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Winner Details

House Wine: Rosé

2018  GOLD: 1             SILVER: 4         BRONZE: 3       COMMENDED: 5
2017  GOLD: 3             SILVER: 2         BRONZE: 3       COMMENDED: 2

There are few categories in the Sommelier Wine Awards that are approached with trepidation by our judges – they’ve even learned to like Pinotage down the years. But this is one of them. While it’s relatively straightforward to make half-decent white and red wines to a budget, rosé is a different story entirely. We’ve had some dreadful years in this category in the past.

This, hearteningly, was not one of them. While there was only one Gold (Badet Clement’s La Cour des Dames stepping up a notch from its Silver last year) our tasters were not horrified by what they found and medalled rosés in a variety of styles, including a white Zin. Yes. Sommeliers gave a medal to a blush Californian…

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘At this price you want wines that people can have without food.’ Nigel Lister, team leader

‘There’s a place for blush wines in pubs and brasseries. These wines have a target group.’ Andre Luis Martins, Cavalry & Guards Club

‘When you’re choosing a house rosé, the cost and the colour are two of the main things, especially during the summer.’ Charles Pashby-Taylor, consultant

‘There were several wines where we were quite divided – it begs the question “what are we looking for in a rosé?” I think we all have our own thing that we’re looking for. Customers never ask what it is – they just drink it because it’s rosé. But they do ask what colour it is.’ Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn

‘House wine is one of the hardest categories. You want a wine that says something about you as a restaurant.’ Jade Koch, team leader

Award winners

Found 13 wines

House Wine: Rosé - <£6 ex-VAT

Badet Clément, La Cour des Dames, Grenache Rosé, Pays d'Oc 2017, Languedoc, France

Gold medal winner Pub & Bar

‘Really charming aromas of candied fruits with good structure on the juicy, refreshing palate’ was enough to earn this Gold, according to Rémi Cousin of Le Gavroche. ‘A good house wine style,’ thought team leader Martin Lam, who described this as ‘the palest pink-salmon colour, with a pear drop nose and quite pure fruit aromatics’, while The Vine Eno Gastro Pub’s Tatiana Mann praised this as ‘elegant, with some good minerality’.

£5.69 Molson Coors

Boutinot, Fide et Arte, Les Cerisiers, Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2016, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

For team leader Martin Lam, this Rhône rosé had a ‘substantial, quite full palate with some redcurrant notes’, while The Vine Eno Gastro Pub’s Tatiana Mann liked its ‘dry style – chalky and refreshing – with a saltiness, too’.

£5.99 Boutinot

Adria Vini, Piattini, Pinot Grigio Rosé, Provincia di Pavia 2017, Lombardy, Italy

Silver medal winner

For team leader Nigel Lister, this Pinot Grigio Rosé was ‘floral, light and fresh’, while consultant Chantal Serrano described ‘red berries and spice’ and suggested this was ‘paired with ceviche’. ‘Delicate red fruit, with a crisp, zesty finish,’ added Debbie Warner of Wild Wine Club, concluding that it was ‘good for the price’.

£5.09 Boutinot

Kavaklıdere, Lâl, Rosé 2017, Aegean, Turkey

Silver medal winner

‘A very good wine for summer,’ began The Don’s Carlos Ferreira, describing ‘strawberries and cherries on the nose, leading to a fruity palate with good acidity – and all at a good price, too’, while The Vine Eno Gastro Pub’s Tatiana Mann summarised it as ‘refreshing, pure and vibrant’.

£4.68 Tees

Adria Vini, Ancora, Chiaretto, Monferrato 2017, Piedmont, Italy

Silver medal winner

‘Great freshness,’ began team leader Andrea Briccarello, describing notes of ‘grapefruit, strawberries and cherries’, while The Harrow at Little Bedwyn’s Sue Jones thought this ‘shy on the nose, but rich on the palate’. Consultant Chantal Serrano summed it up as ‘subtle, refreshing and elegant’.

£4.94 Boutinot

Boutinot, Another Story, White Zinfandel, Rosé 2016, California, USA

Bronze medal winner

‘Strawberry notes, as well as some grassiness on the nose, too,’ began Tatiana Mann of The Vine Eno Gastro Pub, who enjoyed ‘creamy strawberry and herbal notes on the palate, with good length – a good choice for a pub wine list’.

£5.38 Boutinot

Bartolomeo Breganze, Le Colline di San Giorgio, Pinot Grigio Rosato 2017, Veneto, Italy

Bronze medal winner

‘A good, commercial style’ thought Debbie Warner of Wild Wine Club, while team leader Nigel Lister described this as ‘gentle, aromatic and balanced’ with ‘soft red fruits and nice acidity’ contributing to what consultant Chantal Serrano thought would be a good match for fish and chips.

£5.94 Majestic Commercial

Félix Solís Avantis, Casa Albali, Garnacha Rosé 2017, Valdepeñas, Spain

Bronze medal winner

‘Lots of cherry and stone fruits,’ according to The Don’s Carlos Ferreira, who liked this wine’s ‘mineral notes, and good acidity’, resulting in what he thought would be ‘a good wine for a barbecue’. ‘Tropical fruit and strawberries, as well as some grassiness,’ added Glasshouse’s Arletta Mala.

£5.95 Matthew Clark

Famille Helfrich, Parlez-Vous La Loire, Cabernet Franc/Grolleau 2017, Loire , France

Commended medal winner

Borsao, Rosado 2017, Campo de Borja, Spain

Commended medal winner

£4.95 Boutinot

Les Coteaux du Rhône, Rosé d'Orange, Méditerranée 2017, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

Cartafina, Masseo, Pinot Grigio Blush 2016, Umbria , Italy

Commended medal winner

Concha y Toro, Coldwater Creek, Rosé 2017, California, USA

Commended medal winner

£5.40 CyT UK