GOCV member and chair of the Wines from Spain Awards, Tim Atkin MW introduces this year’s competition and hosts the annual ceremony and tasting at the Spanish Embassy in London.
“Judging the Wines from Spain Awards is a labour of love, not just for convinced Hispanophiles like me, but for anyone who values diversity and complexity in the glass. It’s never difficult to find experienced judges who want to come and taste the latest release from one of the world’s most exciting wine-producing countries. A number of them have been with us since the first edition of this annual competition.
We don’t have to choose a strict number of wines and yet this year we magically came up with a round, perfectly formed 100. The idea is to select the best wines, rather than to choose certain styles or grape varieties, so I’m delighted that our final picks were as heterogeneous as ever. You’ll certainly be familiar with many of the denominaciones de origen represented, but others may be new or at least largely unfamiliar. It’s great to see wines from Alicante, Bullas, Cebreros, Lanzarote and Sierra de Gredos.
Spain continues to offer some of the best value in the world – not the same as cheapness, by the way – and the 2019 selection has delivered once more, with wines from £7.99 to £50. I hope you enjoy tasting them as much as we did selecting them.”
Tim Atkin MW
Champion Wines
- BEST CAVA STARS BRUT NATURE 2014, CASTILLO PERELADA
- BEST DISCOVERY PANSA BLANCA 2018, RAVENTÓS DE ALELLA
- BEST WHITE OVER £10 RAIMAT EL NIU DE LA CIGONYA, RAVENTÓS CODORNÍU
- BEST PREMIUM WHITE MALVASÍA SECO COLECCIÓN 2018, EL GRIFO
- BEST VALUE WHITE CASTELO DE MEDINA VERDEJO 2018, BODEGAS CASTELO DE MEDINA
- BEST ROSADO FLOR DE MUGA 2018, BODEGAS MUGA
- BEST VALUE RED JUAN GIL YELLOW 2018, GIL FAMILY ESTATES
- BEST RED OVER £10 ALTOS R CRIANZA 2016, ALTOS DE RIOJA
- BEST PREMIUM RED ONDARRE RESERVA 2014, BODEGAS ONDARRE
- BEST OWN LABEL THE SOCIETY’S EXHIBITION RIOJA RESERVA 2011, LA RIOJA ALTA
- BEST DRY FORTIFIED FERNANDO DE CASTILLA ANTIQUE OLOROSO NV, BODEGAS REY FERNANDO DE CASTILLA
- BEST VALUE FORTIFIED BERTOLA CREAM NV, DÍEZ MÉRITO
- BEST SWEET FORTIFIED FERNANDO DE CASTILLA ANTIQUE PEDRO XIMÉNEZ NV, BODEGAS REY FERNANDO DE CASTILLA
The 2019 Judges
TIM ATKIN MW
Chair of Judges, Wine Writer & GOCV Member
ANNETTE SCARFE MW
Consultant
BETH WILLARD
Wine Buyer, Direct Wines & GOCV Member
BRUNO MURCIANO
Wine Buyer, H2Vin
CHARLES METCALFE
Wine Writer & GOCV Member
CHRISTINE ALLEN
Marketing Director, MMD
HAL WILSON
Owner, Cambridge Wine Merchants
PETER MCCOMBIE MW
Consultant
RAFA MARTIN
Wine Buyer, Bibendum/Barrafina
RICHARD HEMMING MW
Wine Writer
SARAH BENSON
Wine Buyer, The Co-op
SIMON WOODS
Wine Writer
VICTORIA BURT MW
WSET