A lifted, fruit-forward style and great value for money propelled this to Gold, with team leader Andrea Briccarello describing a ‘clean style with good berry character – juicy on the palate, easy-drinking sour cherry fruit with notes of plum’. Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms noted ‘good acidity, fresh red cherry and a little herbal note with some tomato character’, while Vinoteca’s Charlie Young thought it ‘juicy, fresh and textured, with a good balance between fleshy ripeness and dryness’.

£6.70 Liberty Wines

Cavalry & Guards Club’s Andre Luis Martins liked this savoury Gold Lister’s ‘rich dark cherry and dark olive aromas, then a palate of sour cherry, a powerful meaty body yet elegant on the finish’, with team leader Annette Scarfe MW highlighting ‘lots of creamy vanilla oak on the nose, quite an ambitious wine but showing good traditional winemaking’. Simon Cassina of Winexponent was impressed with its ‘savoury style and pronounced palate packed with mature black berry fruit and tertiary complexity, a serious style’. ‘A match for fillet of venison with port sauce,’ concluded consultant sommelier Emily Bonsor.

£17.73 Matthew Clark

A fruity, floral style that left an impression on our judges, and earned this Gold. Neil Tabraham of Paris House noted an ‘aromatic nose of rose water, Turkish Delight and cranberry fruit, then light on the palate with powerful tannins’, while team leader Simon Woods found ‘delicate floral aromas, yet power and fruit on the palate with rose petals, tight tannins, but the gentle berry fruit is in balance’. Team leader Annette Scarfe MW appreciated ‘structured tannins giving texture and body’, while consultant sommelier Emily Bonsor recommended it be paired with melanzane parmigiana.

£11.59 Enotria&Coe

A ‘modern and vibrant style’, according to team leader Andrea Briccarello, who felt this Gold winner was ‘showing purity of blueberry and cranberry fruit, good tannins and balanced length’, while Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) found ‘freshness, with a little ageing, and there are some notes of coffee in with the dark berries on the palate’. Elly Owen of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall appreciated ‘red cherries, herbs and good oak, making this a great wine for lamb and hearty stews’.

£15.10 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘A serious wine with jammy red and black fruit on the nose, ripe but structured tannins with a complex and layered mid-palate,’ said team leader Annette Scarfe MW, with Plateau’s Federico Forte noting ‘plum and cherry, wood and green pepper leafy notes, showing ageing potential or decant to drink now’.

£51.50 Delitalia

‘Berries and dark fruit on the nose with light floral hints,’ began team leader Lionel Periner, who enjoyed its ‘depth of fruit flavours, smooth tannin and well-integrated oak finishing dry and long with spicy notes’.

£8.70 Boutinot

‘A hint of gamey character and sweet spices, a little floral on the finish with smooth texture and balanced tannins,’ said Corin Ireland of Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, with Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) noting: ‘Rich body and colour, still firm tannins with dark berry fruit richness and light roasted notes.’

£11.17 antonio castelnuovo wines

Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst) highlighted ‘some ageing and a grippy palate, but it retains freshness with some complexity on the palate’, and team leader Andrea Briccarello found ‘fruity savoury notes on the nose, good tannin structure and complexity on a vibrant palate with sour cherry and plum notes’.

£8.18 Eurowines

Team leader Lionel Periner found ‘forest fruit aromas and a hint of spice, full-bodied palate with plenty of acidity’, and fellow team leader Andrea Briccarello though that it ‘needs ageing or decanting, but is showing smoked fruits and savoury complexity, lots of extraction and concentration with intense oak notes and grippy tannins’.

£15.80 Eurowines

Andre Luis Martins of the Cavalry & Guards Club found ‘perfumed rose and floral aromas, sour cherry with fresh character on the palate and an elegant finish’, while Simon Cassina of Winexponent picked up ‘balsamic notes and hints of orange peel on the nose, blackcurrant and sweet cinnamon spices, though it’s light on the palate’.

£9.65 Alivini

‘Light yet meaty aromas on the nose, aromatic in style with incense spice notes, an interesting wine with grainy tannins and a long finish,’ said Neil Tabraham of Paris House.

£8.78 Matthew Clark

This was ‘a lovely expression of Sangiovese’ for team leader Annette Scarfe MW, who found ‘chalky tannins with bitter red cherry fruit, subtle and appealing’. Federico Forte of Plateau felt it was ‘very pleasant, showing good balance between fruitiness, acidity and body, and versatile with many foods’.

£14.00 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Classic bitter cherries with chalky tannins and savoury notes, with fresh, vibrant acidity,’ said team leader Annette Scarfe MW, with Simon Cassina of Winexponent adding: ‘Savoury and tannic, but so packed with fruit intensity and sense of its origins.’

£7.39 Boutinot

£27.61 Alivini

£14.51 Alivini

£9.51 Bibendum

£26.23 Eurowines

£11.95 Matthew Clark

£24.02 Enotria&Coe

£11.50 Eurowines

£15.25 Cantina Orsogna

£13.30 Eurowines

£8.12 antonio castelnuovo wines

£6.58 Molson Coors

£13.97 Cantina Orsogna

£9.13 Cantina Orsogna