Wine Innovation winners revealed

the drinks business unveiled a selection of medal winners from this year’s Wine Innovation Awards at last weekend’s Fine Wine Fair in London.

The line-up of winners proved exceptionally popular with visitors to the Fair, which took place at Chelsea Old Town Hall from 15-17 October.

The awards highlight the work of brand owners and winemakers who use innovative means to produce top-quality wines – either in the vineyard or the winery – and give winemakers a chance to let the world know how they are changing the face of modern winemaking.

Among those to catch the eye during the Fair were a sparkling red Cienna Rosso from Brown Brothers, which attained a bronze medal in the awards, and a selection of sparkling wines from Martini, including the silver medal-winning Asti.

Also popular were the quirky low-alcohol Doctors Sauvignon Blanc from Forrest Wines, which was commended in the awards, as was Cappupinoccinotage from Boland Celler, which showcased a new trend in South African pinotage production of toasting the barrels in such a way as to produce coffee-like aromas.

A new concept in single-serve wine packaging – the Oneglass Wine pouch – won a gold medal in the design and packaging category and was the subject of much discussion and interest among visitors to the fair, though not all could be said to be 100% in favour of the concept, which is designed to slip easily inside a handbag or pocket to make it ideal for wine-on-the-go.

This year also saw the debut of the Fine Wine Awards – the first awards programme for wines which sell on quality rather than price.

Among the most popular of these on show were the Waitrose Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006 from Perrin et Fils, as well as the Grand Selection Tokaji from Tokaj Kereskedohaz, which exhibited an unusually dry style of Tokaji.

Interest in the Wine Innovation Awards – and now also the Fine Wine Awards – continues to grow every year and this year the judging panel consisted of some of the biggest names in the industry.

The panel was chaired by Lynne Sherriff MW, chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine and also included the likes of Melissa Draycott, senior business manager at Gonzalez Byass UK, Waitrose wine buyer Nick Room, wine commentator Angela Mount and former Sainsbury’s wine guru Allan Cheesman.

Click here to download a full list of winners

Alan Lodge, 21.10.2010