IWSC 2013 winners announced at LIWF

Corks are flying after English vineyards celebrated their best year ever with a haul of 38 medals, including a Gold, at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), is the highest in the competition’s 44-year history.

The English tally has been steadily climbing since 2010 when English vineyards scored 23 medals, in 2011 the number was 29 and last year the medal count reached 33, five fewer than this year.

A Gold medal went to Kent’s Gusbourne Estates’ Brut Reserve 2008, £24.99, which judges praised as having “the aromas of hazelnut and toast” with an “underlying delicate redcurrant fruit and a hint of rose”. They said it had a “creamy fresh acidity, giving impeccable balance with a long savoury finish".

While England is fast establishing its reputation for sparkling wine, this year’s success in still wines, including a Silver Outstanding for Dorking’s Denbies Wine Estate’s sweet Noble Harvest 2011, opens a new chapter for the industry.

Eglantine Vineyard, in Nottinghamshire, also scooped Silver for its sweet Eglantine North Star 2011, while the same award went to four wines from Kent’s Chapel Down vineyard one of which was a white Bacchus Reserve, 2011.

Despite England’s medal success, the country fell short of more traditional winemaking countries where the Old World still dominates with France taking 827 medals, Italy 643, Spain 566 and Portugal 312. America was in fifth place with 164 medals.

There are two rigorous stages of judging - a professional blind tasting followed by a detailed chemical and microbiological analysis.

More than 300 wine specialists travel around the world to judge the wines. The judges are a mixture of Masters of Wine, winemakers, trade specialists, journalists and sommeliers.

Asda £4 wine also wins Silver

It may be a supermarket own label, but a panel of experts have judged it among the best wines in the world.

Costing just £4, Asda’s Wine Selection Syrah from 2011 excelled in blind taste tests alongside wines from leading French vineyards.

Judges awarded it a Silver Outstanding medal, praising its “sweet spice, pepper and deep rich fruit”.

Asda's, Master of Wine, Philippa Carr, said: "This win just goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune for a great quality bottle of wine - £4 for an award-winning red makes this wine ideal for summer time drinking on any budget. We'll certainly be raising a glass to our success!"

The IWSC’s head of sales and marketing, Anna Grant, said: “It’s a clear demonstration that quality wines can be purchased at a reasonable price. The stigma of ‘own-brand’ wine is dwindling as supermarket buyers’ work hard at finding the best producers when selecting wines for their own brand range.”

The results were released at the London International Wine Fair on May 20.

For the results in full visit www.iwsc.net.

Pictured: Harvesters from Appledore on the Gusbourne Estate

23 May 2013 - Felicity Murray