The Sommelier Wine Awards 2012 were a great success
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Found 12 wines
Unmistakably Gewurz in both style and perfume. 'Exotic lychee, rose and stone fruit flavours on the nose with a rich, unctuous palate, complete with ripe peach and lychee tones, plus a long finish,' said Angus Macnab, formerly The Lanesborough. Food choices ranged from foie gras on gingerbread to grilled scallop and smoked bacon, but perhaps its most ambitious conquest was the Thai green curry it championed at our food matching tasting (see pXX).
£8.80 Boutinot
Approachable and seriously complex, this was one of very few wines to do the treble, picking up not just Gold, but a Food Match and Critics Choice. Bramble fruit mixes with fennel, cardamom, graphite and a touch of smoke on the nose. The palate shows medium tannins and elegant cooked fruit, while the garnet tones suggest some ageing, but still a good freshness. 'An amazing choice,' said Terroirs' Emilie Courtois.
£9.98 Enotria&Coe
One for the decanter, this complex, layered wine shows a perfect balance between fruit, tannins and acidity. 'Cherry and blackberry on a lightly spiced nose leads to a full similarly-fruited palate,' said Hakkasan's Serdar Balkaya, while colleague Roberto Loppi appreciated the chocolate and vanilla notes.
£11.50 Bancroft Wines
Everyone liked something different about this wine. For Terroirs' Emilie Courtois it was 'the mouthfeel and the finish. It is very fresh, with a great minerality' 'The nose is outstanding,' said consultant Joe Wadsack,' showing lovely apricot and peach notes.' 'This is relaxed southern French class,' said Kofler and Kompanie's Nigel Lister, 'Lovely, juicy, peachy flavour. Delicious.'
£9.10 Greene King
Fresh, light and zest scored not just Gold but the scallops Food Match award for this 'very drinkable' Gavi. 'Scented candles, hibiscus flowers and grape/pear notes on the nose, this has a happy character and very goody typicity' said consultant Angela Reddin. With its balanced acidity on a light- to medium bodied palate and lengthy finish, The Vineyard Group's James Hocking thought it a 'really appealing style'.
£6.00 Boutinot
Looking at the flavour and texture for value ratio, it's not hard to see why Kleine Zalze's Chenin is the most garlanded of all the 2012 wines. With notes of honeycomb and lemon alongside hints of candied peel and jasmineon the nose, the well-balanced, creamy exotic palate sports light oak and some minerality, finishing with a citrus-infused flourish. Head to the Food Match pages to see it triumph against a challenging Thai prawn curry.
£5.69 Matthew Clark
A great blend, great price, great name – and also versatile on the food front – what's not to like? This juxtaposes nettles and marjoram alongside yellow stone fruit and an almost Gewurz-like florality, while the palate has more stone fruit 'with a lick of spice' and lychee and cucumber notes. Matches everything from pork belly (see the Food Match pages) to Asian spiced prawns, chillie and mango salsa.
£6.65 Boutinot
Character and clarity lead Monte Velho to the Gold List The nose mixes nuts, sweet ripe melon and guava with white peach and notes of vanilla, while the palate has good minerality and pleasant zesty fruits. With 'broad flavours, the rich balanced palate has a lovely character with an excellent lingering finish,' said consultant Angela Reddin.
£6.35 Charles Hawkins & Partners
Another amazing flavour-to-value winner from the denizens of Bodegas Hidalgo. No wonder this refreshingly sophisticated salty seadog of a Manzanilla came home laden with both a Food Match and a Critics' Choice gong. While Angus Macnab found 'salt and iodine plus good weight and texture on the palate', Andrea Bricarello felt this was 'complex yet rich, with fresh dough notes on the nose and a good balance'. For food, start with garlic prawns, move onto mushroom risotto – see our Food Match chapter for why – and finish with cheese and nuts.
£8.15 Size: 75cl Mentzendorff & Co
Serious indulgence and texture at a good price gave Cien y Pico not just Gold but a Food Match award. Dark fruit mixes with liquorice and sweet spices on the nose, while the palate shows dried fruit alongside powerful plum and blackcurrant flavours. 'A delicious, seriously indulgent palate,' said Laura Ward, Vivat Bacchus. Fresh and balanced, with good minerality, food matches suggested include black sausage, Spanish cassoulet and, of course, cheese.
£8.88 Liberty Wines
One of only two wines to score both a Food Match rosette and a By the Glass award, concentrated yet elegant Viña Alarde is Old School at its best. Savoury flavours, spicy dried fruits and coconut notes sit alongside 'excellent tannin management'. 'Much more liquorice, this is smooth and rounded, with good integrated oak, and a long tannin structure,' said Michael Harrison, Hotel du Vin, Henley. Food matches? Need you ask, roast lamb of course!
£7.99 United Wineries
Once more this modestly priced trooper has garnered the gongs. 'Rich black and purple fruits, combine with leathery spicy notes on the nose,' said Terroirs' Emilie Courtois. The palate is juicy with some grip, showing good concentration and hints of liquorice and leather. Excellent value, and it goes with food. Burgers for starters, steak as you'll see in our Food Match chapter.
£5.25 Boutinot