Portugal: Red, Douro
2016 Gold: 2 Silver: 4 Bronze: 1 Commended: 9
2015 Gold: 4 Silver: 4 Bronze: 1 Commended: 5
Asking someone about their attitude to tannin, is rather like asking them how gung-ho they are with investments? Are they tannin averse? Skin contact confident? Or perhaps they prefer a balanced option. Such things matter with Douro reds, where the ability to strip tooth enamel is very much part of the conversation. Key to success seemed to be the ability to pair the ‘grunt’ with a bit of floral perfume and plenty of fruit.
Since the Douro is not a cheap place to make wine, there were slim pickings sub-£10. But our tasters worked on the assumption that, since this is a hand-sell area anyway, they might as well go long when it came to pricing, and none of the cheaper wines got past Silver.
Four Golds here last year was, frankly, slightly indulgent, so this year’s drop to two should be seen less as a failure and more as a return to normality. A bit like returning home after a week in a posh hotel and realising that you still have to do the washing up occasionally.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘To get something that’s really ready to drink you probably need to pay quite a lot. Are guests willing to pay £40-£50 on a list? I’m not sure.’ Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn
‘They were well structured and well made. The tannins were mostly velvety, only one or two were a bit chunkier.’ Damon Little, Restaurant Nathan Outlaw
‘Many of these were a bit too hard. They’d get better in two to three years, but that’s not a lot of use to a restaurant.’ Ed Verrill, Vinoteca King’s Cross
‘If someone asked me for a Malbec, I’d offer them this as an option. It’s fresher and more interesting. Great for an asado or a Sunday roast.’ Piotr Tomaszewski, JKS Restaurants