike Best of the WSET also admiring its ‘gorgeous strawberry fruit, such perfume and elegance, to be matched with the best beef fillet you can find’.

£18.91 Boutinot

‘Fleshy, fruit-driven and very approachable, with berries and spices, as well as a floral note,’ described Bleeding Heart Group’s Christopher Delalonde MS, while Ian Howard of The White Hart Inn at Lydgate enjoyed ‘blackcurrant fruit and high acidity, with well-integrated oak and tannins’.

£16.57 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

‘Showing evident spicy oak and bottle age, this is a well-made, sexy wine – delicious!’ said team leader Sam Caporn MW. ‘Ripe fruit, savoury and herbal if a lot of oak on the palate,’ added Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£18.56 Boutinot

Harry Crowther of M Wine Store found ‘meat and smoke on the nose, graphite and pencil shavings’, while team leader Angela Reddin noted its ‘lifted plum, raspberry and spice aromas, open and inviting palate that’s smooth, round and medium-full, with excellent fruit concentration and ripe tannins’.

£8.97 Boutinot

‘Balsamic notes on the nose with ripe red fruits and forest floor aromas,’ began Alessandro de Angelis of Jamavar, also noting its ‘ripe, juicy and crunchy red fruit palate with a floral hint of violets, with some potential to age further’.

£12.47 Bibendum

Team leader Angela Reddin found ‘concentrated flavours and superb balance, with deep, dark bramble fruit and autumn forest aromas, and wonderful crunchy juiciness on the palate’, while M Wine Store’s Harry Crowther highlighted its: ‘Big mouthfeel! Lots of tannins and extraction.’

£14.35 Matthew Clark

‘A vibrant and fresh style, showing dark fruit aromas and flavours, herbal touches on the mid-palate and spicy oak on a long finish,’ said Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£8.40 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Floral nose with red fruit, cherry and plum,’ began Sake No Hana’s Tobias Brauweiler MS, who noted ‘vanilla oak, chocolate mocha notes and tight tannins on a balanced, full-bodied palate’, while team leader Angela Reddin found it ‘packed with fruit in the mouth, layered with spice and mineral elements, firmly tannic and long’, adding: ‘Will be stunning.’

£23.12 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Giuseppe Longobardi of The 3A Pub Company enjoyed its ‘fresh red fruit, violet floral notes and touch of pepper’, while WSET’s Mike Best found it ‘floral, herbal, fruity and complex with lifted aromatics and lovely perfume – still youthful, but tasting brilliantly’.

£16.87 Liberty Wines

Giuseppe Longobardi of The 3A Pub Company highlighted its ‘blackcurrant and blueberry fruit with pepper and clove spice notes, an intensity of crushed grapes on the palate with dry tannins and more spice on the finish’, while WSET’s Mike Best found it ‘delicious, concentrated, a wine for the long term’.

£24.11 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£5.85 Molson Coors

£13.62 SADEL

£18.83 SADEL

£8.52 SADEL

£8.54 Terre and Terroir Ltd

£6.52 Boutinot

£8.54 Boutinot

£9.94 Bibendum

£19.97 Bibendum

£19.79 Bibendum

£6.88 Bibendum

£14.06 Bibendum

£9.09 Bibendum

£16.53 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£14.09 Liberty Wines