Spain: Duero Valley, including Rueda
2016 Gold: 8 Silver: 12 Bronze: 5 Commended: 7
2015 Gold: 6 Silver: 11 Bronze: 0 Commended: 10
The winemaking regions running along and around the Duero have caught fire in this competition over the past few years: four Golds in 2014 became six last year and a record-breaking eight in 2016.
The whites were, broadly speaking, consistent and attractive rather than genuinely exciting – wines that will turn up, do a decent day’s work and go home. They might not engage you much in conversation, but they’re not too demanding or annoying either. It was probably significant, however, that our one white Gold this year had a bit of ‘new Rioja’ barrel work…
The reds, however, were a different story, winning over large numbers of our tasters who, presumably, weren’t afraid of a bit of oak, fruit and tannin in their glass of vino collapso. It’s clearly a style that, when done well, resonates with customers, too.
Generally speaking, it was all about Toro under £10, with lots of good-value bottles on show, moving into the more ambitious offerings from Cigales and, particularly, Ribera del Duero above this level. The multi-regional La Unica (that traditional Ribera/Toro/Rioja combination) was one of the more unusual wines to have made it on to our Gold List down the years.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘The whites are summery, glass-on-the-lawn sort of wines.’ Richard Brooks, Caroline Catering
‘Even though the reds were powerful wines, they were balanced, with good freshness, and the oak was well integrated, too. They are good mostly for slightly older customers.’ Georgi Mihov, Bohemia Bar and Restaurant
‘They’re not quite as turbocharged as Malbec – full bodied but with a bit more European structure.’ Frédéric Jean-YvesBillet, Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa
‘At the cheaper end a lot of the whites tasted the same.’ Tobias Brauweiler MW, Hakkasan Group
‘I thought these were great – more fruit driven than Rioja, but with that same Tempranillo fruit. In the last year, people have started. We don’t even need to put them on By The Glass. They just walk out the door.’ Mya Brown, The Ledbury
‘The reds are big wines, but I didn’t find much in the way of complexity. No layers, just fruit, tannin…’ Mark Gurney, Cafe Murano
‘I was looking for intensity and richness, and that’s what I found. The big question was the silkiness or astringency of tannin. Some gripped in the right way and others didn’t.’ Alex Cooper, Haymarket Hotel
‘These kind of reds go well with the American tastes – people who like big fruit and big wines. It’s a nice interpretation of Tempranillo, though personally I find Rioja ages rather more elegantly.’ Gabriele Galuppo, Theo Randall at the InterContinental
FOOTNOTE: Includes wines from Rueda, Cigales, Toro & Ribera del Duero.