A friendly, fruit-filled character propelled this straight to Gold. Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair enjoyed its ‘cherry and prune fruit complexity on the nose, lovely, approachable palate with lively tannin and good length’, while team leader Lionel Periner noted ‘red fruit and berries, smooth tannin and light body with a juicy finish’. Vinoteca’s Charlie Young identified ‘black fruit and black pepper, with good freshness, texture and spice – drink with anything barbecue’.

£6.85 Carlsberg UK

‘Rich dark-fruit aromas, leading to cherries on the palate, with velvety texture and soft tannin,’ began Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair in praise of this Gold winner, while team leader Lionel Periner noted ‘dark fruit, spices, coffee and toast notes on an elegant nose, and a dry and complex palate, well balanced and spicy with a full, long finish’. Stamatis Iseris of The Strathearn at The Gleneagles Hotel liked ‘pronounced red and black fruit combined with sweet spices and black pepper, velvet tannins and a long, savoury finish’, making this perfect, he thought, for ‘lamb shoulder or venison’.

£19.34 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot enjoyed this Gold winner’s ‘lifted, opulent fruit, sweet liquorice spice and a good fresh line of acidity running through’, while Stamatis Iseris of The Strathearn at The Gleneagles Hotel appreciated ‘spicy, sweet red fruit with firm, velvet tannins and an elegant, lingering finish’. James Hocking of The Vineyard Group noted its ‘deep, dark, dense fruit on the nose, with a core of earthy spice on the palate, which would go well with game or various dark meats’.

£16.04 Liberty Wines

This fruit-forward Gold winner was full of ‘red berries, toasty, fresh and fruity aromas’ for Hakkasan Group’s Diana Rollan, who also found ‘plenty of fruit, richer notes of black olive and earth, big tannins and fleshy black fruit on the finish’. ‘Structured, full-bodied wine, needs time,’ added team leader Laurent Richet MS, while Matthieu Longuère MS of Le Cordon Bleu London described this as ‘modern and well made, with tannins framed by sweet oak notes’.

£13.89 Top Selection Ltd

‘A more Bordeaux style’, began team leader Laurent Richet MS, noting its ‘lovely leathery spices, cassis, cedar and slight green capsicum note’, while Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky enjoyed its ‘big, meaty character with underlying fruit, mineral hints and good concentration’.

£29.85 Liberty Wines

‘Quite developed on the nose, with some stewed red and black fruit notes,’ began Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous, while Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair felt it had ‘velvety, rich soft tannins and good structure’. ‘Mint, dark fruit and cacao, berries and oak with floral hints,’ added team leader Lionel Periner.

£15.65 Matthew Clark

‘Red fruits, perfumed rose notes and peppermint with smoke on the nose,’ began team leader Laurent Richet MS, who found ‘salty mineral, meaty characters, plum and black cherry fruit and high tannin’ on the palate. ‘Quite elegant with nice sour red fruit, good structure and balance,’ added Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky.

£14.58 Bibendum

Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous was impressed with its ‘earthy and natural style, with sour cherry and black raspberry on the nose, pleasantly green tannin background with more juicy cherry fruit’, while team leader Lionel Periner highlighted ‘berry fruit and classic Garrigue herbal notes’.

£8.14 Bibendum

Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot enjoyed its ‘wonderfully opulent nose, dark fruit medley and sandalwood, with fleshy opulence on a smooth palate’, and Andre Luis Martins of the Cavalry & Guards Club noted ‘fresh raspberry fruit with light herbal aromas, jammy raspberry and cinnamon brûlée on the palate’.

£14.33 Majestic Commercial

Team leader Martin Lam found a ‘sappy, herbal, black olive nose, with a structured, perfumed, quite elegant palate’, and for Coworth Park Ascot’s Michael Fiducia it was a ‘deep, brooding wine with structured dark fruit and soft, elegant wood spice notes’.

£22.16 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Cassis and bell pepper on the nose, and a palate full of black and white pepper character,’ said Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous, adding that this wine will benefit from further cellaring or decanting to be drunk now. Team leader Lionel Periner found ‘red berry and floral notes, velvet tannins and a dry, spicy finish’.

£28.15 Liberty Wines

‘Very pleasant, ripe berry flavours, gourmand style that’s nicely balanced with a long finish,’ began Yohann Pinol of Wiltons, with Sushi Samba’s Maurizio Palomba highlighting ‘black olives and prune on the nose, with good intensity on the palate’.

£11.66 Enotria&Coe

A light, juicy, approachable red, which our judging panel found appealingly fruity with red cherry fruit, soft tannin support and easy-drinking freshness on the mid-palate.

£6.05 Majestic Commercial

Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair enjoyed its ‘beautiful nose of red berries and herbs, and a rich and soft palate with good length’, while team leader Lionel Periner noted ‘dark, cooked fruits, dry and complex palate with notes of cacao, juicy fruit and spice’.

£6.14 Molson Coors

Sushi Samba’s Maurizio Palomba noted its ‘sweet, spicy fruit character and full, weighty palate with ripe tannins and moreish acidity’, while Yohann Pinol of Wiltons also enjoyed its ‘good, fruity style and spicy balance’.

£5.01 Molson Coors

‘Red fruit nose, with fragrant notes of sour cherry and raspberry tart, light toasty oak touches on a rich palate with soft tannin and some darker tones,’ said Gaetano Giangaspero of Coya Mayfair. ‘Versatile character, but needs a little more time for the oak to integrate fully on the finish,’ added Charles Ashby-Taylor of Dabbous.

£17.11 Matthew Clark

Full of ‘delicate red fruit, good acidity and mineral balance with a salty character on the palate’, said Gabriel Liotta of Hakkasan Hanway Place, with team leader Jade Koch noting ‘bitter chocolate and blackcurrant notes, big and waxy style, could benefit from a little time’.

£15.65 Matthew Clark

‘Crunchy red fruit, delicious juicy character and acidity, and extremely good value,’ said an impressed James Hocking of The Vineyard Group, while team leader Martin Lam found ‘lifted, bright fruit, fresh and simple style with a slightly dry finish’.

£4.20 Kingsland

Team leader Laurent Richet MS admired its ‘lovely balance, with rich tannin structure and ripe fruit’, while Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky noted ‘redcurrants with hints of leather and perfumed notes, sharp sour cherry on the palate and bold tannins’.

£12.45 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

‘Rich and ripe on the nose, followed by a toasty palate with silky tannins, well balanced and pleasant to drink,’ said Yohann Pinol of Wiltons.

£6.49 The Oxford Wine Company

£6.39 Boutinot

£10.25 Bibendum

£8.21 Enotria&Coe

£7.69 Enotria&Coe

£8.74 Bibendum

£7.95 Bibendum

£9.63 Bibendum

£9.13 Boutinot

£12.70 Liberty Wines

£5.02 Direct Wines Production

£16.42 Domaine Jones

£11.54 Boutinot