Home Winners > Winners 2019 > SPAIN: North-West (including Albariño)

Winner Details

Spain: North-West, including Albariño

2019 GOLD: 2      SILVER: 7      BRONZE: 3      COMMENDED: 9
2018 GOLD: 2      SILVER: 6      BRONZE: 8      COMMENDED: 7

Apart from a blip in 2017, when our tasters went a bit medal crazy, for a cool-climate white producing region it’s remarkable how consistent this region is year after year. One white, one red, job done.

The only disappointment is that this year there was no room on our Gold List for a Godello or for one of the richer, lees-aged Albariños. Our somms, it seems, are still quite traditional in outlook, although more of them warm to the leesy versions every year, so it’s surely just a matter of time before these make it on to the Gold List too.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘The Albariños were fantastic. I was happy to find so much variety in the flight. There were some that were crisp and bright, and then others that were heavier. You could pair the crisp style with seafood, while at the higher prices it was all about oak management.’ Alonso Abed, Hide Above

‘[The cheaper wines] were classic Albariño, but higher up the range they were more sommelier wines, so you could have a second Albariño on the list: a classic option, and then something with more lees ageing for people that want to try something different.’ Julien Sahut, Sexy Fish

‘Towards the higher end, I thought for the price point you could go to Burgundy or Rioja. You want to have that purity and freshness. It’s what people expect. You don’t want an Albariño that makes you think too hard.’ Sonal Clare, Purnell’s Restaurant

‘The reds were remarkably consistent. If anything let them down it was the winemaking, not the quality of fruit.’ Tom Forrest, team leader

Award winners

Found 21 wines

Spain: North West, including Albarino

Madai, Origen, Mencia 2017, Bierzo, Spain

Gold medal winner

Team leader Tom Forrest identified ‘creamy vanilla and cedar spice’ and ‘dark berry fruit with a spicy and smoky finish’ in this Gold medallist. Meanwhile Carolina W Seibel of Moio Restaurant thought it had ‘a dark profile of fruit with a touch of hazelnut’ and enjoyed its ‘notes of chorizo and roasted corn, ginger and dark cherry’, and for Joseph Lunn of Suave Wine the Gold was ultimately awarded for its ‘voluptuous, soft mouthfeel, delicate oak spice and lovely summer pudding fruit’.

£9.70 Boutinot

Paco & Lola, Lolo, Albariño 2018, Rías Baixas, Spain

Gold medal winner

Awarding a Gold medal, Claire Love of Loves Consultancy remarked on the ‘delicious lemon curd and salted caramel texture, with an intense and refreshing crab apple fruit’. ‘A foodie wine,’ was how team leader Jade Koch described this Albariño, adding that it was ‘cherry bright, grippy and had ‘quite a lot going on’. Alonso Abed of Hide Above thought it had ‘crisp aromas’ and ‘fine and lingering mineral notes’ with ‘citrus oils that envelop the wine’.

£9.87 Matthew Clark

Godelia, Mencía 2015, Bierzo, Spain

Silver medal winner

Moio Restaurant’s Carolina W Seibel noted: ‘Slightly more dusty character with dark fruits, there’s dark cherries, well-integrated oak and an airy, floral touch; the drying tannins and refreshing acidity lead to violets and strawberry on the finish.’

£10.48 Moreno Wines

Pago de los Capellanes, O Luar do Sil, Godello 2017, Galicia, Spain

Silver medal winner

‘Ripe, leesy aromatics, and there’s a nutty minerality here too. Yum!’ said Tim Smith of CuVée VIII, adding: ‘The lovely complex palate of melon and ripe green apples leads to a crisp finish with good brisk acidity.’

£11.75 Enotria&Coe

Félix Solis, Medusa, Albariño 2018, Rías Baixas, Spain

Silver medal winner

‘Fresh citrus such as clementine make a lively, fragrant nose and a lovely fresh palate. A wine to open with friends to start a good night,’ said Rémi Cousin of Le Gavroche.

£6.95 Adnams

Finca Os Cobatos, Godello, Monterrei 2018, Galicia, Spain

Silver medal winner

‘Cold fermentation gives the wine a lifted, aromatic profile of mandarin and apricot – very tropical. There is a waxy, vegetal and banana leaf palate, which is very juicy and leads to a finish with a fresh, crisp acidity,’ said Olivier Gasselin of Hakkasan.

£9.52 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Xosé Lois Sebio, O Con, Albariño 2017, Galicia, Spain

Silver medal winner

‘This is quite a big, rich style,’ said Julien Sahut of Sexy Fish, continuing: ‘The nose is very intense with pronounced notes of cooked pear, apricot and confit lemon. The palate is rich and full bodied, with baked apple and pears and also a floral note. The long acidity on the finish and oily texture make this a very food-friendly Albariño – a “sommeliers’ Albariño”.’

£18.94 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Xosé Lois Sebio, Coios, Mencia 2015, Galicia, Spain

Silver medal winner

Team leader Tom Forrest noted: ‘Creamy oak and vanilla aromas leading to a palate of soft ripe black fruits with a nice cedar spice twist; there’s a hint of leafiness and balancing acidity to temper the tannins.’

£18.94 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Paco & Lola, Paco, Mencía 2016, Galicia, Spain

Silver medal winner

Team leader Tom Forrest enjoyed the ‘lifted, supple aromas of cherry and redcurrant with a leafy note’ and said: ‘The palate follows on with complex crunchy cherry and cranberry fruit to a good chalky finish.’

£12.43 Matthew Clark

Pago de los Capellanes, O Luar do Sil, Sobre Lías 2015, Galicia, Spain

Bronze medal winner

Melania Bellesini of The Fat Duck noted: ‘A complex, ripe tropical fruit nose leads to rich full-bodied wine with a waxy texture, a peppery minerality and a long finish.’

£18.65 Enotria&Coe

Veiga Naúm, Albariño 2018, Rías Baixas, Spain

Bronze medal winner

‘Juicy, taut, bright and crunchy, happy fruit; this has a lovely crisp apple freshness that finishes on a high,’ said team leader Jade Koch.

£9.25 EWGA, Hayward Bros (Wines) Ltd

Angel Sequeiros, Quinta Gavineira, Albariño 2014, Rías Baixas, Spain

Bronze medal winner

‘The wine has rich notes of honeydew melon, with a grassy herbaceousness too,’ said team leader Jade Koch, ‘and there’s quite a chewy grip from the new oak.’

£13.89 Top Selection

Martín Códax, El Cante, Albariño 2017, Rías Baixas, Spain

Commended medal winner

Godelia, Godello 2017, Bierzo, Spain

Commended medal winner

£9.45 Moreno Wines

Belarmino, O Mouro, Mencia 2017, Galicia, Spain

Commended medal winner

Marques del Atrio, Faustino Rivero Ulecia, Albariño 2017, Rías Baixas, Spain

Commended medal winner

La Osa, Pardo, Mencia 2015, Bierzo, Spain

Commended medal winner

£15.50 Enotria&Coe

Pagos del Rey, Pulpo, Albariño 2018, Rías Baixas, Spain

Commended medal winner

£10.48 Matthew Clark

La Báscula, Atlantic Way, Albariño 2018, Rías Baixas, Spain

Commended medal winner

£9.60 Boutinot

Terra de Asorei, Pazo Torrado, Albariño 2017, Rías Baixas, Spain

Commended medal winner

Paco & Lola, Prime, Albariño 2016, Rías Baixas, Spain

Commended medal winner

£13.53 PACO & LOLA