Rest of the Old World, WHITE
2019 GOLD: 4 SILVER: 5 BRONZE: 4 COMMENDED: 8
2018 GOLD: 2 SILVER: 3 BRONZE: 2 COMMENDED: 8
This, if you like, is the kindergarten category of the Sommelier Wine Awards. Lesser-known regions start here with small entries, grow in confidence and then finally spread their wings and branch out into tasting flights (and sections) all of their own. It’s happened in the past with Greece, Israel and Turkey, and this year Slovenia and Hungary flew the nest as well.
Because of these changes, comparing previous years’ performances here can be somewhat invidious. It’s a lot more reliable to take a look at the feedback from the tasters, and this year it was super-positive.
Most of the wines here were from Romania and Croatia, which in itself tells you something about how the compass of Europe’s wine world is gradually shifting to the east. Romania’s wines were generally clean, modern and (highly unusually) dominated almost entirely by one producer who, on this evidence, is clearly doing something right. Croatia’s wines tended to be funkier and more unusual.
All in all, this was a fascinating category. In the past it’s sometimes under-delivered. But not this year. In fact, it’s one of the best places to go looking for ‘quirky and interesting’ in the whole competition.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘Love it. Brilliant. Funky, strong, interesting, great value for money, real talking points. Exactly what we look at: emerging regions where you can get value – and really good winemaking as well.’ Sunaina Sethi, JKS Restaurants
‘I would use these by the glass, or for pairings. They would never sell off the list, but you can bring things into a wine pairing here that people wouldn’t expect.’ Laurent Richet MS, team leader
‘Hard to sell – often due to an unpronounceable grape or producer.’ James Fryer, Woodhead 17
‘Really interesting winemaking, sensitive wines, elegant and restrained – which isn’t to everyone’s palate. It felt authentic and some were quite special. The challenge is that people don’t know about these regions, so it’s always a hand sell.’ Claire Love, Loves Consultancy
‘They were cheap but they were well made and worth the money. The £20 wines were still good value and food friendly. Not strident or showy, just well done and put together.’ Nigel Lister, team leader
‘A remarkable flight, every single wine was distinct from each other. Each one stood up. It really shows the development of good, accurate winemaking in lesser-known parts of Europe.’ Martin Lam, team leader