Home Winners > Winners 2019 > NEW WORLD: Other White Varietals & Blends (including Torrontés, Gewürztraminer, Viognier & Koshu)

Winner Details

New World: including Torrontés, Gewürztraminer, Viognier & Koshu

2019 Gold 4       Silver 9                 Bronze 5              Commended 18
2018 Gold 2       Silver 9                 Bronze 7              Commended 20

In the past, Gewürztraminer, Torrontés and Viognier have all had their own separate sections in this competition, but as results have withered, so they’ve been folded back into the welcoming, always-ready arms of the Other Whites category.

Here they hang out with the oddballs and misfits (in a good way) of the Weird Varieties and Weird Blends, like the kids at school who eat spiders and build machines out of dismantled lawnmowers. You know who you are…

This, as you might have gathered, is a section that jumps around all over the place stylistically: from rich Viogniers and elegant Koshus, to herbal Portuguese white varieties and slimline whites made from Malbec and Pinot Noir. Roll up, roll up… all life is here.

And of course, not all of it is good. In the early stages of judging a lot of wines get sent packing here, never to be seen again. But in among those that remain there are some bona fide gems and one of the easiest ways out there to add a bit of WTF to your list for (usually) not much money.

So, if you want to know what an Aussie Kerner or a Riesling/Torrontés blend tastes like, this is the category for you.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘Viognier, even from the New World, is quite easy to sell because it’s an easy-drinking wine. It goes really well with food, especially spicy food.’ Pasquale Moschettieri, Benares Restaurant & Bar

‘A real mix of styles – it kept us on our toes. As a team we were really split. Some light wines at 10 or 11% alcohol really had merit.’ Charlie Young, team leader

‘We hated them.’ Martin Lam, team leader

‘Koshu is very particular as a grape, and very new to the market. You have to explain it to guests, but it does work and I think it’ll become trendy soon.’ Immacolata Cannavo, Hakkasan Mayfair

‘The misfits are always quite fun! A good opportunity to bring something less classic to your wine selection.’ Jan Konetzki, team leader

‘Viognier is a grape variety that you either like or dislike, but I really enjoyed these. They seemed sweeter than in the Old World, with stone fruit and acacia, and bigger structure.’ Giorgio Scarsella, The Stafford

‘One of the worst rounds. Tropical fruit driven, simple uninteresting wines that you could find in any supermarket.’ Ieva Markaityte, Portuguese Concepts

‘The Torrontés would work very well with Asian cuisine.’ Filip Viorel, Benares Restaurant & Bar

Award winners

Found 36 wines

New World: Other White Varietals & Blends

Lismore, The Age of Grace, Viognier 2017, Western Cape, South Africa

Gold medal winner

‘Long, creamy and seductive,’ said team leader Andres Ituarte of this Gold-winning Viognier. Alan Bednarski of Texture agreed: ‘It’s rich, round and creamy, with sweet oak spices, while the palate has sweet round notes of brioche and French pastry, like apricot pie.’ ‘The nose is so exuberant!’ enthused team leader Laurent Richet MS, ‘with notes of peach, quince and apricot.’ Giorgio Scarsella of The Stafford noted ‘honeysuckle, acacia and camomile’, while Nut Tree Inn’s Sarah McKenzie loved the palate, describing it as ‘bursting with exotic fruits like pineapple and grapefruit’, and Nelio Pinto of Candlesticks suggested we drink it with ‘lobster with lemon and lime butter’.

£16.17 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Haute Cabrière, Chardonnay/Pinot Noir 2018, Western Cape, South Africa

Gold medal winner

This great-value Gold stood out for judges with its ‘fragrant notes of hyacinth and wet stone minerality’, according to team leader Martin Lam, while Shane McHugh of Adam Handling was impressed by its ‘nice weight, good length and balance’, adding that it was ‘very well made’. Cliveden House’s Francisco Macedo found ‘lots of complexity, with stone fruit notes’, while Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants described it as ‘easy going, and a real crowd pleaser’.

£7.19 Hard To Find Wines

Chaffey Bros Wine Co, Kontrapunkt, Kerner 2017, South Australia, Australia

Gold medal winner

‘Very elegant’ was Juan Manuel Marcos Perez of The Gilbert Scott’s first impression on encountering this impressive Gold-worthy wine, further describing ‘stone fruit like peaches, pineapple and mango, with a slight influence of oak’, while Elisa Soggia of Kai Mayfair noted ‘a creamy, smoky, vanilla aroma with elderflower and tropical fruit’. Team leader Laurent Richet MS was reminded of ‘key lime pie’, and found it ‘pure, bright and intense’, saying it would be ideal alongside ‘sweet and sour pork with pak choi and steamed vegetables’.

£12.92 Enotria&Coe

Asara, Vineyard Collection, Cape White Blend 2018, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Gold medal winner

This had everything it needed to take home Gold, with ‘passion fruit and caramelised pineapple, and a full, rich and sweetly spiced palate’, according to New Street Warehouse’s Tanguy Martin, while Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall described it as ‘a complex wine with apricot scent on the nose, as well as a good dose of buttery oak’. This all made it ‘a wine for rich fish or pork dishes’, thought team leader Charlie Young.

£11.02 Asara Wine Estate & Hotel

Fox Gordon, Princess, Fiano 2016, South Australia, Australia

Silver medal winner

‘The colour has a vibrant lemon hue and the nose is very floral, also carrying these citrus lemon notes. The palate has honeyed flavours of candied pear, stone fruit and lychee with a touch of residual sugar,’ said Charlie Carter of Ten Green Bottles.

£15.49 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Left Field, Albariño 2018, Gisborne, New Zealand

Silver medal winner

‘The wine gives up melon and white peach aromas,’ said team leader Charlie Young, and ‘has a clean and light feel with a savoury and mineral character which carries through to the crisp finish.’

£8.59 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

Boutinot, The Underworld, Grenache Blanc 2018, Western Cape, South Africa

Silver medal winner

‘Good aromatic profile for the price (passion fruit and lemon peel) and from grapes that have had enough skin contact to bring texture and a pleasing bitter, fresh finish,’ said Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£6.95 Boutinot

Boutinot, The Tea Leaf 2017, Piekenierskloof, South Africa

Silver medal winner

‘Very smoky aromatics with tropical fruits and notes of vanilla,’ said Elisa Soggia of Kai Mayfair. ‘Certainly a rich wine,’ added Raphael Thierry of Street XO, ‘but with enough fruit to stand the fairly heavy oak used here. Nice flavours of butterscotch, but finishes fresh.’

£9.55 Boutinot

Boutinot, Strange Bru, Fernao Pires 2018, Western Cape, South Africa

Silver medal winner

‘A nice, soft nose of citrus fruit and orange peel lead to a more stone fruit palate with notes of ripe peach. Feels like there’s Chardonnay in the mix… Either way, it’s well made, good value and would make a nice house wine,’ thought consultant Ian Howard.

£7.50 Boutinot

Te Kano, Blanc de Noir 2017, Central Otago, New Zealand

Silver medal winner

For Charlie Carter of Ten Green Bottles this had ‘flinty and mineral notes on the nose, like wet slate’, then ‘opens up to more tropical flavours like pineapple’. ‘There’s good concentration on the palate, which is kept in check with a refreshing acidity, through to the finish,’ he added.

£13.22 Davy's Wine Merchants

Shirayuri Winery, L’Orient, Katsunuma, Koshu 2017, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan

Silver medal winner

Melania Battiston of 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen found a ‘pungent nose of lily, asparagus and pears, with tart lime juice on the palate’, while for team leader Tom Forrest there were ‘dry, nutty, almond notes, reminiscent of a fino sherry’.

£20.00 SHIRAYURI WINERY

Zonte's Footstep, Lady Marmalade, Vermentino 2018, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, Australia

Silver medal winner

‘Nice subtle notes of salinity, like sea air, lead to white pear fruit and a crisp finish with medium length,’ said team leader Jan Konetzki. ‘Nicely textured and balanced with a persistent finish,’ added Street XO’s Raphael Thierry.

£10.00 Zonte's Footstep

Peacock's Tail, Vermentino 2017, South Australia, Australia

Silver medal winner

‘Pale colour with a wide open, inviting nose of fresh apple and peach,’ began Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall, adding: ‘The palate is strongly flavoured with melon and a lingering lime zest finish.’

£7.00 Zonte's Footstep

Spinifex, Lola, White 2017, Barossa, South Australia, Australia

Bronze medal winner

‘Some oak and nuttiness on the nose,’ said team leader Charlie Young, continuing: ‘There’s plenty of character and good intensity on the palate. Again, nuttiness and elegant acidity are notable here and the finish is good.’

£16.35 Bibendum

Saint Clair, Origin, Viognier 2017, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Bronze medal winner

This had a ‘good nose of nectarine and yellow spring flowers’, according to Pasquale Moschettieri of Benares Restaurant & Bar, with ‘a touch of vanilla and ripe stone fruit with good balance’.

£12.22 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Kaiken, Terroir Series, Torrontés 2018, Salta, Argentina

Bronze medal winner

‘An intensely floral example of Torrontés,’ began Cliveden House’s Sean Arthur, with ‘notes of fresh Sicilian lemon zest, lychee and juicy white grape. The wine finishes with a long satisfying finish.’

£8.07 Liberty Wines

Amalaya, Torrontés/Riesling 2018, Calchaquí Valley, Salta, Argentina

Bronze medal winner

‘Vibrant and aromatic, the nose is engaging and pleasing,’ began New Street Warehouse’s Tanguy Martin, adding: ‘Overall, this is an engaging wine with lovely, grapey, exotic, floral flavours that charmed everyone.’

£7.87 Liberty Wines

Siegel, Gran Reserva, Viognier 2018, Colchagua Valley, Chile

Bronze medal winner

Giuseppe Longobardi of The Cross Kenilworth, Simpsons & Edgbaston found ‘stone fruit and yellow flowers with lime hints on the nose and a tropical fruit palate’ and thought it was ‘well balanced, with a fresh mineral, aromatic finish’, describing it as ‘very food friendly’.

£9.44 Carson Wines

Between Five Bells, White Blend 2018, Victoria, Australia

Commended medal winner

Deakin Estate, Viognier 2018, Victoria, Australia

Commended medal winner

David Traeger, Maranoa, Verdelho 2013, Victoria, Australia

Commended medal winner

£11.72 Top Selection

Massican, Annia 2017, Napa Valley, California, USA

Commended medal winner

£25.00 Wine Source UK

Olifantsberg, Grenache Blanc 2016, Breedekloof, Western Cape, South Africa

Commended medal winner

Esk Valley, Verdelho 2018, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Commended medal winner

Emiliana, Adobe, Reserva, Gewürztraminer 2018, Rapel Valley, Chile

Commended medal winner

£6.70 Boutinot

Emiliana, Signos de Origen, La Vinilla, Chardonnay/Viognier/Marsanne/Roussanne 2017, Casablanca Valley, Chile

Commended medal winner

£10.00 Boutinot

Robert Oatley, Hancock & Hancock, Fiano 2018, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia

Commended medal winner

Salentein, Osado, Malbec Blanco 2018, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina

Commended medal winner

£8.73 Matthew Clark

Chaffey Bros Wine Co, Düfte Punkt, Riesling/Gewürztraminer/Kerner 2017, South Australia, Australia

Commended medal winner

£11.92 Enotria&Coe

Stratus, White 2015, Niagara Peninsula, Canada

Commended medal winner

£23.51 Bibendum

M/S, Akluj, Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Mahārāshtra, India

Commended medal winner

£9.77 Liberty Wines

Berton Vineyard, Winemaker's Reserve, Viognier 2018, New South Wales, Australia

Commended medal winner

Gnarly Head, Viognier 2016, Lodi, California, USA

Commended medal winner

£11.12 Bancroft Wines

Org De Rac, Die Waghuis 2017, Swartland, South Africa

Commended medal winner

£11.77 Amathus

Casarena, Winemaker's Selection, Torrontes 2018, Salta, Argentina

Commended medal winner

D’Arenberg, The Money Spider, Roussanne 2017, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia

Commended medal winner

£10.65 Enotria&Coe