This fascinating wine, described by Hakkasan’s Olivier Gasselin as ‘leafy and ferrous, with forest fruit, some spice, and an earthiness too, with rounded, crunchy tannins’, took home a well-deserved Gold. Quentin Loisel of Restaurant Sat Bains complimented its ‘velvety texture and bright acidity, and baking spices too, like a red-fruit pie’, while team leader Jan Konetzki felt its ‘rich palate of prune and leather’ made it the ideal match for ‘roasted lamb with Mediterranean herbs’.

£7.55 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

As it took its rightful place on the Gold podium, team leader Tom Forrest praised this ‘perfumed wine’, before going on to describe ‘red flowers and fruits, like cherries and berries, along with some leafy mintiness as well as some spice’. More praise came from Chiara Sieni of Bottles Group, who found ‘graphite and cedar notes, as well as some chocolate’, which led to ‘a lovely finish, with some crunchy, dark fruits’.

£14.75 Matthew Clark

Heesoo Kang of Flat Three Restaurant admired ‘lovely toast and vanilla notes, and spice mingled with dark cherry and plum notes’, on encountering this clear Gold winner, going on to speak of its ‘good balance between body and fruit character’. Team leader Jan Konetzki, meanwhile, was impressed with its ‘complex Mediterranean nose, and savoury, meaty, leather notes’, while The Cross Kenilworth, Simpsons & Edgbaston’s Giuseppe Longobardi appreciated its ‘black cherry and eucalyptus notes, with some good tannins, too’.

£22.15 Eurowines

‘Rich and comforting, like a hug’ was Quentin Loisel of Restaurant Sat Bains’ first impression of this Gold-worthy Nero d’Avola, finding notes of ‘chocolate and hazelnut paste, with lovely spices and some cherry jam – a ripe and chewy wine’. A similarly impressed Heesoo Kang of Flat Three Restaurant found it to be ‘very easy to drink’, adding praise for ‘lots of juicy fruit balanced with refreshing acidity, some mixed herbs and spices, and smooth tannins’.

£6.50 Frederic Robinson

This earned its Gold medal for its ‘interesting and different style’, according to team leader Martin Lam, who described ‘violet notes and some light tannins’. Rockliffe Hall’s Daniel Jonberger appreciated notes of ‘plum and cherry, with a hint of oak’, while team leader Lionel Periner praised its ‘notes of black olive combined with good fruit character’, which led to ‘a full palate, with dark fruit flavours, and a fresh, mineral finish’.

£10.25 Bibendum

Team leader Lionel Periner had only good things to say about this Gold Lister’s savoury nose of ‘Mediterranean herbs and tomato stew, with red fruits, too’, going on to describe ‘a full-bodied palate with some bramble notes and a touch of smokiness’. The Glasshouse’s Adam Michocki enjoyed notes of ‘wild strawberries, cranberries, raspberries and red cherries, with an earthy, leathery character, too, and firm tannins balanced by refreshing acidity’.

£7.21 Enotria&Coe

Judges didn’t hold back in their praise of this Gold medallist, with Pavilion Wine’s Tomasz Kuszneruk enjoying ‘a mix of dried and fresh cherries, with a touch of Provençal herbs and chocolate’, while Rockliffe Hall’s Daniel Jonberger spoke highly of its ‘touches of mint, and a savoury character with some oaky tobacco’. Team leader Lionel Periner, meanwhile, was impressed by its ‘floral aromas, leading to a refreshing palate with berry fruit and more floral notes’.

£17.35 Bibendum

Team leader Lionel Periner had praise for this Gold Lister’s ‘great tannic structure, with dry floral notes, and some berry flavours too’, while an impressed Mattia Mazzi of The River Cafe described ‘strawberries and smoke on an open and appealing nose, leading to a meaty and savoury palate with more strawberry fruit, and great concentration, not to mention some striking acidity’. ‘Perfumed, mineral and elegant, with some great complexity,’ summarised Hakkasan Mayfair’s Immacolata Cannavo.

£27.39 Bibendum

‘So aromatic and elegant,’ began impressed team leader Laurent Richet MS on discovering this clear candidate for Gold, going on to describe ‘complex cherry, cedar, dried meat and liquorice – dynamic and vibrant, with a silky texture’. Chiara Sieni of Bottles Group, meanwhile, enjoyed its ‘eucalyptus aromas, with ripe cherry and strawberry on the palate, leading to a charcoal finish’, while team leader Lionel Periner thought it ‘floral and smoky, with good acidity on a long finish’.

£32.22 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Terry Kandylis of 67 Pall Mall spoke of ‘a charming nose, with floral elements like cherry blossoms’, while team leader Charlie Young described ‘spice, oak and fruit aromas, leading to lots of tannin and acidity’, but thought that ‘it flows extremely well, and the finish really demonstrates the quality of the fruit’.

£21.07 Armit

‘Black cherry, black plum and bramble fruit, along with pine, mint and eucalyptus character,’ began The Glasshouse’s Adam Michocki, going on to describe ‘good balance on the palate, with significant oak, and a good, spicy texture’.

£19.75 Eurowines

Daniel Jonberger of Rockliffe Hall described aromas of ‘dark fruit and hibiscus’, going on to find ‘a fruit-driven palate, with medium tannins’, which team leader Martin Lam summarised as ‘more winter than summer – a wholesome red with no pretensions’.

£7.00 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Violets and roses, leading to good balance on the palate,’ was consultant Emanuel Pesqueira’s first impression, while team leader Jan Konetzki identified ‘floral notes, along with dark, ripe fruit, leading to some acidity on the dry palate’.

£10.50 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘Toasted and complex on the nose, with some vanilla notes,’ began Sean Arthur of Cliveden House, who went on to describe ‘brilliant structure, with very well-balanced acidity and tannins – a rich and well-made wine’.

£27.60 Mondial Wine

‘Red fruit, with a touch of plum, too, leading to a savoury palate with soft tannins, and some smokiness,’ thought Pavilion Wine’s Tomasz Kuszneruk.

£21.07 Armit

‘Light red berry fruit and fresh flowers lead to sour cherry notes on a palate that’s dry and elegant, with good balance and some nice acidity,’ said team leader Lionel Periner.

£21.07 Armit

‘An intense nose of macerated cherries and blackberries, along with some liquorice, leading to a full and warm palate, with bittersweet black cherries, and some long, woody tannins to finish,’ said Mattia Mazzi of The River Cafe.

£17.95 Eurowines

‘Fragrant and perfumed, with herbal notes and some dark fruit – a modern wine, with good precision,’ thought Olivier Gasselin of Hakkasan.

£6.80 Berkmann Wine Cellars

‘A slightly smoky and earthy nose with savoury undertones, leading to a palate that has a sweet core of fruit – a refreshing wine with real character,’ said 67 Pall Mall’s Terry Kandylis.

£16.02 Liberty Wines

Manor House Hotel’s Anita Vighova described a ‘delicate nose and a soft, mid-weight palate, with redcurrants on the finish and a cherry chocolate aftertaste’.

£10.22 Liberty Wines

‘Intense dark fruit, with pencil and oak notes, leading to a full-bodied palate with a lot of extraction, and dry coffee bean notes on the finish,’ said team leader Lionel Periner.

£16.06 Enotria&Coe

£14.20 Alivini

£12.08 Alivini

£16.35 CVA Canicatti

£11.56 Matthew Clark

£6.90 VinumTerra

£9.49 VinumTerra

£17.35 Eurowines

£39.60 Eurowines

£28.70 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£8.50 Boutinot

£8.55 Boutinot

£9.50 Berkmann Wine Cellars

£21.37 Liberty Wines

£11.95 Enotria&Coe

£13.45 Mondial Wine

£18.60 Mondial Wine

£19.55 Mondial Wine

£16.00 Armit