Blind-Tasted Competition Surveys the Riesling Market, with Australia the Big Winner

February 10th – A recent blind-tasting competition in London evaluated Rieslings from all over the world, highlighting high quality production and trends in the market. From the 12 nations represented, Australia and Germany came home with the bulk of top medals – 60% of Gold and Master medals between them.

The Global Riesling Masters 2022 was the final competition of the year in the Global Wine Masters series, run by industry-leading publication the drinks business. A panel of independent, expert judges – including four Masters of Wine  – were tasked with evaluating a range of varietal Riesling wines. They awarded medals based solely on quality to drink, with Bronze, Silver and Gold medals available, as well as Master medals for the very best.

Australia demonstrated its suitability for the variety, particularly in cooler, higher altitude areas of Clare Valley and Eden Valley. These two regions won the top accolades, two Gold and two Master medals, though no Australian wine won less than a Silver. The Australian entries, predominantly dry and with plenty of characteristic zesty citrus, made a strong case against the Riesling stereotype of sweet European wines.

Particular credit goes to Gatt Wines, who secured two Master medals for their Eden Valley bottlings, and Aldi, whose Clare Valley Riesling secured a Gold medal despite retailing under £10.

Germany was not far behind in the rankings. Although the grape’s homeland won no Master medals, Germany finished with four Gold medals and a clutch of Silvers. With a little more residual sugar – all but one of their 11 wines sat in the medium dry category – the selection showed that a touch of sweetness is no barrier to making world-beating wines.

Looking back to the tasting, Chair of Judges Patrick Schmitt MW spoke of cheering refreshment and the judges’ broad smiles at this competition. He was particularly keen to highlight the excellent quality at lower prices, commenting ‘the delights of this day’s sampling could be experienced without major expense, with many of the top scoring wines selling for below £30.’ Aldi’s ‘exceptional’ £8 offering was proof that quality and value can sit hand in hand.

However, it was veteran judge Jonathan Pedley MW who best summarised the day’s mood: ‘Riesling, with its crystalline purity and grace, reminded us why we love wine so much.’

Gold and Master medal winners are listed here, alongside a breakdown of medals by nation.

Master and Gold medal winners:

Results by country:

About The Global Wine Masters Competitions

The Global Wine Masters have rewarded excellence in winemaking since 2013, helping quality brands to stand out and consumers to drink with confidence. Through its unique structure – defining categories by grape variety or style rather than region – the competition series lets the finest wines in the world compete against each other. Every competition is judged by the very best palates in the world: Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and senior buyers.

The Global Wine Masters award wines with Bronze, Silver and Gold medals, and Master medals for the very best entries:

• Bronze (85-88): A well-made wine that qualifies for our seal of approval. This wine is enjoyable and meets customer expectations.
• Silver (89-92): A high-quality wine that clearly demonstrates good winemaking while serving as a strong example of its style, source or dominant grape.
• Gold (93-96): A brilliant wine that is a benchmark for its type. This wine has lasting appeal and shows great balance, complexity and intensity.
• Master (97-100): An outstanding example of its type, showing impeccable winemaking. This wine delights for its wonderful texture, perfect balance and broad range of delicious, persistent flavours.

The results of each competition are published in the drinks business magazine and website (circulation of 13,000 print copies and 1.9 million webpage visits per month). This large reach guarantees that entrants’ medal wins are visible to a truly international and industry-focused audience.