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Winner Details

RIESLING: REST OF THE NEW WORLD

2018 Gold 2       Silver 6                Bronze 1              Commended 1
2017 Gold 2       Silver 3                Bronze 0              Commended 4

How do you like your Riesling? Dry? Medium? Rather sweet? Linear? Fuller flavoured? Citrusy? Petrolly? Well, whatever your predilection, there is something for you in this lot. While the Aussies seem to have nailed their Riesling style, New Zealand, in particular, is a bit all over the place. Not in a bad way – there’s plenty of good wine – but it can be disconcerting for both somms and customers.

That, though, was the only negative in this section, which had lots of nice stuff and pricing that, for the most part, was very good. We found a wonderful spread of medals here from not much above house wine to the Konstantin ‘Godfather of Finger Lakes’ Frank at £16.

Big shout out to Apaltagua, too – its Zapallar Reserva Riesling made Gold for the second year on the trot – a superb performance for that price.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘In the rest of the New World they’re more into dry Riesling, but nowadays New Zealand is trying to copy the German off-dry style. And that’s a good thing.’ Erik Simonics, La Dame de Pic at Four Seasons

‘A consumer might look here for freshness, but the flight we tasted was a mix of kerosene and off-dry styles. I think that off-dry style is particularly marketable. People often look to New Zealand now because it’s trendy, so I think these would stand out on a wine list.’ Piers Gibson-Birch, Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa

‘These Rieslings from New Zealand are slightly distinct from the others, with fresher and riper citrus fruits. They were quite expensive, but when Riesling is good you pay for it.’ Joseph Lunn, Suave Wine

Award winners

Found 10 wines

New World: Riesling

Framingham, Classic, Riesling 2015, Marlborough, New Zealand

Gold medal winner

Judges were full of praise for this Gold Lister that was, according to team leader Annette Scarfe MW, ‘zesty, with lovely acidity and good typicity, showing some appealing lemon and lime notes’, while Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa identified some ‘petrol notes, with balanced acidity’. James Fryer of Woodhead 17 went on to describe a ‘Nashi plum skin prickle and electric acid, with a lemon balm finish’.

£10.50 Liberty Wines

Apaltagua, Zapallar, Reserva, Riesling 2017, Curicó Valley, Chile

Gold medal winner

Scooping up a well-deserved Gold medal, this versatile Riesling was praised for its ‘floral nose leading to a light, lemony palate, with acidity on the palate that’s reminiscent of sherbet’, began Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa, concluding that this was ‘a fresh style that is truly pleasing’. ‘Crisp, light and balanced, with tropical and citrus notes,’ added impressed freelance sommelier Julio Iglesias.

£7.00 Davy's Wine Merchants

Framingham, F-Series, Old Vine, Riesling 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand

Silver medal winner

For team leader Annette Scarfe MW, this was made in a ‘creamy, off-dry style, with good concentration of honeyed fruit, and a long finish’, while fellow team leader Sam Caporn MW liked the ‘blossom and citrus-scented aroma, with a lovely, well-balanced palate’.

£15.83 Liberty Wines

Dr Konstantin Frank, Dry Riesling 2015, Finger Lakes, New York State, USA

Silver medal winner

‘An aromatic style of Riesling, with pleasant sweetness on the palate, complemented by great freshness,’ thought Erik Simonics of La Dame de Pic at Four Seasons, with Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa finding ‘flower-soaked gasoline leading to an off-dry palate, balanced by some fresh acidity’.

£16.85 Matthew Clark

Ceres, Black Rabbit, Riesling 2017, Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand

Silver medal winner

Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa thought this Central Otago Riesling was ‘medium sweet, but with some fresh acidity, too’, while Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine enjoyed ‘pineapple, guava and other tropical fruit notes’.

£15.24 Matthew Clark

Charles Smith, Kung Fu Girl, Riesling 2016, Washington State, USA

Silver medal winner

‘An off-dry style with a lovely spritz on the palate, and with a lemon sherbet note,’ said team leader Annette Scarfe MW, with Piers Gibson-Birch of Wernher Restaurant at Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa appreciating a combination of ‘floral notes and sweetness’.

£12.65 Bibendum

Spy Valley, Riesling 2015, Marlborough, New Zealand

Silver medal winner

‘An interesting, layered wine, with petrol and plum notes,’ said team leader Sam Caporn MW of this Marlborough Riesling, while James Fryer of Woodhead 17 described ‘floral, jasmine notes and gasoline on the nose, leading to some straightforward lemon notes on the palate’.

£12.40 Bibendum

Spioenkop, Riesling 2015, Elgin, South Africa

Silver medal winner

This South African Riesling had, according to Suave Wine’s Joseph Lunn, ‘some ageing characteristics, as well as some petillance, and nice balance of fruit’, while team leader Annette Scarfe MW liked its ‘varietal typicity, with grapefruit notes, and a long finish’, adding that this was ‘Alsatian in style’.

£13.68 Boutinot

Emiliana, Novas, Gran Reserva, Riesling 2016, Bío Bío Valley, Chile

Bronze medal winner

‘Typical Riesling notes, accompanied by fresh acidity, and at a great price,’ summarised Erik Simonics of La Dame de Pic at Four Seasons. Team leader Annette Scarfe MW agreed, calling this ‘a good expression, showing typicity – a well-balanced, dry style of wine’.

£6.39 Boutinot

Stratus, Charles Baker, Picone, Riesling 2012, Niagara Peninsula, Canada

Commended medal winner

£17.12 Bibendum