Decanter awards

You were first a DWWA judge in You get a lot more pure-fruited wines. A lot of that has gone now, decanter awards.

Usually I spend my time exclusively on the Loire Valley , but this year I spent some time judging in Bordeaux as well. There was good social distancing within, and excellent adherence to mask-wearing. All participants judges, runners, Decanter staff and support staff self-tested for Covid antigen on a daily basis before attending. After my slew of tests before, during and after my recent trip to the Loire Valley, my daily Decanter tests mean right now I feel all tested-out. But it was the right thing to do.

Decanter awards

The Decanter World Wine Awards is the largest wine competition in the world. More and more countries enter every year and sees 57 of them put forward their wines to be judged by over wine industry heavyweights over the course of two weeks. As I arrive at Excel CentrEd to see behind the scenes of the judging process — where the magic happens — I marvel at how unceremonious it all seems. Perhaps inside the judging rooms is a different story? Instead of bustling rooms of excitement, the rooms are quiet, serious and sedate. The judges are concentrating, swirling, spitting, frowning, furrowing. Just then, I am greeted by Sarah Jane Evans MW for my interview with her, who is positively beaming, and announces that a wine from a rather surprising country has just been scored as gold. A flurry of excitement ripples through the group and I glimpse it: the magic of a new discovery. Because of her special interest in Spain and sherry, she was promoted to be a regional co-chair for Spain, the biggest producing country at the DWWAs. Then, last year Decanter decided to appoint three co-chairs, of which they asked Sarah to be one. Going from one specialist area to covering it all has been a fascinating experience for Sarah. We have quite a lot of winemakers here, as well as other people involved in the industry, so you get a much better picture. Though challenging at times, the role transition to co-chair of the DWWAs is something that her academic background, particularly her Master of Wine status, has prepared her for well. You look for balance, length, intensity, complexity and concentration. You go back to those and then actually you can talk very easily with your panel about it.

I like to challenge myself all the time, decanter awards, I like to re-think things, you know - question yourself. There is not enough access at the root, but we are open to new talent when we find it and think decanter awards proactive choices need to be made. When Peter Hall started his vineyard, Breaky Bottom, it was a huge risk.

Oh sure, I would register the Decanter stickers on wine bottles in the shops but it never influenced my buying decisions in any significant way. What I found was that the awards were not devised as some sort of wine trade accolade but were begun as a way for consumers to be assured they were buying quality wines in the marketplace. Steven pointed out that Decanter is a consumer magazine so it only makes sense that they give out awards that reward not only quality and value for money but also flag wines that might otherwise be overlooked. Their wines won 2 silvers, 1 bronze and 1 commendation in the Decanter Awards. This year Decanter received over 12, entries of which only 1. The gold medal wines are not only tested once or twice but three times. I asked him what is the main aim of the panel of judges when they are judging the wine and he replied that the panel considers each wine in relation to the region, value for money and the quality of the each wine.

The Decanter World Wine Awards has revealed a selection of medal-winning wines to evoke a taste of summer — no matter what the weather brings. Recently awarded at the competition, where more than expert judges, including 44 Masters of Wine and 11 Master Sommeliers, tasted a record 18, wines, the following winning French wines are available now from UK retailers. The classic Blanc de Blancs Champagne has been amply aged, and brims with the pleasures of age: a calm, steady mousse; refined aromas in which the fruit, bread and brioche of youth have given way to something deeper, stonier, more grounded in the natural world, the fruits calmed and sublimated, the acid profile rounded and smoothed while retaining all its energy. The vintage always promised much, though it was one which needed patience. That patience is amply rewarded in this pure, pristine, almost elemental wine. This rich and fruity Champagne triumphed with its fresh red apple aroma with biscuity yeast and red berry fruits. Judges were particularly impressed with its red fruit character and long and chalky finish. This full and rich wine with fine fruit and texture has lovely tannins. It is long and focused and is a very drinkable and elegant wine. Very pale pink, with bright red fruit and ripe strawberries on the nose.

Decanter awards

More than 18, wines from 56 countries were tasted in the competition's biggest ever year for entries with this line-up representing the top 0. This is a first-of-its-kind masterclass which will help you learn what to look for when tasting for top quality, with Decanter World Wine Awards showstoppers from France, Italy and Spain to Australia, the USA and Argentina. Not the least of the fascinations of this Savennieres-Roche Aux Moines, though, is the fact that it manages a chameleon performance in a single glass. Pure, commanding and unique, its elevation to Best In Show was never in doubt. The role of Margaret River in helping define the expressive possibilities of Australian Chardonnay is a major one, and this profoundly maritime region with its amenable gravel and loam soils continues to make much of the pace in the Southern Hemisphere as a whole. This Reserve Chardonnay has scents of bergamot and lemon zest underwritten by a faint, subtle coffee cream. It is spotlessly clean, pure and fine-spun on the palate, with ample citrus and samphire freshness and a pungent finish: very much a Chardonnay for fish and seafood. Aesthetically speaking, too, it has much more in common with our other four Best In Show Chardonnay wines than you might imagine from a zone with the same heat summation figures as Napa: this is emphatically cool-climate in style.

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The wines came out very dark, full of evident oak, and they needed ageing. Blind tasting is one of those skills that mere mortals marvel at, but Sarah tells me that practise and then having the language to describe your findings are the tools you need at hand. Sarah explains that the judges have to put personal preference aside. More Stories. France, I think, stylistically it has remained pretty true to itself because every region is different and every region has its own parameters. The trick is to arrive at a consensus without either any judge being bullied by the others, or the dumbing down of interesting wines to a middle position. Jul 28 Written By Sophia Longhi. Sophia Longhi has a wine blog at www. Steven Spurrier. And the wines were quite good, so those were the important things to me. Turkey, Lebanon and Maldova are also very exciting.

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Literally A to Z from Albania to Veneto. All of this is done to keep the competition as fair and as unbiased as possible. We make a real impact on the winemakers and the drinkers and the industry. Fleshy, with very polished tannins. Like Loading Of all the awards out there, we have the largest global reach. Not every awards system judges by price category and takes that into account. Having a range of judges tasting each wine not only helps with the collegiate aspect with the work but also means a fairer judging system. Email Required Name Required Website. Decanter World Wine Awards There is a constant churn of innovation and new effort and new aspiration. Very intelligently, there is a range of different styles each day, rather than wading through a whole day of white, a whole day of Beaujolais and then a few pinots to conclude.