Spain: North-West, including Albariño
2019 GOLD: 2 SILVER: 7 BRONZE: 3 COMMENDED: 9
2018 GOLD: 2 SILVER: 6 BRONZE: 8 COMMENDED: 7
Apart from a blip in 2017, when our tasters went a bit medal crazy, for a cool-climate white producing region it’s remarkable how consistent this region is year after year. One white, one red, job done.
The only disappointment is that this year there was no room on our Gold List for a Godello or for one of the richer, lees-aged Albariños. Our somms, it seems, are still quite traditional in outlook, although more of them warm to the leesy versions every year, so it’s surely just a matter of time before these make it on to the Gold List too.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘The Albariños were fantastic. I was happy to find so much variety in the flight. There were some that were crisp and bright, and then others that were heavier. You could pair the crisp style with seafood, while at the higher prices it was all about oak management.’ Alonso Abed, Hide Above
‘[The cheaper wines] were classic Albariño, but higher up the range they were more sommelier wines, so you could have a second Albariño on the list: a classic option, and then something with more lees ageing for people that want to try something different.’ Julien Sahut, Sexy Fish
‘Towards the higher end, I thought for the price point you could go to Burgundy or Rioja. You want to have that purity and freshness. It’s what people expect. You don’t want an Albariño that makes you think too hard.’ Sonal Clare, Purnell’s Restaurant
‘The reds were remarkably consistent. If anything let them down it was the winemaking, not the quality of fruit.’ Tom Forrest, team leader