So the wines have been tasted, the scorecards tallied up, the judges have muttered, spluttered and spat out their findings to give us the winners of The West London Wine School Wines of The Year Awards 2011.
Over the past year school founder, Jimmy Smith, and co have tasted over a thousand different wines as part of their educational duties as well as sourcing the sometimes obscure varieties for their various courses.
Tasting notes from the judges and students were submitted. The top 4 or 5 in each category were selected for a blind tasting where the eager panel of judges awaited to fill their scorecards. The highest scored wine in each section was proclaimed the winner.
On Monday, 17th of October, our illustrious group got together to pour scorn over the final entries.
After much mulling over the winners were decided.
They are.
Winner: Candido I Satiri Salice Salentino, Puglia, Italy, 2006 £8
Runner-up: Alpha Zeta ‘R’ Ripasso Valpolicello Classico, Veneto, Italy, 2008 £11
Winner: Bodegas Bilbianas La Vicalanda Reserva Rioja, Spain, 2006 £16
Runner-up: Planeta, Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily, Italy, 2009 £15
Winner: Domaine de Testalune (Potel) Saint-Romain, Burgundy, France 2009 £11
Runner-up: Martin Codax Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain, 2010 £11
Winner: Louis Jadot Marsannay, Burgundy, France. 2008 £16
Runner-up: Pieropan Soave, Veneto, Italy, 2009 £13
Winner: Klein Constantia Cabernet Merlot, South Africa, 2009 £10
Runner-up: Ravenswood Zinfandel, Lodi, California, 2008 £9
Winner: Bodegas Septima Gran Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina, 2009 £13
Runner-up: Bodega Vinecol, Malbec Oak Reserve, 2009 £16
Winner: Catena ‘Alamos’ Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina, 2010 £8
Runner-up: Secano Estate Sauvignon Gris, Leyda, Chile, 2010 £8
Winner: Henschke Julius Riesling, South Australia, Australia, 2009 £18
Runner-up: Bodega Corvus, ‘Ala Negra’ Torrontes, 2008 £16
Winner: Bodega Porvenir, Laborum Tannat, Argentina, 2006 £21
Runner-up: Chapoutier ‘La Bernadine’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France, 2008 £25
Winner: Antinori Vermintino, Bolgheri, Italy, 2010 £14
Runner-up: Domaine Wachau Terraces Gruner Veltliner, Wachau, Austria, 2010 £9
Winner: Scala Dei Cartoixa, Priorat, Spain, 2006 £30
Runner-up: Errazuriz Don Maximiamo, Chile, 2007 £44
Winner: Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, Burgundy, France, 2008 £28
Runner-up: Leitz Berg Roseneck Riesling Spatlese, Rheingau, Germany, 2006 £25
Winner: Domaine Carneros Brut, Carneros, California, 2006 £19
Runner-up: Waitrose Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne, NV £19
Winner: Domaine Carneros La Reve, Carneros, California, 2004 £38
Runner-up: Bollinger Brut, Champagne, NV £35
Winner: Cazes Ambre Rivesaltes, Roussillon, France, 1998 £15
Runner-up: Hidalgo Gitana Manzanilla, Sherry, NV £9
Winner: Capezzana Vin Santo, Carmignano, Italy £35
Runner-up: Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, South Africa £30
For more information on each category winner please click the header links.
The wines will be available to taste over the 14-15th of December at £10 single ticket or 2 for £15. Click the link below for more information.
You may see me sneaking around at one of these dates too where I’ll be casting my eye and thoughts over these winners.
Looking forward to it.
Enjoy.
The Oenophiliac 