House Wine: Red
In cheap red wines, like these, there isn’t anywhere to hide – with no ageing, a tough vintage is mercilessly reflected in the bottle. So it’s not surprising that the number of medals here tend to go up and down.
With seven Golds, this year was a good one. Sure, some flights were disappointing, but for the most part our judges were astonished at how good the wines were for the money. Best-performing wines were usually fresh and pure, with ripe tannins; those that were kicked out, often over-extracted or with green tannins. Oak use needed to be subtle.
Muchas felicidades to Félix Solís, by the way. Its Casa Albali range from Valdepeñas picked up Golds for house red and house white, and a Silver for house rosé. In the many years of SWA, we’ve never had a single producer pull off a feat like that.
From The Tasting Teams
‘We were looking for something quite versatile and easy-drinking that’s light to medium bodied and not too full-on.’ Daniel Eriksen, Anglian Country Inns
‘For sommeliers the house wine is very important, as it’s where you make your bucks, and you could definitely make them with these wines. Finding some of these prices in the on-trade is a miracle.’ Andre Luis Martins, team leader
‘For the ones that were good you could easily pay twice the price. If you were in a big hotel doing weddings, some of these would sell like hot cakes.’ Nelio Pinto, Candlesticks
‘Like the rosés, when they don’t try too hard they are more successful.’ Nigel Lister, St. Swithins Wine Shippers
‘A house wine doesn’t need a lot of complexity, but it does need balance. You want something you can put on a list anywhere.’ Carolina W Seibel, Comptoir Cafe and Wine
‘The best flight so far. It is amazing what you can get for just above £5. All of the wines were in the same mentality: juicy, approachable, fruity, easy-going and well-made.’ Savvas Symeonidis, Goodman Restaurant Mayfair
‘Freshness is the key. I want something that’s not overworked, not stewed; something with really bright fruit.’ Joshua Castle, Noble Rot
‘House red is one of the trickiest, but most interesting categories to look at. It’s the most important wine on a list.’ Tanguy Martin, Blandford Comptoir
‘I think the New World are becoming better than Old World for these. Their focus and precision of winemaking even at this level is impressive.’ Andre Luis Martins, team leader