Find out which wines won awards at this year’s London Wine Competition. The results of the 2020 London Wine Competition are out. This is where wines are judged for end consumers. Wines are rated with 3 main criteria in mind, quality, value and package. To be a medal winner, wines must show overall rating in all the 3 factors. This year’s competition saw about 1000 entries from more than 41 countries which also included new wine producing countries like India.
The top 3 countries that scored the medals were Australia, Italy and Spain. Followed by France, Portugal and the United States. The top 5 varieties that scored were Shiraz / Syrah, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Tempranillo. The biggest improvement in score by country was in the United States which had the highest average score by country followed by France.
Here are the highlights of the 2020 London Wine Competition.
- Wine Of The Year – The Dead Arm Shiraz 2017, Australia, McLaren Vale – 97 points.
- Winery Of The Year d’Arenberg, Australia, McLaren Vale
- Best Wine By Quality – The Dead Arm Shiraz 2017, Australia, McLaren Vale – 97 points.
- Best Wine By Value – Villa Saletta Chianti 2015, Toscana IGT, Italy – 96 points.
- Best Wine By Packaging – Silverado Vineyards SOLO Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, United States – 95 points.
Best wines by country award are as follows:
- France – Beaune Toussaints 1er Cru 2017
- Italy – Fattoria Villa Saletta Società Agricola srl Chianti
- Australia – The Dead Arm
- United States – Silverado Vineyards SOLO Cabernet Sauvignon
- Argentina – Alpasión Grand Cabernet Franc
- Spain -Fruto Noble Roble
- Chile – Since 1825
- Portugal – Perspectiva Reserva
Best wines by varietal are as follows:
- Shiraz / Syrah – The Dead Arm from Australia
- Merlot – Shaw Wines Estate Merlot from Australia
- Chardonnay – Grevino Chardonnay from United States
- Pinot noir – Beaune Toussaints 1er Cru 2017 from France
- Cabernet Sauvignon – Silverado Vineyards SOLO Cabernet Sauvignon from United States
- Sparkling Wine – Domaine Du Chant D’éole from Belgium
Overall winner: The Dead Arm Shiraz 2017, Australia, McLaren Vale
The Dead Arm – Shiraz 2017 McLaren Vale, Shiraz (100%) won the best wine of the year scoring 97 points.
This iconic wine always displays the power and intensity of McLaren Vale Shiraz, yet has an elegance and refinement that few other wines from the region possess. It’s vibrant and lifted on the nose with bustling red fruits and savoury spice. The palate is long, linear and pure with tightly wound tannin and mouth-watering acidity. Beneath the layers of blueberry, pomegranate and Satsuma Plum is an intriguing core of earth and crushed rocks. If stored correctly, this wine should age for 15+ years.
Runners up in the competition taking the 2nd place was Villa Saletta Chianti 2015, scoring 96 points.
The Chianti opens with a ruby red colour with violet tinges. It has a full, intense aroma, which recalls floral and red fruit notes. In the mouth, the wine is fresh, smooth, and well balanced with a complex consistency, recalling hints of violets, cherries and vanilla. This blend is well fused with smoky sensations. On the palate, it shows the characteristic intensity of Sangiovese, tannins that boast suppleness in their texture, and a vibrant, dynamic freshness.
DOGC Chianti blend follows the traditions of our Tuscan heritage. The grapes are picked variety by variety, de-stemmed, pressed and placed into stainless fermentation tanks, at temperatures between 79° and 82° F (26° to 28° C). The period of skin contact is approximately 10 days for Sangiovese and 15 days for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The extraction techniques are aimed at maximising aroma and fragrance, soft and supple tannins, and emphasising the tonic acidity and savoury, mineral character. The wine is placed in Slavonian oak casks and two-year-old barrels, where it receives a year of cellar ageing prior to bottling.
Silverado Vineyards SOLO Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, United States secured the best package score and came at the 3rd spot along with a few other wines that got 95 points.
About London Wine Competition
The London Wine Competition is an international wine competition organized by Beverage Trade Network. The competition looks to recognise, reward and help promote wine brands that have successfully been created to identify with and target a specific wine drinker. For any wine brand to earn its place on a retailer’s shelf or a restaurant’s wine list – and then vitally stay there – they need to be marketable and consumer-driven and not just produced in the general hope it can find enough people willing to sell and buy it. Learn more at www.londonwinecompetition.com
