Wine & Food awards
(by peter & susie)
We recently hosted the trophy ceremony for our What Food What Wine 2012 awards in the delightfully festive (and tasteful) Mossiman’s private dining club in London.
A brief recap on the results can be found in the table below.
It was another great year, full of surprises as well as classic matches.
One of the headlines was the success of the Gallo Moscatos, which walked away with trophies for best matches with apple crumble and custard and strawberries and cream. To our minds, this was a great vindication of the blind judging policy – these are great value wines that make excellent matches for puddings, and they should be re-assessed as such.
It was great to see a nutty white (Viña Mar Chardonnay Reserva 2010, £8.95) triumph alongside a red (Hunter’s Pinot Noir 2010, £16.99) with the Christmas turkey – proof that those of us who enjoy a glass of rich white with the bird aren’t on the wrong track.
Good also to see a repeat of last year’s result with a white triumphing with mature cheddar – this time the Durbanville Hills Chardonnay 2010 (£8.12).
The fish and chips category was the most hotly contested, as per previous years, so it was great to see not two but four overall winners, including two Kiwi Sauvignons, a dry Manzanilla sherry and a fizz.
The Grant Burge 10-year-old tawny was perhaps the match of the competition with stilton – sensational stuff.
There were also some delightful pairings in the Indian section, with the Bott Geyl Pinot, Artisan Pinot Gris, Villa Maria Gewurz and Vidal Riesling all putting in fantastic performances.
It’s also appropriate to mention the magnificent all-round performance by the Spice Trail Rosé 2011, which came so close to a trophy in all four curry categories that it was given an honorary trophy of its own.
Kudos also to Hatch Mansfield, the importer of producers such as Villa Maria and Taittinger, which scooped a mammoth ten trophies.
You can also listen to a podcast on the awards ceremony and What Food What Wine generally (featuring an interview with Peter), on the Huw Pryce Talks website.
Don’t forget that you can try all these delicious dishes, together with their perfect wine pairings, on Saturday 16th March when What Food What Wine Live launches with a bang at Lord’s cricket ground in London.
You are warmly invited to come along, sample the food and wine, attend masterclasses on all kinds of delicious matters. It’s surely the most delicious day out in London this year – and it’s a complete bargain at £30. We’d love to say hi so please do come along and join the fun.
Susie and I would like to say a personal thank you again to our superb team of judges, who make the competition such fun, as well as a brilliantly educational experience.
We’d also like to thank all the merchants, wineries, importers and others who have supported these awards since their inception last year. This is a ground-breaking initiative for a UK wine competition, putting wine on the dinner table where it belongs, and judging with no preconceptions other than a rough price guide of (RRP) over or under £10.
Finally, thanks also to the team at the IWSC for making it all happen. Roll on 2013!
What Food What Wine Trophies 2012
|
Trophy |
Submitted by |
Wine |
Vintage |
Country |
Price |
| Outstanding Match with Fish & Chips | Bodegas Hidalgo | Bodegas Hildalgo La Gitana Manzanilla | NV | Spain | |
| Fizz & Chips Trophy | Aldi UK Ltd | Philippe Michel Cremant du Jura | 2009 | France | £6.99 |
| Best with Fish & Chips Under £10 | Indevin Partners New Zealand | Morrisons Best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc | 2011 | New Zealand | £7.99 |
| Best with Fish & Chips Over £10 | Constellation Wines New Zealand | Nobilo Icon Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc | 2011 | New Zealand | £14 |
| Best with mushroom risotto under £10 | Corney & Barrow Ltd | Vina Mar Reserva Chardonnay | 2010 | Chile | £9 |
| Best with Mushroom Risotto Over £10 | Constellation New Zealand | Nobilo Icon Marlborough Pinot Noir | 2010 | New Zealand | £14 |
| Best with Lasagne Over £10 | Villa Maria | Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah | 2010 | New Zealand | £12.49 |
| Best with Lasagne under £10 | Antonio Ventura for Naked Wines | Montaria | 2011 | Portugal | £5.99 |
| Best with Roast Lamb Over £10 | Distell | Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Merlot | 2008 | South Africa | £12.39 |
| Best with Roast Lamb under £10 | Bodegas Corral | Don Jacobo Rioja Crianza Tinto Bodegas Corral | NV | Spain | £7.89 |
| Best with Steak & Fries over £10 | Corney & Barrow Ltd | Cabernet Sauvignon Bodega Ruca Malen | 2008 | Argentina | £12.95 |
| Best with Steak & Fries under £10 | Waitrose Limited | Waitrose Reserve Shiraz St Hallett | 2010 | Australia | £9.99 |
| Best with Apple Crumble & Custard under £10 | E&J Gallo Winery | Barefoot Moscato NV | NV | USA | £4.99 |
| Best with strawberries and cream under £10 | E&J Gallo Winery | Barefoot Moscato NV | NV | USA | £4.99 |
| Best with Cheddar under £10 | Distell | Durbanville Hills Chardonnay | 2010 | South Africa | £8.12 |
| WHAT FOOD WHAT WINE CHRISTMAS | |||||
| Best Smoked Salmon over £10 | Champagne Taittinger | Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus NV | NV | France | £47 |
| Best Smoked Salmon under £10 | Luis Filipe Edwards | Reserva Sauvignon Blanc | 2011 | Chile | £7.99 |
| Best with turkey under £10 | Corney & Barrow Ltd | Vina Mar Chardonnay Reserva | 2010 | Chile | £8.95 |
| Best Turkey Over £10 | Hunter’s Wines Ltd | Hunter’s Pinot Noir 2010 | 2010 | New Zealand | £16.99 |
| Best Xmas Pud over £10 | Villa Maria | Villa Maria Reserve Noble Riesling Botrytis Selection | 2011 | New Zealand | £15 |
| Best Xmas Pud under £10 | Torres | Torres Moscatel Oro Floralis, Catalunya | NV | Spain | £8.57 |
| Best Stilton Over £10 | Grant Burge | Grant Burge 10 Year Old Tawny NV | NV | Australia | £21.50 |
| WHAT FOOD WHAT WINE INDIA | |||||
| Best with Chicken Korma over £10 | Domaine Bott Geyl | Domaine Bott Geyl Pinot d’Alsace | 2008 | France | £12.99 |
| Best with Chicken Korma under £10 | Flagstone | Flagstone Word of Mouth Viognier Western Cape | NV | South Africa | £8.73 |
| Best with Prawn Curry under £10 | Vidal | Vidal White Label Series Riesling | 2010 | New Zealand | £9.99 |
| Best with Prawn Curry over £10 | Constellation New Zealand | Nobilo Icon Marlborough Pinot Noir | 2010 | New Zealand | £14 |
| Best with Chicken Tikka Masala under £10 | Villa Maria | Villa Maria Private Bin Gewurztraminer | 2011 | New Zealand | £9.99 |
| Best with Chicken Tikka Masala over £10 | Artisan Wines Ltd | Artisan Pinot Gris | 2009 | New Zealand | £13.99 |
| Best with Lamb Rogan Josh under £10 | E&J Gallo Winery | Barefoot Shiraz NV | NV | USA | £5.80 |
| Best with Lamb Rogan Josh over £10 | C.V.N.E | Imperial Reserva | 2005 | Spain | £20.49 |
| Cracking with Curry! | Nagyrede Szolok Borforgalmazo Kft. | Spice Trail Rosé | 2011 | Hungary | £6.49 |