Thirst past the post...

Winners by a nose, the ‘Grand National’ medallists that are all

WITH the thundering hooves of the Grand National just a few days away, medalwinning wines are a fair bet to ensure you’ve got a dead cert, whether it’s celebrating a victory or drowning your sorrows. The two UK-based awards that put a huge range of wines through their paces are the Decanter World Wine Awards and the International Wine Challenge. Also coming up steadily on the outside is the International Wine and Spirit Competition, which is worth watching for future winners as it has a new team in place and some big plans, and its awards are just the tip of the iceberg.

Awards for wine mean that a panel of professional tasters have evaluated the wine alongside other bottles in the same category and decided it worthy of a medal, generally bronze, silver, gold or perhaps a trophy. Anything under that standard is an ‘also-ran and better luck next time’, so I’d stick to the gold and silver winners.

Awards are also given to larger categories such as where to buy your wine. In 2017 The Wine Society deservedly won both Wine Club of the Year at the International Wine Challenge as well as Outstanding Retailer of the Year at the Decanter World Wine Awards. And I know I’ve said it before, but if you haven’t yet joined The Wine Society and you love wine, it’s a no-brainer for access to its spectacular range and enticing prices.

But beyond just gongs, wine awards are looking for more tangible ways to engage with wine consumers. Adam Lechmere, the general manager at the International Wine and Spirit Competition tells me: ‘As we move towards our 50th anniversary in 2019, we are positioning ourselves as the premium wine competition with a range of exciting new projects in the pipeline – not least a new consumer club, the Club Oenologique, which will give wine and spirits lovers access to some of the thousands of wonderful drinks we taste every year.’

So while a gong goes some way to celebrate a wine’s pedigree, potentially more exciting is the contest to access these wines.

The race is on to win the backing of wine fans.