This worthy Gold winner had ‘soft aromas on a bright, inviting, fruit-focused nose,’ began team leader Martin Lam, who was keen on its ‘rounded palate, good depth and maturity of fruit’, while consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates enjoyed its ‘fresh, raw, meaty aromas and leather notes on the nose, then a zippy, refreshing yet elegant palate that has great body and many layers’. Elly Owen of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall pictured it alongside ‘fillet with bone-marrow butter and wood-fired veg’.

£27.50 Eurowines

Walking away with a Food Match Trophy as well as the Gold, this had ‘a savoury nose, good structure and depth – quite a serious style with dark fruit and bite, but good integration too,’ according to an impressed Charlie Young of Vinoteca. ‘Dark, inky, bone dry on the palate, really attractive, complete and calm on the finish with a hint of milk chocolate,’ added team leader Jade Koch, while Marek Rakowski of Harbour Heights Hotel highlighted ‘perfect extraction, ripe tannins and smoky vanilla notes, inviting a pairing with steak’.

£10.64 Boutinot

‘Pretty, raspberry fruit aromas, drying tannins on the palate, chocolate richness and slight floral hints with chewy red fruit,’ said team leader Jade Koch in praise of this Gold Lister, while Marek Rakowski of Harbour Heights Hotel was impressed with its ‘ripe strawberry taste, good oak structure and a very good price level’. Coq d’Argent’s Andrés Ituarte, meanwhile, was taken with ‘crushed cranberry and a steely mid-palate, with a long red-fruit finish’. ‘Bold and beautiful – a match for lamb tagine,’ concluded Elly Owen of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall.

£13.04 Boutinot

An earthy, spicy, complex character made this a clear candidate for Gold. Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) was taken with its ‘richness of colour and intense yet elegant, earthy character on the nose’, followed by ‘soft mouthfeel and good tannins, roasted notes, coffee and liquorice, and a complex finish with a spicy lift’. Team leader Andrea Briccarello agreed, noting: ‘Wild game and wild berry aromas, spices and garrigue herbs on the palate with a savoury, complex style, notes of forest fruits and sweet spices on the finish.’ Best with smoked beef fillet, thought Michael Moore of The London Cookhouse.

£51.65 Enotria&Coe

A unanimous choice for our judging panel, this showed ‘lemony, refreshing style, clean and aromatic gooseberry and leafy whitecurrant notes, good for a gastropub’, said Tanya Mann of Linden House Stansted, with team leader Angela Reddin finding it a ‘well-made, good style’.

£7.64 Matthew Clark

‘Ripe, dark berry fruits on the nose, followed by a palate that shows good use of oak, fresh, bright and juicy fruit style with a clean finish,’ said consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates.

£12.90 Eurowines

A ‘top wine’ for team leader Angela Reddin, who found ‘good typicity, herbal green apple notes with the mid-palate opening to guava and tropical hints, then a long and fine finish’. Sake No Hana’s Tobias Brauweiler MS enjoyed its ‘smoky lime and lemon, orange zest and rounded, mouthwatering character with gooseberry notes to finish’.

£7.20 Matthew Clark

Sake No Hana’s Tobias Brauweiler MS found ‘lime and lemon and crisp acidity, with notes of acacia, passion fruit and touches of spice’, with Tanya Mann of Linden House Stansted noting: ‘Clean and spicy, gooseberry and very aromatic character.’

£5.50 Boutinot

‘Intense, full impact on the nose with jammy notes of strawberry and blueberry, tight structure on the palate with blackberry and cherry fruit emerging,’ began team leader Andrea Briccarello, with Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms adding: ‘Sweet spices and ripe fruit, structured but also balanced, with notes of Garrigue herbs.’

£8.35 EWGA

A big style, said Vinoteca’s Charlie Young, who pointed out ‘blackcurrant lozenge aromas, deep and intense, quite dark, sweet fruit with plenty of oak but well integrated’, with Arnaud Fiol of The Don Restaurant finding ‘lots of sweet spice, vanilla and clove on the nose, then a warm, smooth palate with well-integrated tannins’.

£26.36 Bibendum

Arnaud Fiol of The Don Restaurant found a ‘hint of roast lamb on the nose, followed by a full-bodied palate with good balance of fruits and spices, and a long finish’, suggesting that the best course of action would be: ‘A Sunday roast and a nap!’

£36.27 Matthew Clark

‘Shy on the nose now, but good oak–fruit balance and style on the palate,’ said team leader Martin Lam, while Giancarlo Cuccuru of The Ned Hotel found it ‘bright and juicy, with cooked black fruit flavours and an animal character on the palate, a wine with body and a good finish’.

£11.66 The Haciendas - Company, Ltd.

Consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates enjoyed its ‘pretty perfume and lifted white pepper aromas, soft juicy palate again with peppery notes, drinking well’, with team leader Martin Lam adding: ‘Primary berry aromas, red cherry fruit on the palate, simple and gluggable.’

£6.92 Majestic Commercial

Picking up tropical hints of ‘passion fruit and pineapple’, team leader Angela Reddin also noted ‘herbal and mineral notes in the mouth, good depth and nice finish’, while Sake No Hana’s Tobias Brauweiler MS found ‘yellow fruit, lime and lemon with hints of fresh mint and red fruit, all well balanced’.

£7.12 Bibendum

Harry Crowther of M Wine Stores enjoyed its ‘tropical nose and lovely balance on the palate’, finding it a ‘less savoury style, and more fruit-driven’. ‘Vibrant character, opens up into honey and leesy notes, beautiful, rich and complex,’ added Tanya Mann of Linden House Stansted.

£8.81 Bibendum

Giancarlo Cuccuru of The Ned Hotel found this an ‘enjoyable glass’, with its ‘vanilla notes and nice tannins, dark cherry fruit character and good, well-integrated body’, while consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates also noted its ‘dark berry fruit, soft and unctuous palate and long finish’.

£22.35 Bibendum

For Michael Moore of The London Cookhouse, its ‘very rich character and dark berry fruit suggest a great food match with game birds and rich green vegetables’, while team leader Jade Koch found ‘inky chocolate and drying tannins, a lean style but warm and fruity’.

£7.81 Bibendum

Team leader Andrea Briccarello found it ‘meaty and fleshy with good grippy tannin on the palate, young and fresh style with vibrant character and crunchy berry fruit on the finish’, while Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms picked up ‘red bell pepper vegetal notes, red fruit and very fine tannins’.

£11.64 Liberty Wines

‘Shaved apple with light herbal notes on the nose,’ began team leader Angela Reddin, continuing: ‘There’s a tiny spritz in the mouth and good, bright flavours with lovely length on the finish.’

£10.61 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£12.75 Bodegas Clunia

£5.83 The Haciendas Company Ltd.

£5.83 The Haciendas - Company, Ltd.

£6.33 Matthew Clark

£5.11 CellarVino

£6.00 Boutinot

£15.18 DOMINIO BASCONCILLOS, S.L.

£19.50 EWGA

£14.79 Boutinot

£12.44 Bibendum

£8.95 Bibendum

£6.70 Bibendum

£12.52 Indigo Wine

£9.53 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£19.53 Enotria&Coe

£21.79 Hallgarten & Novum Wines