The Sommelier Wine Awards 2014 were a great success
Sparkling Wine & Champagne
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Rosé above £5.50
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Found 13 wines
A winner from the start, the richer honeyed notes, oily texture and well-balanced complexity illustrate why this wine won the tricky Green Thai Curry Food Match award as well. Baked apple, cooked pear and apricot flavours run alongside an underlying spiciness on the fragrant, honeysuckle-infused palate with a waxy texture.
£9.49 Matthew Clark
One of only five wines to score two special awards, this great value wine has lovely buttery typicity. 'Tastes like Burgundy should,' said Gold List co-ordinator Christine Parkinson. Rounded, juicy and rich. Ram Chhetri of Bread Street Kitchen said: 'Subtle, elegant style without overpowering oak, this has a good balance of lemon, pear, lees and creamy flavours.'
£8.00 Boutinot
Sweet fruit, judicious oaking, well-integrated tannins and fantastic value won this wine a spot on the By The Glass list as well as a coveted Food Match award - one of only five wines to do the double this year. Consultant sommelier Nicolas Clerc MS praised the balance and racy nature, 'earthy, truffle and bay leaf, juicy and rich palate'. Ragout, rib eye steak or puy lentil dishes were reckoned to be the ideal food matches.
£8.50 Boutinot
Its elegance and fine-boned structure, not to mention its velvety tannins and versatility, made this one of the most garlanded wines of this year’s competition. Spicy, earthy aromas of dense dark fruits and sour cherries lead to more of the same on a medium-bodied palate, with good acidity and a cinnamon flourish on the finish. Versatile on the food front, it scooped the pizza Food Award, but that's just the beginning. Definitely one to write home about.
£8.75 Alpine Wines
Out of the traps with a bang – not only a Gold-medal winner, but the Food Match for lamb shank too – way to go! But then behind the ripe, juicy approachability of this red-berried, spicy wine comes earthy complexity, vibrant acidity and a great balance. 'Good expression. Lovely in the summer!' said team leader Laura Rhys MS. As well as lamb, think antipasti and charcuterie in particular.
£5.75 Boutinot
Vibrancy and real food-friendliness gave Decero not just Gold but the newly created Burger Food Match award. Hardly surprising, given the judges' comments. 'Excellent red fruit, with a vanilla tone, this is lively and spicy,' said team leader Sarah Jane Evans MW. 'Rich and silky with notable tannins,' added an equally approving Sandro Lyhs of Oxo Tower Bar of this dense but approachable Cabernet. Equally happy being sipped solo or accompanying chargrilled fare.
£8.73 Berkmann Wine Cellars
A Meursault-like complexity at a great price brought Lourensford the second Food Match gong for South African Chardonnay. Fresh and bright on the nose, saline and herbal notes run alongside peach and pineapple and hints of butterscotch, while the palate mixes pineapple, guava with nuts and brioche flavours. Food matches range from roast chicken to pike fish à la créme and good Cheddar.
£7.63 Hatch Mansfield
With its fabulous complexity, its savoury depth in balance with the juicy acidity, it's no wonder this took a Food Match award too – for mushroom risotto since you ask. Attractive on the nose, with appley fruit and a touch of pineapple, an elegant palate boasts tart peach and apricot next to white melon, while the finish is juicy and sherbety in texture. Partner with lobster thermidor and other richly flavoured dishes.
£10.68 Sogrape UK
Restraint and food-matching versatility brought the Bon Vallon the hotly contested Scallops Food Match award. Peach, lychee and herbal notes meet acacia and honeysuckle on the nose, while the palate is ripe with a blend of stone and exotic fruit flavours. 'With its long finish, good minerality and confit pineapple notes it's very elegant,' said Frédéric Jean-Yves Billet of Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa, suggesting rich chicken and truffle dishes to match.
£7.20 Ellis of Richmond
Charmingly complex, with that perfect tension between savoury texture and aromatic spices, Mt Difficulty won a Food Match award as well as Gold. With its floral, grassy, tart tropical fruit-infused nose and multilayered palate, the finish is long and memorable. Food tips range from cod carpaccio all the way to pork belly – for which it won its Food Match award.
£10.75 Ellis of Richmond
Food-friendliness and great value gave Luis Felipe Edwards the top medal for this orange blossom-infused wine with its lengthy finish. 'Witch hazel and perfume on the nose, with tropical fruit aromas and minerality,' noted Robert Mason of Cheese at Leadenhall, adding: 'The palate is fresh and lively, with notes of peach, melon and pear.' 'Quite restrained and crisp, this is a versatlle food matcher,' said team leader Natasha Hughes, suggesting mussel chowder, mango and lobster, and mild curry as possible food partners.
£6.52 10 International
'A real crowd pleaser', was how team leader Laura Rhys MS summed up the appeal of this wine. With cherries, plums and sweet paprika on the nose, there is a rich core of ripe purple and black fruit alongside sweet spices on the palate. All in perfect balance, it's perhaps no surprise this picked up the Pizza Food Match gong. Try also venison, suggested Laura.
£8.50 D & F Portuguese Wines
Elegance, versatility and value gave Cavit not just Gold but a highly coveted By The Glass spot and a Food Match gong. 'Soft, round, peachy stone fruit, with rounded creamy acidity and lemon sherbet on the finish,' said consultant Ronan Sayburn MS. 'Great mousse and a lush fruit finish of yellow apples and quince,' said Garry Clark of The Chester Grosvenor. Match with seafood.
£6.65 Boutinot