England
2017 Gold: 3 Silver: 4 Bronze: 3 Commended: 7
2016 Gold: 1 Silver: 3 Bronze: 4 Commended: 9
When New World winemakers talk about cool climate, they usually mean ‘somewhere that’s less bakingly hot’, rather than ‘somewhere where it can be literally impossible to get the grapes to ripen in certain years’. This, though, isn’t the case for the UK – probably the most vintage-sensitive of all the countries in this year’s competition.
Happily, Britain is on a run of good vintages, with 2014 elegant, 2015 excellent and 2016 rumoured to be at the ‘eminently decent old boy’ end of things, too. The result? A lovely mix of medals here, with our first ever Red Gold and a string of decent, attractive, hedgerow-scented Bacchus whites warbling away in the background.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘I was very impressed with the flight: fresh, easy-drinking palate pleasers that match beautifully with food. It’s fun to show visitors what the UK can do outside of sparkling wines.’ Stefan Kobald, Jason Atherton Group
‘English wines are a hard sell. You can get better wines from other countries for the price.’ Michael Fiducia, Coworth Park Ascot
‘The whites are very spring-like in their freshness: green fruit and gentle aromatics.’
Jade Koch, team leader ‘I was surprised in a good way by the backbone, the structure, the acidity and the intensely fruity character of the whites. For their quality, the price is very reasonable.’ Stamatis Iseris, The Strathearn at The Gleneagles Hotel
‘UK wineries don’t necessarily need to sell in the on-trade, they have a cellar door, which makes more sense commercially.’ Matthieu Longuère MS, Le Cordon Bleu London