Gymkhana Restaurant’s Valentin Radosav echoed the enthusiasm of his fellow judges for this Gold winner as he praised its ‘superb balance of fruit, alcohol and acidity’, while describing ‘orange zest and nuttiness, along with some white chocolate notes’. Team leader Tom Forrest further described ‘sweet orange peel and spiced fruitcake, with hints of almond, caramel and quince jam membrillo, and some lightly spiced ginger notes, too, in this rich and opulent glass’.

£14.65 Size: 75cl House of Townend

Going by the enthusiastic accounts of our judges this was an inevitable Gold, with team leader Carlos Ferreira finding ‘violets, roses and vanilla, as well as some white spices, leading to an elegant palate’, while Gymkhana Restaurant’s Valentin Radosav found it to be ‘precise, with blackcurrant and black cherry notes, as well as some spice and an earthiness too’. ‘Smooth and easy drinking,’ concluded Bianca Potenza of Bluespoon Andaz Hotel - Amsterdam, finding ‘black fruit, minerality and clay’ on the finish.

£13.74 Size: 75cl Enotria&Coe

‘A very complex nose filled with toasted almonds and dried figs, along with some spicy orange and leather notes’ secured this white port’s Gold medal, according to team leader Carlos Ferreira, who found the palate to be ‘fresh and elegant, with a long finish’. Fellow team leader Tom Forrest noted ‘warm, cooked, honeyed apples with orange peel notes over a medium sweet, peppery spiced palate’, adding that its ‘good acidity keeps the toffee apple finish in check’.

£11.39 Size: 75cl Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Intense yet elegant’ summed up this impressive Gold winner for Kahani London’s Ennio Pucciarelli, who thought ‘its gentle oxidation reveals notes of chocolate, caramel and liquorice, while it remains sweet yet fresh, with a lovely long finish’. Street XO’s Raphael Thierry, meanwhile, appreciated its ‘oily texture’, and thought it was ‘showing some savoury development, along with some salinity, sweet spice and dried fruit, all leading to a fresh finish, with well-integrated alcohol’.

£34.20 Size: 75cl Matthew Clark

Ennio Pucciarelli of Kahani London described this as ‘intense and aromatic, with red fruits and a sweet spiciness’, and thought it was ‘medium sweet and fresh’. ‘A young stripling – all apricots and red berries with a hit of alcohol,’ added team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW.

£14.65 Size: 75cl House of Townend

Kahani London’s Ennio Pucciarelli described this as ‘an elegant and complex wine, with lots of jammy notes and sweet spices’. He thought it had a ‘very rich, yet sweet mouthfeel’ and that the ‘lovely balancing acidity leads to a very long finish’.

£13.55 Size: 75cl Boutinot

Le Gavroche’s Rémi Cousin enjoyed this sweeter style with its ‘intense heady and ripe display of quince, apricot and orange marmalade fruits’. He thought that the ‘lovely sweet spices such as clove and cinnamon all combine to create an elegant palate that calls for a second glass’.

£10.00 Size: 75cl Boutinot

‘Very fresh and juicy fruits on the palate with a spicy, well-balanced finish,’ said team leader Carlos Ferreira, while fellow team leader Tom Forrest added: ‘Warm tobacco leaf and a perfumed rose and violet nose. Soft red and black fruits make a gentle palate with a long, integrated finish.’

£33.32 Size: 75cl Atlantico UK, Top Selection

‘Smoky, roasted notes on the nose – clear signs of ageing – form a backdrop to glorious orange and red fruit aromas,’ said team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘The palate packs a vintage punch of dried fruit and chocolate, with supple tannins and a salty sign off,’ she continued.

£23.48 Size: 75cl Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Classically vanilla and red fruit jam flavours blend with appealing savoury notes and a lightly tannic, complex finish,’ said team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW, who thought it would be ‘easy to have a second glass’. ‘It’s robust and spicy but has a lovely fresh finish,’ added Timothy Connor of Heddon Street Kitchen.

£18.26 Size: 75cl Matthew Clark

‘Strawberry jam, apricot purée and an excellent balance between fruit and acidity, the wine builds to a delightfully elegant, spicy yet smooth finish,’ said consultant Rebecca Coates.

£47.95 Size: 75cl Liberty Wines

‘Elegant and delicate, this wine also has an impressive richness with everything in place; I'd happily drink this on its own – a meditative sipper of a wine,’ said Kahani London’s Ennio Pucciarelli.

£102.40 Size: 75cl Liberty Wines

‘The nose is amazing,’ said team leader Carlos Ferreira, ‘lots of rich fruit, very concentrated and great balance. Everything is perfectly in place for its age.’

£47.69 Size: 75cl Liberty Wines

Team leader Carlos Ferreira noted that this had ‘a rich nose of raisin and fig with lots of spice’ and remarked on how ‘red and dense black fruit follow across the palate to a fresh, well-balanced finish’.

£8.76 Size: 75cl Mentzendorff & Co

Team leader Carlos Ferreira found a nose of ‘dry figs and almonds with toasted vanilla and coffee’ and further described the wine as ‘well balanced and aromatic with a complex, beautiful finish’.

£13.30 Size: 75cl Matthew Clark

£34.20 Size: 75cl Bibendum

£17.42 Size: 75cl Atlantico UK, Top Selection

£11.83 Size: 75cl Matthew Clark

£12.04 Size: 75cl Liberty Wines