FRANCE: Alsace

2016 Gold: 1 Silver: 0 Bronze: 1 Commended: 2
2015 Gold: 2 Silver: 5 Bronze: 5 Commended: 8

Oh dear. Go back two or three years and this was a genuinely exciting area of the competition – 13 medals, three of them Gold, and plenty of chuffed tasters musing about how to use everything from the region’s successful Rieslings and Gewürzs through Pinot Gris to Pinot Noir.
So the paltry entry here this year was a major disappointment.

Still, on the plus side, our tasters did find a couple of good wines that are well worth a look if you fancy something a bit exotic, like.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘Gewürz is an absolute hand-sell, and you have to spend a bit of money to get a good example. Riesling sells a lot more easily. Over the past three to five years there’s been more young people coming into wine, and guests are asking a lot of questions about Riesling. It’s considered quite a cool grape variety.’ Julian Bicknell, Hawksmoor Air Street

‘The Gewürzs overdelivered, the Rieslings underdelivered. The [Beblenheim Gewürz] was amazing for the price.’ Olivier Marie, team leader

“With Gewürz the balance of acidity is important – and these got it right.” Emily Bonsor, consultant sommelier