South - White
Last year we saw an absolute avalanche of medals from the south, with the reds, in particular, completely blowing our tasters away. This year was back to normal, with a medal haul that was decent rather than amazing.
In a nutshell, we had a smaller selection of whites that were generally quite well priced and quite well received. Reds went from cheap to expensive and, with plenty of fruit and alcohol on offer, were much more polarising. Bottles that retained a modicum of balance and overdelivered for the price fared best.
Special mention to the San Marzano co-op. Two Golds and two Silvers is a fine effort.
From The Tasting Teams
‘The whites were a very varied flight. Most were very mineral, and some had too much of an industrial style, even a gasoline character. You would expect better. But the good ones were well structured and showed the minerality we expected.’ Cinthia Lozano, The Winery Honduras
‘At the lower prices there’s real drinkability but you quickly get to big, ripe wines that I struggled with. I’m not getting asked for these boozier, riper wines.’ Joshua Castle, Noble Rot
‘For the reds I’d look more towards the entry level – I don’t see people spending that money for the higher end.’ Lukas Nikanorovas, 20 Stories
‘The reds were challenging, with a wide range of styles and grapes and winemaking techniques. We really had different opinions about the different styles – they’re like Marmite.’ Matteo Furlan, The Ritz London
‘I was impressed by the clarity I found in the whites. Producers are working with ancient varieties that in the past have been masked by poor winemaking, but the wines are now beautifully crystalline and have great, refreshing acidity, never cloying.’ Martin Lam, team leader
‘The best value for the reds was in the £11-15 mid-range, with a lot of good options, and lots of flavour for their price point.’ Sam Weatherill, Etch by Steven Edwards
‘The whites were very good overall, with some great, complex wines for reasonable prices. A delight.’ Daniel Eriksen, Anglian Country Inns
‘I expected a bit more from the reds. Some were too ripe, with cooked fruit and baked notes.’ Immacolata Cannavo, Hakkasan Mayfair