‘Long, creamy and seductive,’ said team leader Andres Ituarte of this Gold-winning Viognier. Alan Bednarski of Texture agreed: ‘It’s rich, round and creamy, with sweet oak spices, while the palate has sweet round notes of brioche and French pastry, like apricot pie.’ ‘The nose is so exuberant!’ enthused team leader Laurent Richet MS, ‘with notes of peach, quince and apricot.’ Giorgio Scarsella of The Stafford noted ‘honeysuckle, acacia and camomile’, while Nut Tree Inn’s Sarah McKenzie loved the palate, describing it as ‘bursting with exotic fruits like pineapple and grapefruit’, and Nelio Pinto of Candlesticks suggested we drink it with ‘lobster with lemon and lime butter’.

£16.17 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

This great-value Gold stood out for judges with its ‘fragrant notes of hyacinth and wet stone minerality’, according to team leader Martin Lam, while Shane McHugh of Adam Handling was impressed by its ‘nice weight, good length and balance’, adding that it was ‘very well made’. Cliveden House’s Francisco Macedo found ‘lots of complexity, with stone fruit notes’, while Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants described it as ‘easy going, and a real crowd pleaser’.

£7.19 Hard To Find Wines

‘Very elegant’ was Juan Manuel Marcos Perez of The Gilbert Scott’s first impression on encountering this impressive Gold-worthy wine, further describing ‘stone fruit like peaches, pineapple and mango, with a slight influence of oak’, while Elisa Soggia of Kai Mayfair noted ‘a creamy, smoky, vanilla aroma with elderflower and tropical fruit’. Team leader Laurent Richet MS was reminded of ‘key lime pie’, and found it ‘pure, bright and intense’, saying it would be ideal alongside ‘sweet and sour pork with pak choi and steamed vegetables’.

£12.92 Enotria&Coe

This had everything it needed to take home Gold, with ‘passion fruit and caramelised pineapple, and a full, rich and sweetly spiced palate’, according to New Street Warehouse’s Tanguy Martin, while Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall described it as ‘a complex wine with apricot scent on the nose, as well as a good dose of buttery oak’. This all made it ‘a wine for rich fish or pork dishes’, thought team leader Charlie Young.

£11.02 Asara Wine Estate & Hotel

‘The colour has a vibrant lemon hue and the nose is very floral, also carrying these citrus lemon notes. The palate has honeyed flavours of candied pear, stone fruit and lychee with a touch of residual sugar,’ said Charlie Carter of Ten Green Bottles.

£15.49 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘The wine gives up melon and white peach aromas,’ said team leader Charlie Young, and ‘has a clean and light feel with a savoury and mineral character which carries through to the crisp finish.’

£8.59 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

‘Good aromatic profile for the price (passion fruit and lemon peel) and from grapes that have had enough skin contact to bring texture and a pleasing bitter, fresh finish,’ said Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£6.95 Boutinot

‘Very smoky aromatics with tropical fruits and notes of vanilla,’ said Elisa Soggia of Kai Mayfair. ‘Certainly a rich wine,’ added Raphael Thierry of Street XO, ‘but with enough fruit to stand the fairly heavy oak used here. Nice flavours of butterscotch, but finishes fresh.’

£9.55 Boutinot

‘A nice, soft nose of citrus fruit and orange peel lead to a more stone fruit palate with notes of ripe peach. Feels like there’s Chardonnay in the mix… Either way, it’s well made, good value and would make a nice house wine,’ thought consultant Ian Howard.

£7.50 Boutinot

For Charlie Carter of Ten Green Bottles this had ‘flinty and mineral notes on the nose, like wet slate’, then ‘opens up to more tropical flavours like pineapple’. ‘There’s good concentration on the palate, which is kept in check with a refreshing acidity, through to the finish,’ he added.

£13.22 Davy's Wine Merchants

Melania Battiston of 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen found a ‘pungent nose of lily, asparagus and pears, with tart lime juice on the palate’, while for team leader Tom Forrest there were ‘dry, nutty, almond notes, reminiscent of a fino sherry’.

£20.00 SHIRAYURI WINERY

‘Nice subtle notes of salinity, like sea air, lead to white pear fruit and a crisp finish with medium length,’ said team leader Jan Konetzki. ‘Nicely textured and balanced with a persistent finish,’ added Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£10.00 Zonte's Footstep

‘Pale colour with a wide open, inviting nose of fresh apple and peach,’ began Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall, adding: ‘The palate is strongly flavoured with melon and a lingering lime zest finish.’

£7.00 Zonte's Footstep

‘Some oak and nuttiness on the nose,’ said team leader Charlie Young, continuing: ‘There’s plenty of character and good intensity on the palate. Again, nuttiness and elegant acidity are notable here and the finish is good.’

£16.35 Bibendum

This had a ‘good nose of nectarine and yellow spring flowers’, according to Pasquale Moschettieri of Benares Restaurant & Bar, with ‘a touch of vanilla and ripe stone fruit with good balance’.

£12.22 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘An intensely floral example of Torrontés,’ began Cliveden House’s Sean Arthur, with ‘notes of fresh Sicilian lemon zest, lychee and juicy white grape. The wine finishes with a long satisfying finish.’

£8.07 Liberty Wines

‘Vibrant and aromatic, the nose is engaging and pleasing,’ began New Street Warehouse’s Tanguy Martin, adding: ‘Overall, this is an engaging wine with lovely, grapey, exotic, floral flavours that charmed everyone.’

£7.87 Liberty Wines

Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth, Simpsons & Edgbaston found ‘stone fruit and yellow flowers with lime hints on the nose and a tropical fruit palate’ and thought it was ‘well balanced, with a fresh mineral, aromatic finish’, describing it as ‘very food friendly’.

£9.44 Carson Wines

£15.50 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£7.32 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£11.72 Top Selection

£25.00 Wine Source UK

£13.05 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£8.09 Hatch Mansfield

£6.70 Boutinot

£10.00 Boutinot

£8.69 Hatch Mansfield

£8.73 Matthew Clark

£11.92 Enotria&Coe

£23.51 Bibendum

£9.77 Liberty Wines

£9.17 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£11.12 Bancroft Wines

£11.77 Amathus

£6.99 Frederic Robinson

£10.65 Enotria&Coe