If you struggle with deciding which types of wine to buy for friends and family at Christmas, listen up.
The best wines in the business have been revealed in the first stage of an international wine competition – and we’re 100% using these results to inform our Christmas shopping decisions.
After a week of intensive blind tasting by a panel of wine experts, there were over 1,600 medals awarded to wines from across the globe at the International Wine Challenge.
A whole host of supermarket wines won Gold awards – including three £6 bottles of vino from Morrisons.
The following wines were awarded a Gold Medal by the competition, and are all available on UK high streets ahead of Christmas:
£10 and under
:: Asda Extra Special Selection Pinot Noir, 2014 (£8.50) from Asda
:: Fortezza dei Colli Chianti Classico Riserva, 2014 (£6.99) from Lidl
:: Morrisons The Best Oloroso, NV (£6.00) from Morrisons
:: Morrisons The Best Palo Cortado, NV (£6.00) from Morrisons
:: Morrisons The Best Pedro Ximenez, NV (£6.00) from Morrisons
£15 and under
:: Tesco finest* Chablis Premier Cru, 2015 (£15.00) from Tesco
:: The Hedonist Shiraz, 2016 (£14.49) from Waitrose
:: Polish Hill River Riesling, 2012 (£12.99) from Waitrose
:: Colomé Altitude Blend Malbec Cabernet Franc Tannat, 2015 (£12.50) from M&S
:: Morrisons The Best Marques De Los Rios Rioja Gran Reserva, 2011 (£12.00) from Morrisons
:: Chateau de Myrat Sauternes Grand Cru Classe, 2013 (£11.99) from Aldi
£20 and under
:: Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir, 2015 (£20.00) from Morrisons
:: Tesco finest* Vintage Port,1997 (£20.00) from Tesco
:: Maynard’s Late Bottled Vintage Port, 1992 (£19.99) from Aldi
Exceptional wines
Among thousands of entries, two wines stood out as the best of the bunch for judges, scoring a staggering 97 points out of 100.
The first of these was Western Australia’s Domaine Naturaliste Artus 2016, produced in the Margaret River region. It proved to be a competition favourite, being described as ‘remarkable’ by the judging panel.
The other was Germany’s Weingut Reiss’ Randersackerer Pfülben Riesling Beerenauslese 2016. According to judges, this sweet white wine clocked up a high score thanks to its intense apricot and candid lemon flavours.
Two English-made sparkling wines also won Gold medals. These were the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Multi-Vintage Magnum (95 points) and the Hush Heath Estate Balfour Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Skye 2014 (95 points).