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Winner Details

House Wines: Red

2018  GOLD: 8             SILVER: 15        BRONZE: 12      COMMENDED: 25
2017  GOLD: 9             SILVER: 17        BRONZE: 14      COMMENDED: 33

The same price (if not frost) issues that affected the white entry also curtailed the performance of the House Reds this year. While the total number of medals was down on last year it wasn’t because our tasting teams hated what they were seeing, but more that they simply didn’t get the same number of entries to pick from as last year. Overall, the feedback was very positive about the wines on show.

Interestingly, while last year’s Golds were dominated by the New World, this year it was Iberia’s turn to shine, though there was something reassuring about seeing the Concha y Toro Merlot back in the top medals. It’s been a reliably good performer down the years.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘House wine is still a massive thing for us, especially out in the suburbs – it’s two-thirds of our sales at lunchtime. The £25-£20 range is where it’s at. These are right in that sweet spot.’ James Fryer, Woodhead 17

‘These were very modern: delicate, but plush wines. The ones that got medals were nicely concentrated with great fruit character.’ Adam Michocki, Glasshouse

‘You get the worst and the best at this price point.’ Olivier Gasselin, Hakkasan

‘Whatever your policy on house wines is, they should at the very least be eminently drinkable, and these generally fulfilled that brief very well. They weren’t just made on a lab bench.’ Martin Lam, team leader

‘As the prices went up, they really improved with that extra pound. With some I was struggling to guess the grape, but I suppose that doesn’t really come into it with house red, provided they’re approachable.’ Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn

‘It’s important that you have flavour and length, that people will want more than one glass.’ Charlie Young, Vinoteca

‘A bit of sweetness at this level can be a good thing.’ Markus Dilger, Dilger Sommelier Selection

‘The first wines ticked boxes for us as tasters, and also for those looking for a glass of wine. Completely inoffensive but well made. Some had faults but in general I’m impressed with the under £6 bracket – they’re getting better.’ Angela Reddin, team leader

Award winners

Found 60 wines

House Wine: Red - <£6 ex-VAT

Sivipa, Terras do Sado, Tinto 2017, Península de Setúbal, Portugal

Gold medal winner

This Gold winner was made in a ‘friendly, fresh-fruit style’, praised team leader Martin Lam, with Le Gavroche’s Rémi Cousin finding it ‘really pleasant, with strawberries, raspberries and dark cherries, and a soft, velvety texture’. Tatiana Mann of The Vine Eno Gastro Pub described a ‘purple-black wine, with deep, rich, ripe fruits on the nose’, and ‘raisins and fig, appassimento style’, concluding that it was a ‘great by-the-glass option’.

£5.88 Sivipa - Sociedade Vinícola de Palmela, S.A.

Cesari, Farina, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2016, Abruzzo, Italy

Gold medal winner

Gold through and through, this was a ‘lively, well-textured wine’, said Yohann Pinol of Wiltons, thinking it ‘elegant with lots of red fruit aromas and a touch leathery, but well balanced with a pleasant finish’. ‘Dark cherries and plums, good body, fresh acidity and medium length,’ added Markus Dilger of Dilger Sommelier Selection, while Tate Catering’s Hamish Anderson thought its ‘dark bramble fruit and spice, with some earthiness and good structure’ couldn't have been a better match for a burger.

£5.30 Fuller's

Concha y Toro, CyT, Merlot 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Gold medal winner

A hit with our judges, this Gold winner drew praise from Beaverbrook’s Euan McColm for its ‘red fruit and granite, well-integrated oak and clean finish’, while Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club noted its ‘sweet spicy plum with complex clove notes, gentle red berry with charming sweet Moroccan spices and a delicate finish’. ‘Juicy, ripe fruit and some elegance’ made this, for team leader Laura Rhys MS, a perfect match for ‘roast pork with apple sauce and crackling’.

£5.40 CyT UK

Félix Solís, The Guv'nor -1, Vino de Mesa, Spain

Gold medal winner

A ‘beautiful bright colour and very pleasant array of aromas’ left an early impression on Yohann Pinol of Wiltons, who also noted this accomplished Gold’s ‘strawberry and raspberry fruit and high structure’. ‘Violet, plum, chocolate with red berry sweetness and smooth, medium body,’ added Markus Dilger of Dilger Sommelier Selection, while Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club enjoyed ‘sweet cassis and fresh-baked cinnamon cake notes, with some baked red fruit leading to a fresh finish’.

£6.00 Matthew Clark

Casa Ermelinda Freitas, Terras do Pó, Tinto 2016, Península de Setúbal, Portugal

Gold medal winner

This Gold winner ticked all the boxes for a house red, with The Don’s Carlos Ferreira describing aromas of ‘strawberry and cherry jam’, and finding it ‘a bit spicy and oaky on a palate that’s very fresh, with an elegant, long finish’, while Manuel Ribeiro of The Bybrook at The Manor House Hotel also found ‘hints of spice, as well as plums and chocolate’. Team leader Martin Lam added his praise for ‘sweet and savoury balance on the palate, with some soft tannins’, and suggested a pairing with lamb.

£4.95 Atlantico UK

Gil Family Estates, Honoro Vera, Organic, Monastrell 2016, Jumilla, Spain

Gold medal winner

Taking Gold in no small part for its versatile food-friendliness, this was described by team leader Tom Forrest as having ‘ripe, stewy red fruits and rhubarb notes on the nose, with more rhubarb and raspberry on the palate, with some ripe notes and light tannins’. ‘Bold and pleasing,’ thought Christopher Parker of Lime Wood Hotel, describing ‘raspberry compote, pepper and baking spice’, while Janusz Pawel Sasiadek of Bottles & Battles praised its ‘intense, fruity nose and soft, creamy palate’.

£5.76 Boutinot

Copestick Murray, Three Realms, Pinot Noir 2016, Romania, Romania

Gold medal winner

As it picked up a well-deserved Gold medal, Adam Michocki of Glasshouse thought this was the ‘perfect for red wine lovers during summer’, with its ‘perfumed, confectionery nose of ripe strawberries and cherries’, describing it as ‘soft and delicate on the palate but intense with a long finish’. Team leader Jade Koch appreciated its ‘light and lifted’ character and ‘refreshing tea leaf’ notes, while Portland Restaurant’s Carolina Seibel enjoyed its ‘herbaceousness, alongside good dark and red fruit’.

£5.33 Majestic Commercial

WX Brands, Marques de Calado, Tempranillo 2017, Castilla, Spain

Gold medal winner

This fresh-fruited red took home the Gold with ‘a nice nose with red cherry and strawberry fruit’, according to The Don’s Carlos Ferreira, adding that ‘the balance is good, and ideal for a summer barbecue’. Team leader Jade Koch agreed, calling it ‘very good, with a refreshing, drying finish’, while Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot praised ‘lifted, perfumed aromas and crunchy fruit’, and Carolina Seibel of Portland Restaurant specifically noted its ‘good grip, with firm tannins’.

£4.74 Majestic Commercial

Direct Wines France, Madame F, Grenache, Côtes Catalanes 2016, Roussillon, France

Silver medal winner

Yauatcha City’s Javier Alonso Cardoso enjoyed this wine’s ‘earthy aromas and smoky herbs, good balance of tannin and acids with red fruit and good length’, while Robert Mason of Cheese at Leadenhall picked it as ‘a good by-the-glass pub wine, with baked fruit, raisins and sweet spice on the palate’.

£5.11 Direct Wines Production

Sogevinus, 850, Vinho Tinto -1, Douro, Portugal

Silver medal winner

Team leader Annette Scarfe MW found a ‘restrained nose, warm and understated on the palate with ripe but studied tannins, well balanced with a dry finish’, while The Vine Eno Gastro Pub’s Tatiana Mann enjoyed its ‘value for money, pleasant style with a spicy and vibrant finish’.

£5.52 Amathus

Aliança, Alabastro, Tinto Alentejano 2016, Alentejo, Portugal

Silver medal winner

Team leader Martin Lam described this as a wine showing ‘raspberry and blackberry fruit, chalky tannins and a good structure, not over-worked’, with Sue Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn adding: ‘Vegetal and spicy, silky and perfumed, with restrained but decent oak flavours.’

£5.75 Boutinot

Fray Leon, Tamarind Garden, Cabernet/Carmenère/Syrah 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Silver medal winner

‘A good all-rounder at a great price,’ began Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason, who was impressed by its ‘elegant, bright, red fruit nose, soft ripe tannins, good structure and fresh fruit palate with earthy coffee notes, all balanced with good acidity and length’.

£5.31 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Riebeek Cellars, Pinotage 2016, Swartland, South Africa

Silver medal winner

Vinoteca’s Charlie Young declared this a ‘good package’ overall, with its ‘plum and berry fruit, dryish character on the palate with some texture, and not overdone’, while Yohann Pinol of Wiltons found it ‘easy drinking, with red berries and light tannins’.

£4.50 Fuller's

Zorgvliet, Silver Myn, Argentum 2016, Banghoek, South Africa

Silver medal winner

‘A fruit-driven, quite savoury and spicy, big and chunky wine,’ said Hakkasan’s Olivier Gasselin, who thought it showed ‘forest floor notes with a gamey, leafy edge and a savoury, earthy finish’.

£5.38 Boutinot

LGI-Wines, Baron de Baussac, Vieilles Vignes, Carignan, Pays de l'Hérault 2017, Languedoc, France

Silver medal winner

This was a good all-rounder for Coq d’Argent’s Lazaros Engonopoulos, revealing ‘sweet redcurrant and black cherries with good integration, elegance and roundness, easy drinking and very pleasant’.

£5.94 Majestic Commercial

Vistamar, Brisa, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Silver medal winner

Janusz Pawel Sasiadek of Bottles & Battles found this ‘great value, with intense cherry and violet aromas, soft creamy taste and soft tannins’. Cheese at Leadenhall’s Robert Mason agreed, adding: ‘A crowd-pleasing wine, perfect for barbecues, smooth and easy – a Lionel Richie wine.’

£3.77 Rodney Densem

Boutinot, Les Volets, Pinot Noir, Haute Vallée de l'Aude 2016, Roussillon, France

Silver medal winner

A ‘light and drinkable’ style, began Debbie Warner of Wild Wine Club, while Aurel Istrate of The Connaught observed ‘red fruit notes on the nose and a pleasant palate with some greener hints on a medium finish’.

£5.94 Boutinot

Boutinot, The Listening Station, Malbec 2017, Victoria, Australia

Silver medal winner

James Fryer of Woodhead 17 liked this wine’s ‘carbonic maceration-style purple floral notes with some pepper and violet and a crunchy finish’, while Sumilier’s Sumita Sarma picked out ‘deep black cherry and soft silky tannins’, describing it as‘ very food-friendly yet easy to drink on its own’.

£5.69 Boutinot

Badet Clément, La Cour des Dames, Malbec, Pays d'Oc 2016, Languedoc, France

Silver medal winner

‘Raspberry aromas with herbs and a hint of mushroom,’ said Yauatcha City’s Javier Alonso Cardoso, noting it as a ‘juicy wine with a lasting fruity flavour and velvety tannins’. ‘Lifted aromatics and bramble fruit, generous and appealing,’ added team leader Angela Reddin.

£5.69 Molson Coors

iLauri, Bajo, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2017, Abruzzo, Italy

Silver medal winner

The Don’s Carlos Ferreira found ‘black berries and cherry with white spices and pine hints, good acidity and a balanced palate full of fruits’, describing the finish as ‘long and clean’, while Tatiana Mann of The Vine Eno Gastro Pub felt ‘the best thing is its velvety structure of tannins’, and would be ‘happy to add it to my list by the glass’.

£5.95 Milton Sandford Wines

Roos Estate, Merlot 2016, Western Cape, South Africa

Silver medal winner

‘A fruit bomb with toast, smoke and some spice in a decent-length finish,’ began Royal Automobile Club’s Davide Dall’Amico, with team leader Martin Lam describing it as a ‘light, quaffable blend, balanced, with a funky nose and dark berry fruit’.

£4.75 CellarVino

Borsao, Garnacha 2017, Campo de Borja, Spain

Silver medal winner

Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot liked this wine’s ‘fresh, perfumed, cherry fruit aromas’, and its ‘jamminess on the palate, making it simple and approachable’, while The Don’s Carlos Ferreira found it ‘well made with good acidity, a good wine for the price’.

£4.95 Boutinot

Copestick Murray, Two Ridge Trail, Merlot 2016, South Eastern Australia, Australia

Silver medal winner

‘Good intensity, complex nose with some secondary and savoury characteristics, gamey notes on the palate with a thick layer of red and dark fruits and a long finish,’ said a satisfied Jurijs Nemkovs of Hakkasan Mayfair.

£5.24 Majestic Commercial

Broadland Wineries, Proudly Vegan, Merlot 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Bronze medal winner

This left an impression on Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot, with its ‘dark blackberry and mocha aromas, with a good, crowd-pleasing, creamy mouthfeel’, while team leader Laurent Richet MS found it ‘easy, rounded with a delicate structure, a great option by the glass’.

£3.79 Broadland Wineries

Broadland Wineries, Pais de Poetas, Merlot 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Bronze medal winner

Adam Michocki of Glasshouse loved the ‘baked plums, black cherries and meaty spices, with well-balanced tannins mellowing on the palate with great fruitiness’, making it ‘smooth, easy drinking and amazing value for money’.

£3.78 Broadland Wineries

Boutinot, Sun & Air, Cinsault 2017, Western Cape, South Africa

Bronze medal winner

‘Fresh and approachable, some greenness but berries followed by a hint of leaf and stalk,’ said Sue Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, while Royal Automobile Club’s Davide Dall’Amico found ‘fruity, floral notes and a touch of spice, light tannins and lovely freshness’.

£5.04 Boutinot

Calabria Family Wines, Richland, The Black Shiraz 2016, Griffith, New South Wales, Australia

Bronze medal winner

An enjoyable style said Valentin Radosav of Gymkhana, who found ‘fresh red fruit, plum and cherry, floral and delicate aromas, sweet spice and ripe tannins on the mid-palate’, describing it as ‘juicy and well balanced with good weight’.

£5.50 Fuller's

Kavaklıdere, Yakut 2017, Eastern Anatolia/Aegean, Turkey

Bronze medal winner

A ‘simple, carbonic style with fresh redcurrant and soft tannins, but an amazing price’, began team leader Annette Scarfe MW, with Hakkasan Mayfair’s Jurijs Nemkovs enjoying its ‘fresh, dark fruit dominating the nose, but red fruit on a juicy palate with some floral notes and ripe, soft tannins’.

£4.17 Tees

Casa Ermelinda Freitas, Vinha do Torrão, Tinto 2016, Península de Setúbal, Portugal

Bronze medal winner

Sue Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn found this a ‘richer, gamier style with blackberry and boysenberry, meaty and savoury’, while team leader Martin Lam noted: ‘Dark red fruit, smoky nose, sweet oak a little dominant but overall a good glass at this level.’

£5.27 Atlantico UK

Montevista, Carmenère 2016, Maule Valley, Chile

Bronze medal winner

Gymkhana’s Valentin Radosav found ‘red and black fruit, an earthy and savoury character with slight tobacco and bell pepper notes’, while Michael Fiducia of Coworth Park Ascot picked up on ‘herbaceous eucalyptus/menthol and dark fruit with a soft, elegant palate’.

£5.70 Boutinot

Casas del Toqui, Single Estate, Merlot 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Bronze medal winner

Andre Luis Martins of Cavalry & Guards Club found ‘fresh raspberry with gentle sweet spices on the nose, then crushed plum with baked notes, light cinnamon suggestions and a fresh finish’.

£5.30 Frederic Robinson

Sierra Norte, Fuenteseca, Organic, Bobal/Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Utiel-Requena, Spain

Bronze medal winner

‘Some richness here,’ began The Harrow at Little Bedwyn’s Sue Jones, ‘with good red and black fruits, tannic but good length and balance on the finish, which has a savoury and pleasing nature.’

£5.98 Boutinot

Ontañon, Artesa, Tempranillo 2017, Rioja, Spain

Bronze medal winner

Team leader Simon Woods described this wine as ‘rich and juicy, tender and fleshy, with fragrant plum, damson and blackberry fruit’, while Beaverbrook’s Euan McColm found it a ‘classic, juicy house red, with black cherry pie character, young and supple, very pleasant’.

£5.95 Boutinot

LH Wines, Rémy Ferbras, Côtes du Rhône 2015, Rhône, France

Bronze medal winner

‘Moderate intensity with spices, good entry and velvety tannins, medium length,’ began The Social Company’s Masahito Suzuki, with Hakkasan’s Olivier Gasselin noting ‘gamey, smoky, tertiary character, supple cherry and plum in brandy notes’.

£5.96 Majestic Commercial

Botter, Fontana d'Italia, Sangiovese, Rubicone 2017, Emilia Romagna, Italy

Bronze medal winner

A ‘good value’ wine showing ‘blackberries and black plums on the nose with soft and smoky tannins on the palate’, said Sumilier’s Sumita Sarma, who found it a wine with ‘an ease of style’.

£4.51 Molson Coors

Foncalieu, Le Versant, Pinot Noir, Pays d'Oc 2016, Languedoc, France

Commended medal winner

£5.95 Fuller's

Famille Helfrich, Parlez-Vous, Malbec 2016, Loire, France

Commended medal winner

£5.84 Tolchards

Jackman's Landing, Shiraz 2017, New South Wales, Australia

Commended medal winner

Riebeek Cellars, Capelio, Merlot 2016, Swartland, South Africa

Commended medal winner

£4.50 Fuller's

LGI-Wines, Les Cents Verres, Pinot Noir, Pays d'Oc 2017, Languedoc , France

Commended medal winner

£5.95 Fuller's

Concha y Toro, Mountain Range, Merlot 2016, Central Valley, Chile

Commended medal winner

£5.88 CyT UK

Concha y Toro, CyT, Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Central Valley, Chile

Commended medal winner

£5.40 CyT UK

Borsao, Rame, Garnacha 2017, Campo de Borja, Spain

Commended medal winner

£4.80 Boutinot

Boutinot, Prime Cuts, Red 2017, Western Cape, South Africa

Commended medal winner

£4.79 Boutinot

Boutinot, Dutch Hope, Shiraz/Mourvèdre 2016, Western Cape, South Africa

Commended medal winner

£5.07 Boutinot

Boutinot, El Tesoro, Monastrell/Shiraz 2016, Jumilla, Spain

Commended medal winner

£5.08 Boutinot

Calabria Family Wines, Whistling Duck, Shiraz 2017, Griffith, New South Wales, Australia

Commended medal winner

£5.50 Fuller's

Boutinot, Le Fou, Pinot Noir, Pays d'Oc 2016, Languedoc , France

Commended medal winner

£5.85 Boutinot

Terra Molino, Tempranillo 2016, La Mancha, Spain

Commended medal winner

£4.75 CellarVino

Aragonesas, Viña Temprana, Old Vines, Garnacha 2016, Campo de Borja, Spain

Commended medal winner

Companhia das Quintas, Barão de Figueira 2015, Beira Interior, Portugal

Commended medal winner

£5.15 Lisbon Wines

LGI-Wines, Chemin de la Serre, Vieilles Vignes, Carignan 2016, Languedoc , France

Commended medal winner

Adria Vini, Ca' di Ponti, Nero d'Avola 2016, Sicily, Italy

Commended medal winner

£4.94 Boutinot

Boutinot, Sierra Grande, Pinot Noir 2017, Central Valley , Chile

Commended medal winner

£5.93 Boutinot

Boutinot, Le Voleur de Vin, Rouge, Pays de Vaucluse 2015, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£5.09 Boutinot

Vistamar, Brisa, Merlot 2017, Central Valley, Chile

Commended medal winner

Boutinot, Domaine Mas Bahourat, Merlot, Pays du Gard 2016, Languedoc, France

Commended medal winner

£5.34 Boutinot

Gil Family Estates, Pedrera, Monastrell 2016, Jumilla, Spain

Commended medal winner

£5.57 Boutinot

Aliança, Foral, Tinto 2016, Douro, Portugal

Commended medal winner

£5.74 Boutinot

Aragonesas, Ecce Homo, Garnacha 2016, Campo de Borja, Spain

Commended medal winner