Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 results revealed

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DWWA 2017 headlines

France had one of its best years on record at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 (DWWA), claiming eight of the 34 Platinum Best in Show trophies on offer, five more than any other country and spanning Provence.

South America also had a good year, with three Platinum Best in Show awards for Argentina, one for Chile and two for Uruguay.

Marks & Spencer’s Pisano Cisplatino Tannat from Uruguay was this week available in the UK for £57 for a case of six bottles. The country’s success underlines recent commentary from Jane Anson about its progress with the Tannat grape variety.

This year’s awards will also be marked by England’s Winbirri Vineyards scooping a Platinum Best in Show for its Bacchus 2015, the first time an English still wine has won one of DWWA’s highest honours.

There were also strong Platinum Best in Show wins for Australia, Spain and Italy, which all got three each.

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Search DWWA 2017 results by medal 

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The 2017 results epitomise the spirit of DWWA, launched in 2004 with just 4,000 wines and now the world’s largest wine competition with more than 17,200 entries in 2017.

Two-hundred-and-nineteen expert judges, including 65 Masters of Wine and 20 Master Sommeliers, rewarded examples of excellence in classic wines, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015, as well as emerging talent – offering both merchants and consumers a chance to discover something new.

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‘It’s a shortcut for all of us to quality in every region and variety.’

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‘This event sorts out the ‘must buy’ and the ‘definitely try’,’ said Sarah Jane Evans MW, one of three new co-chairs for DWWA 2017.

‘It’s a shortcut for all of us to quality in every region and variety. There are grape varieties that are really rare; regions that are very new; and plenty of the favourites.’

She added, ‘The medals are hard fought for, and a gold is something really special. If you are looking to try something new then a Decanter medalist is a great place to start your wine adventures.’

All the wines at DWWA are blind tasted against their peers and by experts in a particular region or style. Gold medal winners then go on to compete for Platinum medals. Wines securing a Platinum medal in this round are then judged against their peers globally at a special tasting to decide the Platinum Best in Show medals.

At the Platinum tastings, different price levels are taken into account. Wines with a retail price of under £15 are judged in ‘best value’ categories, while those over £15 contend for premium categories.

Winbirri, for example, won a Platinum Best in Show as the best value white wine made from a single grape variety; in this case, Bacchus.

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Diversity in established regions

French regions were well represented in the country’s eight ‘best in show’ medals, from Gabriel Meffre’s ‘Saint Théodoric’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015 winning best wine made from red Rhône grape varieties to La Grande Bauquière’s ‘Moment Inattendu’ 2016 from Provence winning ‘best rosé’ wine and Thomas Barton’s Réserve Privée 2014 winning the ‘best in show’ medal for Bordeaux red varietals – a prize that has previously been won by wines all over the world, including Washington State in the US.

North America

The US did not win any Platinum Best in Show medals this year, but wines from California, Oregon and Washington State all won at least one of only 134 Platinum Best in Category medals – showing good quality across a range of styles from Oregon Pinot to Washington Syrah and Chardonnay from Anderson Valley in northern California and Napa Cabernet from the vaunted 2013 vintage.

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More to follow on North American winners

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Australia

Australia’s three Platinum Best in Show winners showed a mix of classic and new-wave. Berton’s Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2015 won ‘best value red Rhône varietals’, claiming a victory for the New World.

Then, Devil’s Corner Riesling from Tasmania swooped in to take the top award for ‘best dry Riesling’; underlining the progress being made on Australia’s cooler-climate sites.

Argentina

In a coup for Argentina, Bodegas Fabre’s ‘Fabre Montmayou Reservado’ Cabernet Franc 2015 from Mendoza won the Platinum Best in Show for ‘best value red Bordeaux varietals’.

More surprise winners

This year’s DWWA also threw up plenty of surprises, maintaining a tradition of the competition. Alongside Winbirri’s widely reported win for Bacchus and Norfolk.

Bodega Garzón’s single vineyard Tannat from the Maldonado region of Uruguay won a Platinum Best in Show for best single red varietal. And Canada’s Adamo, based in Ontario, won ‘best value dry Riesling’ for its 2016 single varietal wine.

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DWWA 2017 judges

Steven Spurrier was chairman emeritus for this year’s awards. The Platinum Best in Show judges at DWWA 2017 were:

• Sarah Jane Evans MW – co-chair
• Gérard Basset MW MS OBE – co-chair
• Michael Hill Smith  MW – co-chair
• Andrew Jefford, award-winning Decanter columnist
• Andy Howard MW

Read more about the DWWA 2017 judging week

DWWA WaterAid Charity Auction

Excess wines submitted for DWWA will be auctioned by Christie’s and the proceeds will go to the international WaterAid charity. Decanter has already raised more than half a million pounds for WaterAid via this partnership.

This year, Christie’s will hold a physical auction on 21 September and an online auction between 28 November and 12 December.

Thanks to sponsors

DWWA could not work without support from key sponsors. The DWWA team would like to thank Riedel for supplying glassware and Belu Water for keeping judges hydrated throughout.

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