‘A gentle giant,’ began Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason in his praise of this Gold medallist, finding ‘lots of ripe tannin and structure, but with ripe fruit and liquorice, and a savoury element too’, while freelance sommelier Julio Iglesias enjoyed notes of ‘tobacco, vanilla and some minerality’, finding the combination to be ‘balanced and structured’. A perfect match for pork ribs with a sweet glaze, added team leader Laurent Richet MS.

£11.70 Eurowines

‘Class, sophistication and elegance’, in the words of Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason, were just the characteristics to elevate this to Gold, with Mason praising it for being ‘food orientated and great value’. ‘Musky forest fruits’ led, according to team leader Nigel Lister, to ‘coffee notes on the palate, with some elegant dark chocolate, too’, while Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club was impressed by ‘plum and sweet cinnamon, with a fresh, elegant earthiness on the palate, and some gentle, fresh raspberry fruit’.

£11.60 Winetraders

‘A ripe and juicy wine, with red fruit and soft tannins, as well as some fresh acidity, and good spice on the finish. Good value for money, too,’ said team leader Annette Scarfe MW. Suave Wine’s Joseph Lunn agreed: ‘Good cherry-fruit flavours and nice acidity – as well as a great price.’

£5.30 Fuller's

‘Sweet black fruit, as well as some smoke,’ began Lazaros Engonopoulos of Coq d’Argent, while for Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club this had ‘jammy plum aromas with a light herbal note, leading to some sweet spice and gentle cherry notes’ that culminated in ‘a complex finish’.

£9.84 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

For team leader Annette Scarfe MW this had ‘ripe, rich and generous fruit, with well-balanced use of oak’, making it ‘a good food wine, with soft tannins’. Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine found it ‘broody and rambunctious, with rich, big fruit’.

£16.80 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

This Puglian red had, according to Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine, ‘great fresh-fruit intensity and some good complexity’, while team leader Annette Scarfe MW described ‘a warm, spicy nose, with clean, vibrant fruit and dark chocolate notes, and soft, ripe tannins’.

£20.43 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

For team leader Annette Scarfe MW, this opened with ‘an attractive nose, with mixed fruit compote and some spice’, which led to ‘a fresh mid-palate that’s concentrated and spicy, and not cloying’. Erik Simonics of La Dame de Pic at Four Seasons, meanwhile, found it ‘rich and full, with oak and sweet spice’.

£11.80 Eurowines

‘A light, soft and gentle wine – fresh and fun, with ripe red fruit,’ described Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason, while Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa found it ‘light yet intense, a fresh, sour red fruit character’.

£14.15 Laytons

‘A complex, balanced wine,’ began Mikolaj Harmider of Adam’s Restaurant, who spoke of ‘dark berry fruit and a long finish’, while Jurijs Nemkovs of Hakkasan Mayfair found it to have ‘a complex nose and palate, with a generous structure’.

£13.20 Eurowines

‘A high-intensity wine, with smoky dark fruit,’ said team leader Lionel Periner, while Core by Clare Smyth’s Timothy Connor appreciated its ‘rich red and black fruit, with good acidity and ripe tannins’, and Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason described ‘peppery spice aromas’.

£12.14 Alivini

‘A big wine with big, ripe tannins and some vibrant acidity, not to mention some complex black fruit, chocolate and spice notes,’ said team leader Annette Scarfe MW, while Suave Wine’s Joseph Lunn found it to be ‘perfumed and floral, with nice balance, and some minerality too’.

£10.14 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Elegance from southern Italy,’ began Wild Wine Club’s Debbie Warner, describing a wine with ‘perfumed violets on the nose, and sour cherries, damsons and sloes on the palate, all leading to a mouth-puckering finish that’s crying out for food’.

£16.50 Liberty Wines

‘A complex wine,’ began Richard Cavagin-Carey of The Harwood Arms, describing ‘coffee, dried plum, prune and menthol’ aromas, leading to ‘sweet berry fruit with some wood smoke’ on the palate, while Timothy Connor of Core by Clare Smyth called it ‘dark, rich and intense’ and suggested this was ‘one for food’.

£19.94 Liberty Wines

Team leader Simon Woods found this ‘rounded, with generous berry and prune notes’, while Lazaros Engonopoulos of Coq d’Argent described ‘biscuit notes, as well as blackberries and some liquorice’, which contributed towards this wine’s ‘elegance and balance’.

£10.96 Enotria&Coe

‘An intense aroma of dried figs and raisins, with some sweet spice on the palate balanced by ripe red fruits and blackcurrants, all elevated by some acidity,’ said Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine. ‘Spicy with some complexity,’ thought team leader Annette Scarfe MW, also finding ‘ripe fruit and soft tannins’.

£12.55 Liberty Wines

‘A rich and full-bodied wine,’ began Erik Simonics of La Dame de Pic at Four Seasons, going on to describe ‘ripe, dark fruits complemented by some sweet spice and leading to a long finish’, while team leader Annette Scarfe MW identified some ‘generous use of oak’.

£11.24 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Raisins and plums on the nose, leading to some sweet spice, like cinnamon and nutmeg,’ said Hakkasan Mayfair’s Jurijs Nemkovs, while Mikolaj Harmider of Adam’s Restaurant found ‘cloves and gingerbread, with some ripe tannins on the long finish’.

£7.84 Bibendum

This had upfront ‘red fruit and kirsch’ aromas, according to team leader Lionel Periner, with a ‘full, well-balanced palate’, while Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason described a wine that was ‘savoury and resinous, with good concentration and smooth ripe tannins’, making it a food-friendly wine, he explained.

£10.40 Liberty Wines

£7.69 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£18.33 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£27.60 Mondial Wine

£39.50 Eurowines

£7.64 Bibendum

£14.22 Bibendum

£14.06 Bibendum

£14.60 Eurowines

£11.20 Eurowines

£10.40 Liberty Wines

£9.97 Alivini

£10.67 Bibendum