As is customary, our September tastings were of wines that have won top prizes at the Decanter World Wine Awards, International Wine Challenge, Sommelier and Wine Merchant Awards.
Companies submit wines into specific categories, and these are tasted by panels of experts ‘blind’, ie the panel knows the category (eg Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc under £20/bottle), but otherwise use their judgement to agree which are the best. The winner of each category is awarded a gold medal if a panel of even more ‘elite’ judges confirm its quality, and gold medal winners can go on to be awarded platinum medals or trophies when judged against other category winners.
This year’s lineup included Torrontés from Argentina, Riesling from South Australia, Brolettino from Lugana in Italy, Maconnais Chardonnay, Assyrtiko from Santorini, Rioja Crianza, Bandol red from Provence, and Tasmanian Pinot Noir. They all confirmed that these awards do equate to high quality – and the price points were quite a pleasant surprise in some cases. See details on the Wines we have tasted page.
The Britannia did a fantastic dinner at Richmond, and Hannah cooked up a great Cook Lasagne at Teddington.
