We’ve done it again! For an incredible 4th year running Boutinot has won ‘Merchant of the Year’ at the Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA)! Our hefty medal tally helped propel us to this prestigious position with:

• 28 Gold
• 50 Silver
• 73 Bronze

Amongst our gold winners, we were awarded 2 By the Glass, 4 Food Match and 1 Critics’ Choice awards.

For the full list of winners, click SWA winners.

Chris Losh, Competition Director SWA said “Another Sommelier Wine Awards, another runaway victory for the team at Boutinot. Yes, they entered a good swathe of wines (you don’t pick up close on 150 medals by entering 160 wines), but their hit rate of entries to medals was excellent. Significantly, too, they didn’t achieve it by flooding the competition with expensive ‘sommelier catnip’ wines – more than half of their medal winners were
under £10, which is quite an achievement in the current climate. Though eight Golds over £20 shows that they can ‘do’ trophy wines as well. The company’s stronghold, on this evidence, is Europe, particularly France and Spain, though there are a few New World stars, too, particularly Soldier’s Block Shiraz, which seems to turn out an exceptional performance year after year, and Emiliana’s red and white pair of House Wine Golds”.

Emiliana are also grinning with their award – House Wine Producer of the Year. With 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze, the SWA judges’ comments sum it all up …

“We probably won’t be handing this award out every year, because it’s exceptionally rare for one producer to strike Gold with wines in both red and white, but Emiliana managed it this year for its Colchaguan Carmenère and its Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc. At £5.00 each, they were comfortably under the House Wine price limit and represent exceptional (and organic!) value for money”.

Images – Sommelier Wine Awards and Lloyd Sturdy (copyright)

It’s no coincidence that the busiest stands at this year’s Vinitaly (Verona) were the Franciacorta stands – look no further for true Italian style.

Other Tre Bicchieri awards went to:

Monte Schiavo Pallio di San Floriano Verdicchio Classico Superiore 2010

Altemassi Graal Trento Riserva 2004 (available later in the year)

New World Bordeaux Blends – South America, by Anthony Rose

Altaïr 2006: “Bordeaux-trained Ana Maria Cumsille is a quiet achiever making stylish Bordeaux blends at San Pedro’s Altaïr in the amphitheatre of hills at Totihue in the Cachapoal Valley. Some 72ha of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted, along with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Carmenere. The nearby Andes mountains bring a cool climate capable of good ripening and naturally high acidity which helps with aroma and elegance. Cumsille makes an excellent second wine, Sideral, but the grand vin is Altaïr. There’s backbone and structure behind the succulent dark fruits with a real sense of place. Drink 2012 – 2022. 4 stars.”

Spain’s new-generation whites, by John Radford

La Báscula Catalan Eagle 2010: “Garnacha Blanca, Viognier, Roussanne. Warm, honeyed aromas followed by a rich and complex mid-palate with lovely herby fruit and a long finish. Dry. 4 stars.”

Naia 2010: “Verdejo. A little closed on the nose but clean and fresh. Big, spicy, warm fruit on the palate with herbs and more spices plus a hint of citrus. Delicious. 4 stars.”

Mas Macià Suprem Blanc 2010: “Garnacha Blanca, Xarel-lo. Smoky, savoury fruit on the nose, and a lovely fresh palate with gentle fruit and a hint of pepper from the Xarel-lo. Lipsmacking acidity. 4 stars.”

Decanter June 2012

Argentinian Malbec – Panel tasting

Nieto Senetiner Don Nicanor Malbec 2009: ” Aromas of spice, cassis, meat and herbs. Intense cassis and blackberry fruit, ripe tannins and a warm finish. Mid-weight, light palate makes for easy drinking. Drink 2012 – 2016. 3 stars.”

Chilean Sauvignon Blanc – Panel tasting

Emiliana Novas Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011: “Sherbet, citrus, mandarin and green mango aroma. A leaner style with delicate citrus fruit and a vibrant character… 3 stars.”

Decanter – Austria supplement 2012: Best-value buys

Sepp Moser Breiter Rain Grüner Veltliner 2010: “A riper style of Grüner. Tropical fruit with some herbal and almond notes. Fresh acidity, not super dry, a little weight and stony minerality. Drink 2012 – 2015. 5 stars.” Jan Konetzki

The evening was hosted by Brian Turner CBE, president of the Academy of Culinary Arts and the guest speaker was famed Californian Chef Thomas Keller. Cooking dinner for the 500 guests were Paul Heathcote MBE (Paul Heathcotes Restaurant, Longridge), Daniel Galmiche (The Vineyard, Stockcross), Bernhard Mayer (The Savoy), Martyn Nail (Claridge’s) and Philip Howard (The Square). Boutinot’s Bellefontaine Sauvignon Blanc 2011 was enjoyed with Daniel Galmiche’s  ‘Fillet of line caught Pollack, with braised young leeks, light creamy sauce with ginger and seaweed’.

Enjoying dinner at The Savoy

Held at four venues nationwide : The Westbury Hotel (London), Hotel du Vin Bristol, Hotel du Vin Tunbridge Wells and Malmaison Hotel Manchester, the regional finals of the competition attracted over fifty of the UK’s best Sommeliers to compete against one another for places in the grand final to be held on Wednesday 23^rd May at the London International Wine Trade Fair.

For the fifth consecutive year, Boutinot provided the wines for the Blind Tasting element of the competition. This year the competitors had to identify: La Lotte Chablis 2011, Keith Tulloch Semillon 2011, Emiliana ‘Adobe’ Carmenere 2010 and Les Pivoines Beaujolais Villages 2011. Boutinot’s very own Master Sommelier Nigel Wilkinson, commented – “the standard of the Sommeliers competing this year was of an extremely high calibre, with some of the contestants correctly identifying all of the blind tasting wines, I was very impressed”.

The regional Final winners were :- Laurent Richet (Winner of the Northern regional final, who works at Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham), Tobias Brauweiler (Winner of the South West regional final, Sommelier from Ellenborough Park Hotel in Cheltenham), Arnaud Bardary (Winner of South East regional final from Maze Restaurant, London) and the London regional final winner was Jan Konetzki from Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

Stefan Neuman from The Fat Duck serving the Judges

Congratulations to all, who will now compete against each other and the highest 2^nd and 3^rd placed competitors in the grand final at the LIWTF, where this year’s prize for the overall winner will be an all expenses paid VIP trip to Boutinot’s Organic and Biodynamic Chilean agency – Emiliana.

Click Trendy Sherry to see the program via 4OD and scroll along to 1hour 12mins to cut to the chase about the sherry. If you want the duck recipe that goes so well with this wine, jump in 10 mins earlier (around 1 hour 1 minute). As they mention, this wine also goes really well with Bream.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Everything went very well and I took heaps of pictures…

Morvane

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Click here to view the embedded video.