Exceptional value like this could only be rewarded with Gold. This remarkably priced wine exemplified a ‘relaxed style’, according to team leader Simon Woods, who went on to describe it as having ‘gentle, juicy berry fruit with a light, jammy edge – a perfect match for lasagne’. Charles Pashby-Taylor of Dabbous highlighted its characters of ‘smoked meats with ripe raspberry and cherry fruit’, while Dario Barbato of Individual Restaurants enjoyed its ‘nice, fresh fruit style on the nose with dusty tannins and good acidity on the palate’.

£5.83 Hatch Mansfield

Another versatile and great value offering from Rioja, earning the category another Gold. Team leader Simon Woods was impressed by this wine’s excellent ‘balance and dry tannins, as well as an appealing mint note’, while Alessandro de Angelis of Jamavar loved the ‘freshness on the palate, with crunchy cherry fruit and some grippy tannins’. For Robert Mason of Cheese at Leadenhall, there was ‘bramble fruit, charred wood and charcuterie notes with a floral character, good body, depth and intensity, finishing with a finesse’.

£6.16 Majestic Commercial

Finding a traditional style, as well as some maturity, judges elevated this to Gold. Team leader Simon Woods found it to be ‘gentle and ripe, with big structure but good fresh, vibrant and plummy berry and spices behind’, while Julien Sahut of Sexy Fish identified ‘coffee, chocolate, green pepper and a spicy finish’. J Corey Evans of St Swithins Wine Shippers praised ‘a nutty, meaty, chocolate and dark fruit expression’.

£22.90 Bibendum

Judges singled this out for Gold for its freshness and approachability. ‘Elegant with light menthol and a pleasing finish, and very easy to drink,’ began Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky, with team leader Simon Woods also noting ‘juicy dark berry and redcurrant aromas, then a lively and ripe palate’. Fellow team leader Annette Scarfe MW praised ‘dark cherries and plums, with refreshing acidity and a clean and precise finish – lovely with suckling pig’.

£7.50 Boutinot

This was ‘well structured and balanced’, according to Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky, with ‘savoury stalky notes and pleasing hints of menthol’, while Ivan Ruiz of Wright Brothers noted its ‘full body, bold and powerful style, sandy tannins with warming alcohol and oak emerging on the finish, with a freshening hint of mint’.

£19.53 Matthew Clark

There was ‘great, rich fruit to start, leading to some tertiary elements on the finish’, felt Ivan Ruiz of Wright Brothers, while Luciana Girotto-Beckett of Macellaio RC found ‘raspberry fruit on a clean nose, slightly smoky on the palate but nice freshness with plummy dark chocolate character’, and team leader Laurent Richet MS highlighted ‘earthy vanilla with cherries, plum and cedar, lovely complexity with elegant tannin structure’.

£8.35 Hayward Bros (Wines) Ltd

Julien Sahut of Sexy Fish enjoyed its ‘floral, honeysuckle aromas, and rich, creamy, oily texture’, and team leader Simon Woods noted ‘big oak, but a herby edge and nice ginger notes balancing the fruit, with a slightly bitter note on the finish’.

£7.03 Boutinot

Harry Crowther of M Wine Store felt this achieved a ‘nice balance between its oxidative notes and freshness of fruit, showing sour cherry and refreshing acidity, if a touch of reduction’, and team leader Martin Lam found it ‘dark, with a nicely concentrated fruit nose, extracted palate with oak notes on the finish’.

£6.95 Boutinot

‘Silky black fruits on a seductive nose, a big kick of sweetness from the oak but good focus on the finish,’ said an impressed Harry Crowther of M Wine Store, while team leader Martin Lam found a ‘liqueur cherry nose, all parts integrated on the palate, and despite its age, this wine is still a baby, and needs decanting for consumption now’.

£23.11 Matthew Clark

‘Old school richness on the palate, but bright fruit and creamy American oak,’ began team leader Martin Lam, with Harry Crowther of M Wine Store also noting ‘soft vanilla, oak and cedar nose, nice focus and mouthfeel, with good integration’.

£11.30 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Team leader Simon Woods found this a ‘complete wine that’s juicy, with good grip and a deep, creamy, fruity palate’, while Julien Sahut of Sexy Fish highlighted its ‘green apple freshness with a contrasting vegetal note on the palate’.

£9.42 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

Team leader Olivier Marie was pleased with its ‘fresh and youthful primary fruit character, clearly not overworked, lovely tannins with well-balanced alcohol, then a pleasant and fresh finish’. ‘Subtle oak and spice, bright on the palate with a lively, pleasing fruity finish,’ agreed Neil Tabraham of Paris House.

£9.91 Bibendum

‘Fresh crunchy fruit with leathery tertiary aromas, tobacco leaves, and wet earthy and leathery notes on the finish, too, with chalky tannic character,’ said team leader Olivier Marie, with Dario Barbato of Individual Restaurants also noting its ‘good plush red fruit and light floral notes, with great balance’.

£7.40 Bibendum

For Neil Tabraham of Paris House it was ‘fruity and concentrated, with spicy leathery notes, a grippy palate and a juicy cherry finish’, while team leader Olivier Marie felt it was a ‘classic crianza style, with medium intensity of fruit, earthy tannins and a chalky note on the finish’.

£10.23 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

A ‘clean, new generation style wine’, began team leader Laurent Richet MS, remarking on its ‘very bright fruit aromas with hints of new oak’, while Robert Mason of Cheese at Leadenhall was surprised to find ‘German sausage, herbal thyme and rosemary aromas, with some red fruits, opening to myriad smoked herbs, red and black fruits with lots of sweet spices’, adding: ‘Great now, if decanted, but will improve over 2-3 years.’

£9.50 Enotria&Coe

‘A lot of wine for the price,’ began approving team leader Laurent Richet MS, noting its ‘earthy, smoky, dark plum and black cherries, high oak treatment on the nose and palate, gamey leather and cedar with prunes and a sharp note of acidity’. ‘Good intensity, slightly peppery but precise,’ added Hakkasan Group’s Olivier Gasselin.

£5.83 The Haciendas - Company, Ltd. (UK)

‘Ripe, gentle and generous, slightly baked blackcurrant and blackberry fruit flavours with good tannin balance,’ said team leader Simon Woods, with Scott Levy of Smith & Wollensky noting ‘plummy iron notes on the nose with some bitter cherry notes on the palate’, and Ivan Ruiz of Wright Brothers picked up on some ‘star anise and blackcurrant leaf character’.

£5.70 Majestic Commercial

‘Some toastiness on the nose, good acidity and firm tannins with balanced extraction and medium body on the palate, a good food wine at a good price,’ said Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst).

£6.51 Boutinot

‘Starts out light on the first sip, but it grows as it warms up in the mouth,’ observed Jacopo Mazzeo of The Pig Hotel (Brockenhurst), also noting its ‘balanced richness and woody finish, but good value, too’. ‘Vibrant fruits with farmyardy hints and grainy tannin, long, dark and spicy on the finish,’ added Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£14.99 House of Townend

Ivan Ruiz of Wright Brothers found ‘great acidity, expressive plum and dark fruits, a nice touch of maturity yet still clean on the palate with softened tannins and a herbaceous edge to the fruit’, while Christopher Delalonde MS of Bleeding Heart Group highlighted its ‘classic, savoury appeal with hints of roasting juices and spices from the oak, an unctuous mid-palate with elegance’.

£15.32 Hatch Mansfield

Charles Pashby-Taylor of Dabbous found ‘fresh, fruity aromas, plum and cherry on the palate with a slight herbaceous note and a nice little hint of brett’, while Ivan Ruiz of Wright Brothers found lots to like, describing a ‘rich and complex wine that is expressive of its region’. He praised its soft tannins, making it an ideal partner for a charcuterie board.

£8.75 Templar Wines , Connoisseur Estates

‘Lots of sweet spice, game notes with pink peppercorns and bright red fruit on the nose, drying on the palate with oak and grape tannins, and certainly requires a steak,’ said Robert Mason of Cheese at Leadenhall.

£8.66 Matthew Clark

‘A clean nose, fruity yet spicy with good balance on the palate and a long, juicy finish,’ said Neil Tabraham of Paris House, with Dario Barbato of Individual Restaurants enjoying its ‘good, ripe fruit with a pleasant acidic structure, some smokiness and rounded tannins’, and Charles Pashby-Taylor of Dabbous highlighting its ‘pleasant blackcurrant jam finish’.

£9.50 Enotria&Coe

Harry Crowther of M Wine Store found this wine’s ‘vanilla, peppery nose and cracked black pepper on the finish with lovely structure’ very appealing, while Street XO’s Raphael Thierry highlighted its ‘herbal nose, good cherry and strawberry fruit, juicy tannins and a touch of cedar on the finish’.

£5.75 Cambridge Wine Merchants

£19.34 Matthew Clark

£6.33 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£5.95 Fuller's

£10.84 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£11.30 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£9.22 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£13.26 Matthew Clark

£8.95 Liberty Wines

£7.83 Liberty Wines

£6.59 Liberty Wines

£10.99 House of Townend

£7.68 Bibendum

£19.92 Bibendum

£6.50 Hayward Bros (Wines) Ltd

£8.75 Templar Wines , Connoisseur Estates

£10.02 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£8.00 EWGA

£5.95 Fuller's

£4.64 C&D Wines

£14.67 Matthew Clark

£10.53 Bibendum

£6.35 Society of Vintners

£6.80 Cambridge Wine Merchants