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Metro
07-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
Inside the world's biggest wine contest where 67,000 bottles bid to be the best
At a warehouse in east London, rows upon rows of heavy cardboard boxes are lined up. Each box contains 12 bottles of wine, but the labels taped on won't tell you their brands. They are here for the world's biggest wine contest, which could launch ordinary bottles sold in Waitrose or Aldi into highly sought wine royalty. Metro went along to the Excel Centre today to see the huge operation, learn what goes into the judging… as well as sample a few potential winners ourselves. This week, judges will provisionally crown the best bottles for the annual Decanter World Wine Awards before winners are announced next month. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Simon Wright, head of logistics, told Metro that 148 industrial pallets of wine arrived this year from around 40 depots around the world, so it's a challenge to make sure they're all lined up unbroken and in the right order. There is too much wine for it to all be drank by judges, so the excess is poured away into tanks, where it will be anaerobically digested for fuel. 'We crush all the bottles on site to make it easier to transport the recycling,' he explains, showing us an industrial metal machine that crunches up glass like Doritos. It's the best smelling rubbish I've experienced, and I'm tempted to ask if I can rescue some wine myself to fuel my own body instead. But it's too late and we're onto the judging. Judges started their tasting flights at around 9.30am: there's no hesitation here about booze before noon. After being handed an unidentified glass of what may or may not be pinot noir, I'm told it is a faux pas even to ask the time. The atmosphere in the tasting rooms is more like a business meeting than a boozy lunch. Judges sit in front of laptops on conference tables, with a long line of semi-full wine glasses and a spittoon next to them. I overhear one judge remark that she finds a contender 'a bit tennis bally', and wonder if I've misheard, before Google informs me this is a fairly common descriptor for wine, and has something to do with sulphur content. You want to be able to say something a bit more creative that just 'mmm, that is really nice!' To taste a wine there are four stages: first look at it, then smell it, then taste it, then consider the after taste (the finish). Next time you pick up a glass, swish it around and see if it smells like any of these real comparisons used by tasters: Sweaty socks Diesel Pencil lead Plastic Cat wee Biscuit Nappy Tar Candy floss You could also play it safe and say it is fruity, floral, full-bodied, light-bodied or balanced. The best option is to just use your nose and get creative though: one Redditor shared a memorable description from a tasting: 'This smells like a dog ran through a muscat vineyard eating grapes, then breathed in your face.' Wines will be judged against others of their region and type, with a value category for bottles until £15 (so, most of the wines you'd see in the supermarket), a mid category for £15 to £50 bottles, and a more expensive category for wines over £50. Wine writer Andrew Jefford, who as co-chair is responsible for deciding the best of the best, told Metro that disagreements between judges aren't unusual, as many experts are passionate about their preferences. 'If you just do it mathematically, you get crude results, or you get everything sort of evened out in the middle, with nothing coming out at one end of the other,' he says. You won't be surprised to hear that a key part of the lunch served to the more than 200 judges is cheese, with huge wheels on offer next to salted broad beans, crackers, and dried apricots. Judges are not given a list of food they can't eat before tasting, but there is common sense to it, such as no spicy curry that could affect their palates. A bigger danger for some is over consuming, with so much booze on offer, and a fine line between being thorough with tasting, and going overboard. 'Moderation is the way to go,' Andrew advises. Asked if judges have ever had to retire on these grounds, he admits 'it has happened' in the earlier days of the contest, but there ever are unfortunate incidents, the judge 'will not be asked back.' Those invited to judge are professionals in the wine industry, ranging from writers to master sommeliers in restaurants. They will judge in their area of expertise, such as Asian wines or French wines, and each wine will be tasted some three times by three panellists in each stage before bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and best in show medals are decided. The contest is not a truly 'blind' tasting, where wine is served in the dark, or judges are told nothing about the wine. They are told the general price range, the vintage, and the area it comes from. But if they dare to look at the label on a bottle, this would cross a line. 'If anybody were to peep inside to find our who the producer is, they would be immediately ejected,' Andrew says. That's a rule you cannot break.' After watching the judges swish so many wines around, I'm keen for a glass myself, so I ask Andrew for some tips. Unfortunately, he says it's not as simple as just ticking off acidity, colour, fruit notes etc, and there's no formula but it 'must always be outstanding and memorable in some way'. When it comes to wines in the lowest price category, what he looks for most is pure 'deliciousness' rather than aging potential or layering: It should simply be something people will enjoy drinking. I try one of the Canadian wines tipped for gold, which is a light red, and say it smells herby though don't want to admit that I'm actually picking up a pungent note of marijuana. Given it's legalised there now, maybe it's not so uncultured a reference. More Trending Last year, the UK acheived its highest medal count yet, including a first-ever Best in Show for English sparkling rose, which went to Chapel Down based in Kent. French Champagne house Louis Pommery's England Rosé Brut NV from Hampshire, and Cornwall's Camel Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2023, were also recognised as standout wines. This years results will be announced on June 18. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: I got an early taste of Aldi's brand new bubble-less prosecco — here's the verdict MORE: 'Extremely good' Morrisons wines under £13 you need to try this summer MORE: I'm a drinks writer and didn't rate Lidl wine — until I tried this £4.85 gem
Telegraph
19-04-2025
- Telegraph
The central European wine region giving France a run for its money
Ask most people where to find Europe's most exciting wines and they'll rattle off the usual suspects like France, Italy and Spain. Few would mention the Czech Republic (or Czechia, its official short name). But in the quiet vineyards of South Moravia and the gentle hills of Bohemia, a wine revival is underway. Turns out, Czechia isn't just about beer. With around 20,000 hectares under vine, Czechia's wine footprint is tiny, but it makes up for that in character and quality. Vines flourish in town centres, in gardens and in neat rows across sunlit landscapes that have been cultivated for over a thousand years. And the wines are winning acclaim. At the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards, Czech producers picked up 119 gongs, including four golds. Why are they relatively undiscovered? Under communism, viticulture was centralised and quality sacrificed for quantity, so Czechia's winemakers had to start from scratch after the 1989 revolution. Now, they're reclaiming lost ground. Grapes like grüner veltliner, riesling and welschriesling are thriving, pinot noir (grown here for centuries) flourishing and gently floral pálava, a white grape grown almost exclusively here, enjoying a revival. Best of all, it hasn't been mobbed by wine tourists. Not yet, anyway. A good place to start a wine journey is Mikulov, a postcard-pretty town just over an hour from Vienna, or a few hours' scenic drive from Prague. It sits beneath a curve of vine-covered hills in the heart of the Pálava region, crowned by a Renaissance château whose terraces offer views across the red-tiled rooftops to the limestone ridges beyond. The cobbled streets are dotted with wine bars where a 100ml pour might set you back £2 and an entire bottle rarely breaks a tenner. Just under an hour north-west of Mikulov, is Znojmo, a medieval town perched above the Dyje River and one of the oldest winemaking centres in the country. A warren of fourteenth century tunnels runs beneath its streets, open for guided tours if you don't mind tight spaces. Above ground, the Church of St Nicholas, with its globe-shaped pulpit, and 11th century Rotunda of St Catherine, steal the show. But for wine lovers the real draw is the Enotéka, set in a former monastery, where 120 local wines are offered on tap. Just load a card with credit and try as many as you like: classics, natural wines, ice wine or straw wine (made from grapes dried on straw mats to concentrate sugars and flavours, similar to vin Santo). Another way to taste the breadth of Czech wine is the Wine Salon in Valtice, a grand château once owned by the Liechtenstein family and now home to the National Wine Centre. In its vaulted cellars you can try up to 100 of Czechia's top wines for €29, surely the best value wine-tasting offer in Europe. You're handed a glass and given two hours to explore and taste at your own pace. Elsewhere, winemaking takes a contemporary turn. Obelisk is a striking modern winery with sleek tasting rooms and accommodation. And in the nearby village of Pavlov, Plener Winery takes a different approach again, producing low-intervention, organic wines, some of which come in cans. On weekends between May and September, visiting chefs take over the space outside the cellar and cook for visitors who can stretch out on deckchairs in the sunshine while they taste and eat. If almond brandy is your thing, and you visit in April, nearby Hustopeče is worth a detour. The almond orchards burst into blossom then, and producers set up beneath the trees to pour their wares. If, on the other hand, you need a pause from all the sipping, try the nearby Lednice Château, another former Liechtenstein bolthole, a Unesco World Heritage site and a marvel of neo-Gothic flamboyance. In Vrbice, wine cellars are Hobbit -liked warrens that were carved into the sandstone beneath the vineyards from the eighteenth century onwards. Their arched stone fronts lead into cool, silent tunnels that smell of wine and history. It looks Disney -esque but this is a working wine village, and the magic is entirely real. A short drive away in Bořetice, the self-declared Free Federal Republic of Kraví Hora brings a touch of playfulness to the vineyards, complete with its own flag, constitution and elected president. The set-up may be tongue-in-cheek, but this is a serious wine growing area, producing excellent wines. During tasting season from April to September, cellar doors are flung open, tables appear in the narrow lanes and visitors are welcomed with food, music and plenty to taste. Bohemia, which makes up the western two-thirds of Czechia, is less associated with wine than the south, but it has its gems, like Kutná Hora. Most of the city is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the Gothic spires of St Barbara's Cathedral, along with the saint-lined street modelled on Prague's Charles Bridge, take your breath away. The Sedlec Ossuary is both macabre and mesmerising, its chandeliers and altars crafted from the bones of more than 60,000 people. Like many towns across Czechia, grapevines grow right in the centre and the wine is good. At Vinne Sklepy, in the former nunnery of St Ursula, winemaker Lukáš Rudolfský welcomes visitors to taste his beautiful organic wines. (If you're lucky, he'll play the piano for you and offer pork rillettes made from an old family recipe.) The Lobkowicz Winery, in the cellars of the nearby château, is also worth a visit. The food in Czechia is as much a part of the experience as the wine. Traditional soups, goulash, roast meats, pickled vegetables, dumplings and farmhouse cheeses sit at the heart of the nation's table. But chefs are modernising. At Thaya Winery in South Moravia (one of Decanter's 2023 Gold Medal winners) traditional ingredients are reworked with a lighter hand and a modern eye. Game pâté might be piped onto an éclair instead of served on dark bread, pork could be paired with green apple and horseradish purée instead of dumplings, and smoked trout married with pickled radishes and confit potatoes. The food is rooted in tradition, but definitely not stuck in the past. Just like the wine. The essentials EasyJet offers return flights to Prague from several UK cities from around £50 return. Flying to Vienna is another option: Ryanair offers return flights from a number of UK cities for a similar price. Hotel Galant in Mikulov offers doubles from £100 per night. In Kutna Hora, doubles at Hotel Barborský dvůr start at £90 per night. Doubles at the Obelisk winery start from £123 per night.
Telegraph
28-03-2025
- Telegraph
The weird experiences taking over English vineyards, from ice baths to a hobbit house
When it comes to a mini-break from the general gloom and doom of the news, many of us are turning to the booming UK vineyard scene for some much-needed fun and fizz. According to the first wine tourism report from the industry association Wines of Great Britain, 1.5 million people visited UK vineyards in 2023, a 55 per cent increase from 2022. Vineyards represent a bright spark of economic news, with over 1030 vineyards listed in 2023, a rise of 9.2 per cent in a year. Climate change is shifting the wine axis – the south of England now has a similar climate and terroir to Champagne, and is attracting investors from more established regions grappling with heat and drought. This year the first English sparkling wine from major French house Taittinger, Domaine Evremond, will go on sale, and one of Portugal's top wine producers has teamed up with Britain's oldest fine wine merchant Berry Bros to buy Hambledon vineyard in Hampshire. Meanwhile, UK-produced wines received their highest medal count yet at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards. With their bucolic countryside setting, fine food and wine and boutique operations grounded in the local community, UK vineyards are the perfect day out or weekend away. The result is they're increasingly competing to attract visitors, and boost revenue, by differentiating themselves from each other with unique and unusual experiences. From wine barrel saunas to ice baths, wine slides, yoga in the vines, steam train wine trips, nature trails, sundowner safaris, treehouses and e-bike tours, there's something for everyone who wants to experience a little more than a traditional tour and wine tasting. Here's our choice of the best. Experience a breathwork and ice bath retreat Tillingham Wines, East Sussex If you're going to plunge yourself into an ice bath, it helps to do it in a picturesque location like Tillingham Wines, whose vines and farmland occupy 70 acres of lovely High Weald East Sussex countryside. Just 15 minutes from the bustling Cinque Port town of Rye, the winery attracts a cool set of switched-on locals and trendy 'down from Londoners' who come for the green Michelin-starred sustainable restaurant, Upstairs, and to stay in the chic bedrooms designed by local art and interiors firm, McCully and Crane. Wine is produced organically and biodynamically. In the summer a converted barn offers pizza and live music, and new for this year is a Creative Art & Wellbeing Program, with a series of events including the Wim Hof breathwork and ice-bath retreat, led by Belinda Raphael. Belinda was personally trained by 'the iceman' Wim Hof himself, famous for his extreme adventures and heavy breathing protocols to withstand the cold. Arriving the day before the workshop, I enjoyed a tasty dinner at 'Upstairs' sampling locally sourced food and Tillingham wines (the Pet Nat PN 23 was my favourite), then spent a pleasant night in one of the bedrooms, waking up to a gentle bleat from the lambs in the next-door field. Feeling sufficiently bolstered by food and wine, I was ready for the retreat, which consisted of lots of science about why we should all be embracing the cold, and a session experiencing 'breathwork' – a way of deep continuous breathing which left me feeling like I was floating on the ceiling. After a healthy lunch (with homemade kimchi made on-site), and a bit more breathing, it was time for the ice bath plunge. With Belinda Raphael's encouragement, it felt surprisingly manageable and uplifting. I even embraced Wim Hof's silly horse stance moves to warm up. I left Tillingham on a high, resolved to return for more wine and well-being. The Wim Hof day retreat costs £95, including lunch. Book via Tillingham Wines. Sign up for a sundowner safari tour Wiston Vineyard, West Sussex Set in the South Downs National Park just above Worthing, the ancient Wiston Estate has been owned by the Goring family since 1743. As well as an award-winning sparkling wine served by British Airways in club class, the estate owners have dreamed up a popular twist on the traditional vineyard tour. Between May and September, guests can sign up for the 'Sundowner Safari and Dinner'. Arriving at 5pm on a Friday, the tour starts with a visit to the barrel hall and the traditional Coquard press – a massive medieval-looking structure from the Champagne region, one of the few in England. Then after a quick tasting of non-vintage wines, guests climb aboard the vineyard trailer and bump along the chalk road over the scenic South Downs and through Wiston Estate, to the original vineyard, where they can taste the vintage wines al fresco. If the British weather plays ball, guests climb back on the trailer to enjoy the sunset over the hills and partake in a five-course set dinner al fresco (or indoors) at the Michelin-listed Chalk restaurant, which our Telegraph critic gave five stars last year. The sundowner safari costs £125, book via Wiston Estate. Live like a hobbit at Vineyard Hollow Oastbrook Vineyard, East Sussex If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, and you want to immerse yourself in nature with a home that looks like it's come straight out of the Shire, then check into Vineyard Hollow, a retreat fit for Frodo carved by local craftsmen out of a bank at Oastbrook Vineyard. Vineyard Hollow has an earth-covered grass roof, round wood windows and a large round oak front door. Inside the cosy hobbit feel continues with wood beams, curved doorways and a vaulted ceiling decorated with stars. Fortunately, there are mod cons too, with two ensuite bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and a hot tub outside, where you can enjoy a sip of the Oastbrook wine and a view of the vines. The vineyard is owned and run by America and Nick Brewer. America hails from Brazil and every summer she hosts a Brazilian-style summer party with a live Samba show, barbecue and music. Unlike many UK vineyards, the sheltered microclimate of the local Rother Valley, near Bodium Castle, lends itself to making still wines as well as sparkling. Vineyard Hollow costs from £300/night, full details are on the Oastbrook website and bookings here. Slide down a 'Fruit Chute' Simpson's Winery, Kent Just outside Canterbury, Simpson's Wine Estate was founded in 2012 by Ruth and Charles Simpson, who honed their craft during a decade making rosé at their Domaine in the South of France. Since then they've built a strong reputation and received several awards with their Blanc de Noirs 2018 winning 'Best English Sparkling Wine' at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships 2022, and their Railway Hill Rosé winning a gold medal at the WineGB 2024 Awards. They also claim to be the only winery in the world to offer a helter-skelter slide installed in the new 'Glass House' tasting room. Anyone joining one of the tasting experiences can add to their tipsiness by finishing with a flourish and exiting down this 'Fruit Chute' which leads from the tasting room to the winery below. Several experiences are available, with tickets for the summer sunset sessions launching this week. Prices from £25, bookings at Simpson's Winery. Hop on an e-bike tour White Heron Estate, Herefordshire The White Heron Estate is found in an emerging wine region, the scenic rolling hills of Herefordshire near the Welsh border, where a warming climate is now allowing for wine cultivation. The estate already has a long history of drink production, as the home of British Cassis, the liquor made from blackcurrants grown on the farm for 140 years. The vineyard was planted during the pandemic and the second sparkling wine harvest was just last year. New this year, the E-bike guided tours are a great way to experience the countryside and far-reaching views of the Brecon Beacons. Groups of up to 16 are taken through the vines, blackcurrant fields, cider apple orchards and woodland. Bikers stop several times en route to hear about the history of the 4 th generation family farm, as well as to sample the end-produce of the fruits grown on the estate including White Heron Estate Sparkling Wine, British Cassis and Ribena. The tour finishes with an optional al fresco barbecue or local lunch around an oak table overlooking the vines. The estate is also introducing three-day e-biking holidays and you can stay on the estate if you're travelling from further afield. E-bike tours start from £50 per person and can be booked at White Heron Estate. Mix it up with jazz and fizz Hambledon Vineyard, Hampshire Hambledon Vineyard in the Hampshire South Downs National Park has the distinction of being the UK's oldest commercial vineyard. Started by Francophile Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones in 1952, the wines were served aboard the QE2 and exported around the world. A change of ownership led to the vineyard falling into disrepair in the 1990s, but since the 2000s its fortunes have turned around, and in a vote of confidence the vineyard was bought in 2023 in a joint deal between wine merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd and Port aficionados Symington Family. In February a high-end new restaurant helmed by chef Nick Edgar, formerly of Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons, was opened in a specially designed converted barn with high ceilings, exposed oak beams, and windows with views of the vines. In the summer, Hambledon Wine Estate will also open its doors for 'Jazz and Fizz' – a civilised afternoon of music, food and sparkling wine. The event will kick off with the Brazz Breakout Jazz Orchestra, and feature singer Amy Baker. There will also be a selection of food stalls to pair with your Hambledon sparkling wine. Tickets cost £37.50 and include a glass of sparkling and a deckchair. Book at Hambledon Vineyard.
