A fruity and approachable style earned this blend the Gold. Team leader Martin Lam highlighted ‘notes of white pepper and jammy fruit on the nose, then a perfumed character on a rich and spicy, fresh fruit palate’, while consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates found it to be ‘peppery, with black fruit – bright, bold and very flavoursome’. This needs a dish like lamb shank with onion gravy, thought team leader Laurent Richet MS.

£6.96 Direct Wines Production

Bold, generous and concentrated, this was led straight to the Gold podium, as Hakkasan Group’s Olivier Gasselin praised it for being ‘juicy and supple – quite broad, but with fine structure, as well as good intensity’. ‘Mint-eucalyptus, bramble fruit and blackcurrant with coffee and chocolate on the palate,’ described consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates, with J Corey Evans of St Swithins Wine Shippers summing up: ‘Big black fruit, nice concentration, with tannins that are meant for food.’ Specifically, team leader Simon Woods saw this working equally well with hard cheeses or steak.

£7.69 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Calabria’s Durif took Gold for its beautiful blend of minerality and fruit. Neil Tabraham of Paris House found ‘plums, blackcurrant and liquorice, a smoky palate with cedar and a pencil lead finish’, while Charles Van Wyk of FJB Hotels highlighted ‘ripe notes of blueberry, blackcurrant, as well as a menthol, eucalyptus note, a wine with good concentration of flavour complemented by cedar spice, integrated tannins and a lengthy finish’. Team leader Olivier Marie praised its ‘rounded, supple tannins, showing some nice development, and leading to a savoury finish, making this a match for lamb shoulder’.

£8.50 Fuller's

‘This is a big boy, for sure, but there’s lovely blackberry fruit with a bit of spiciness, and it’s quite silky on the palate,’ began Adam Michocki of Chez Bruce in his praise of this Gold winner, while team leader Olivier Marie found ‘quality fruit, ripe and sweet, with fleshy texture, new oak presence and firm, grippy tannins’. Fellow team leader Laurent Richet MS thought it had a ‘lovely, intense and focused nose, with an earthy, iron edge – pair with rack of lamb and lentils’.

£15.18 Enotria&Coe

This Aussie Gold medal winner was ‘quite savoury on the nose with fresh cherry notes, and good structure on the palate, with dry tannins’, said team leader Sam Caporn MW, adding: ‘Feels very classically Italian.’ Fellow team leader Simon Woods thought it ‘supple and lush, plus some floral notes, with a dry finish, but lots of red fruit, too’. A partner for ‘rack of lamb with red wine jus’, concluded Hakkasan Group’s Olivier Gasselin

£17.29 Enotria&Coe

‘Aromatic!’ began Agustin Trapero of Avenue, continuing: ‘Pure cassis with black cherry aromas, opulent body with red flowers and a toasty finish; it needs decanting.’ ‘Huge weight of bottle,’ pointed out Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering, ‘big intensity of colour and tears on the glass, overall a big wine, very savoury and warm; love it!’

£13.88 Carson Wines

‘Fragrance, cassis and liquorice, blackcurrant and cherry on the nose, soft with well-polished tannins and a great finish,’ began Avenue’s Agustin Trapero, with Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering finding it a ‘big, opaque colour, clean, fresh and savoury style, terrific for all sorts of beef casseroles to spicy dishes’.

£10.70 Enotria&Coe

Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) found this was ready to drink, showing ‘dark stone fruits and some notes of tropical sweetness, well-integrated oak and soft tannins’, while Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms was very taken with its range of ‘ripe dark fruit and wild strawberry, very nice texture and tannins, with aromatic white pepper hints and a gamey, herbal finish’.

£20.15 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Team leader Olivier Marie felt this was ‘nicely made, from sound quality fruit, richly textured on the palate, ripe and fat with voluptuous tannins giving an overall opulence’. ‘Easy drinking, with strawberry, cherry and raspberry fruit, and good acidity,’ added Chez Bruce’s Sara Bachiorri.

£16.79 Matthew Clark

‘Juicy, ripe and rounded, this has fresh, vibrant berry and blackcurrant character, slight spice notes, length, though not complex but very fruity,’ said team leader Simon Woods, whereas Charles Van Wyk of FJB Hotels found ‘strawberry and raspberry, soft but present tannin and lovely refreshing acidity which lingers on the finish’.

£10.85 Majestic Commercial

‘Warm red fruits with hints of dark clove spice, some earthy notes on the palate with well-integrated tannins, this would go well with a range of foods,’ said Giancarlo Cuccuru of The Ned Hotel, consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates agreeing that its ‘slightly muted nose, opening to spice on a soft, jammy palate with nice tannins makes for easy drinking’.

£19.02 Direct Wines Production

Agustin Trapero of Avenue felt it was a ‘superb wine, ripe and jammy black fruit, plums and blackcurrant on the nose, rich and creamy on the palate with notes of cacao and full-fat milk, nice and smooth on the finish’. ‘Juicy and spicy, long and structured, delicious if expensive, but very good’ concluded team leader Laurent Richet MS.

£55.00 EWGA

‘Juicy, sun-drenched fruit style, with slightly stalky tannins but a rich, chocolatey finish,’ said J Corey Evans of St Swithins Wine Shippers, with team leader Tom Forrest finding ‘floral violet perfumes and red fruits, raspberry and strawberry on the palate with a touch of freshness and a juicy finish’.

£7.69 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Light, refreshing, lip-smacking wine, very good,’ began consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates, who enjoyed its ‘green pepper and crunchy red fruit’, with team leader Martin Lam noting an ‘evolved, ripe fruit nose, a palate that’s quite soft and balanced, showing signs of bottle evolution’.

£17.48 Matthew Clark

‘Juicy fruit, savoury with spicy oak and ripe tannins, in a mouthwatering style,’ said Raphael Thierry of Street XO, with Alessandro de Angelis of Jamavar finding it ‘smooth and rounded with soft tannins and some balsamic character’.

£9.10 Enotria&Coe

‘A warming wine that shows spicy black fruits on the nose and elegant, contrasting floral notes, with more attractive floral character on the palate and fresh fruit to finish,’ said team leader Tom Forrest, with consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates adding: ‘Sweet, juicy, mouthwatering and concentrated.’

£21.95 Akana Wines S.A.

‘Juicy and quite roasted character on the nose, round with firm tannins and ripe red fruits on the palate,’ began Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst), while Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms was very impressed with its ‘prunes, herbs and black fruit aromas, elegant palate with good integration and structure’.

£15.85 Akana Wines S.A.

‘Appealing ripe fruit nose with mint and cassis, thick texture on the palate, smoky and minerally with an underlying flavour of iron,’ said team leader Laurent Richet MS, who found it ‘lovely value for money, a good wine by the glass’. ‘Tasty, savoury, plummy wine with real depth and warmth,’ said Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering.

£6.45 Alliance Wine

Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms liked this wine’s ‘rich, ripe fruit with fresh herbs on the nose and minty character on the finish, with integrated silky tannins’, and team leader Andrea Briccarello found plenty of ‘intense, savoury, spicy and earthy complexity, with good notes of tobacco leaf’.

£11.26 Matthew Clark

‘Big colour and alcohol, delightful savoury flavours, a good match to game and spicy dishes – a hype wine!’ said Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering, while Agustin Trapero of Avenue found ‘ripe black fruit, almost dry, with prune and liquorice notes, touches of bitter chocolate and coffee beans’.

£15.41 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Team leader Sam Caporn MW found ‘distinct fruits of the forest aromas and a richly fruity palate with touches of baked apple – yum!’ ‘Menthol nose, very oaky, juicy and fresh,’ added Raphael Thierry of Street XO.

£7.32 Bibendum

‘Heavy bottle, mint-flavoured lamb with cumin and charcoal notes, complex,’ began team leader Laurent Richet MS, while Richard Brooks of Caroline Catering found it ‘earthy on the nose with an intense red fruit palate, very suited to gamey dishes and steaks and spice’.

£18.58 Bibendum

‘Subtle oak, well handled,’ began team leader Sam Caporn MW, continuing: ‘Fragrant, violets and cherry with blueberry on the palate, a well-made, good wine.’ ‘Smoky nose with floral touches, ripe fruit and cinnamon spice, mouthwatering,’ agreed Raphael Thierry of Street XO.

£13.00 Boutinot

‘Peppered meats and berry fruit on the nose, juicy palate with fine tannins and a long finish,’ said Neil Tabraham of Paris House, while Charles Van Wyk of FJB Hotels picked up ‘ripe dark cherry and red plum, eucalyptus and herbal character, concentrated with purity of fruit and complexity’.

£13.88 Tim Gramp Wines

‘A deep and dark colour, and a savoury nose with a touch of donkey poo aroma,’ specified Vinoteca’s Charlie Young, continuing: ‘Great palate of blue and red fruit, with softish but plentiful integrated tannins and a nice finish.’

£11.11 Bibendum

Tate Catering’s Hamish Anderson enjoyed its ‘lovely perfumed nose of flowers and red fruit, sweet and rich palate with strawberry jam and leather notes’, recommending it as ‘lovely with chargrilled meats’.

£21.09 Direct Wines Production

‘A fruit-basket nose of berries and strawberry, a touch jammy, but very rounded on the palate,’ said Arnaud Fiol of The Don Restaurant, with Marek Rakowski of Harbour Heights Hotel picking up ‘stewed plums and a pinch of cinnamon’.

£12.00 Enotria&Coe

‘Bright, with violets and plums, vanilla and spice, dry on the palate but long and clean with juicy fruit on the finish,’ said Neil Tabraham of Paris House, with Tim McLaughlin-Green of Sommelier’s Choice noting it was: ‘Purple, to say the least! Juicy, bright fruit, and it’s balanced, needs more time to emerge fully or decant well for drinking now.’

£17.40 Berkmann Wine Cellars

A unanimous choice with our judges, this showed ‘big potential’ for Marek Rakowski of Harbour Heights Hotel, with ‘a lot of tannins still needing to be integrated, but rich and complex cherries and plums, lots of brown spices and an appealing jammy character’.

£32.30 Enotria&Coe

Team leader Lionel Periner found a ‘full, dark, fruity style, with spices and coffee notes on the nose and more developed wood and burnt toast notes; full bodied, but nicely smoothed tannins and good balance on the palate, and more spicy notes on the finish’.

£34.99 Frederic Robinson

‘Creamy, spicy vanilla oak on the nose with ripe red and black berries,’ began team leader Tom Forrest, who also found some ‘big tobacco tannins and nice red fruits’ on the palate, while J Corey Evans of St Swithins Wine Shippers liked its ‘good meaty greenness and supple roundness – a nice wine that will age nicely’.

£10.68 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Arnaud Fiol of The Don Restaurant found ‘dried flowers on the nose, and a poised palate with well-integrated tannins’, and Vinoteca’s Charlie Young enjoyed its ‘lovely savoury, pure nose, full tannins and concentrated fruit, with acidity keeping the whole thing flowing – big!’

£17.60 Eurowines

Richard Allen of Adam’s Restaurant found ‘lots of dark spice and liquorice, combining well with the red fruit notes to provide a smoothly balanced and enjoyable wine’. ‘Intense, profound, with a lot of oak spice, a good effort,’ added team leader Olivier Marie.

£20.23 Enotria&Coe

‘Very inviting, bright and juicy style,’ began Giancarlo Cuccuru of The Ned Hotel, who found ‘a good bit of body, cooked red fruits, a touch of pepper and plums on the palate’, while consultant sommelier Rebecca Coates noted ‘rose and violet hints on a Morello cherry nose, and quaffably ripe, juicy fruit but with a very good finish’.

£15.64 Liberty Wines

A full and rich style, with Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms noting ‘gamey character, black cherry, hints of fresh cigars and fine integrated tannins’, and team leader Andrea Briccarello finding an ‘earthy, blueberry, soft, juicy core with a spicy cedar mid-palate character’.

£17.95 Daniel Lambert Wines

£11.83 Matthew Clark

£15.75 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£11.84 Liberty Wines

£18.28 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£9.75 Enotria&Coe

£8.37 Bibendum

£7.89 Liberty Wines

£15.55 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£8.51 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£18.81 Bibendum

£10.04 Boutinot

£29.46 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£19.55 Matthew Clark

£7.00 Fuller's

£20.58 Barwell & Jones

£13.83 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£10.04 Hatch Mansfield

£14.44 Hatch Mansfield

£35.00 Hispamerchants Ltd

£7.81 Hatch Mansfield

£11.52 Bibendum

£12.45 Laytons

£15.54 Liberty Wines

£10.24 Enotria&Coe

£15.41 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

£10.00 Bibendum

£9.76 Bibendum