The results of the 2022 London Wine Competition are out. This is a competition where wines are judged for end consumers. Wines are rated with three main criteria: quality, value, and packaging. Wines must show a rating in all the three factors with the most weightage on quality to be a medal winner.

Adega de Pegões Touriga Nacional 2017 secured the top score in value with 94 points and a gold medal. It also came in as a top score from Portugal, along with Vila Jardim Selection which received a gold medal for The Best in Show by the Country Category.

Adega de Pegões Touriga Nacional 2017 is a still red wine produced by Cooperativa Agrícola Santo Isidro de Pegões based out in Península of Setúbal region in Portugal. This 2017 vintage wine is made with 100% Touriga Nacional Grape varietal. 

Image Source: Cooperativa Agrícola Santo Isidro de Pegões

The vineyards of Adega de Pegões are located on the Setúbal Peninsula, which has a distinct terroir with outstanding soil and climate conditions. The Mediterranean climate is influenced by the chilly winds from the Atlantic Ocean, and the sandy soils are rich in water. The precise balance of these factors encourages the growth of noble vines and the production of exceptional wines, such as this Touriga Nacional 100 percent.

The tasting notes of this winning wine at the 2022 London Wine Competition read, “ Well-balanced and deep character with medium acidity, fine acidity, and aromas of black currant & herbs. Complex palate with notes of plums, blackberries, herbs, balsam, and a lengthy finish.” 

The wine is matured for 12 months in American and French oak barrels, followed by four months in the bottle. It is prepared by alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature and prolonged skin maceration. Adega de Pegões Touriga Nacional 2017 has a garnet red appearance. Strong on the palate with firm tannins and structure followed by a lingering aftertaste. It can pair well with meat, cheese, and well-cooked fish dishes.

Country of Origin: Portugal 

Wine Type: Red Wine

Flavour Profile: Dry 

Grape Varietal: 100% Touriga Nacional 

Alcohol Content: 14.50 % Vol 

It takes a lot to win big at the London Wine Competition. No wonder the 2022 London Wine Competition saw a wine that checked all the boxes grab the title of the Wine of the Year.

Some of the country’s wine trade buyers, sommeliers, master sommeliers, masters of wine gathered at the St Mary's Church in London’s Marylebone, sniffing, swirling, and spitting their way through a vast array of wines.

After several days of intensive tasting, testing, head-scratching, and pondering, the judging panel of one of the country’s top international wine competitions has reached its verdict, and the winners of the 2022 London Wine Competition have been announced. 

It was a great year for the overall winner, Graylyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat from Australia, which scooped the Best Wine by the Quality award and the Best Wine by Country. Meanwhile, the Winery of the Year has gone to France’s Champagne Besserate de Bellefon Depuis 1843, while best Wine by Value has been awarded to Portugal’s Adega de Pegões Touriga Nacional 2017. And the UK’s Gerald’s Bubbly White Wine 2020 most impressed the judges with its packaging. 

Announced today (April 5th), the gold, silver, and bronze recipients of these much-coveted and highly prized awards come with the assurance that a top panel of wine experts with a variety of different backgrounds who have amassed their considerable experience of the trade have singled out those wines they deem to be the very best in class.

Not only were the wines judged on their flavor and taste, but also their packaging and sheer marketability. After all, there is little point in stocking wines that consumers are going to ignore – they have to be commercially viable, and this gives trade buyers an enormous advantage to know that a particular award-winning wine comes with the seal of approval from the London Competition. And, of course, the awards also give the average consumer, who typically finds shopping for wine intimidating and bewildering, a steer on what wines offer quality at a fair price.

This year’s judges comprised some of the great and the good from the wine world, including Master of Wines Peter Mitchell, Claire Blackler, and Barbara Drew, as well as sommeliers and wine buyers from top names in the hospitality sector such as Gordon Ramsay Group, The Dorchester, the D&D Group and Goodman Restaurants, while the wholesale and retail sectors are represented by individuals from Selfridges, Berry Bros & Rudd, Franklin’s Wines, and Enotria Wine Cellars to single out just a few.

THE WINNERS

2022 London Wine Competition Winner “ Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat, Australia” by Gralyn Estate.

Wine Of The Year - Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat, Australia.

●        Winery Of The Year - Champagne Besserat de Bellefon depuis 1843, France.

●        Best Wine By Quality - Gralyn Estate Artizan Rare Muscat, Australia.

●        Best Wine By Packaging - Gerald - Bubbly White Wine 2020, United Kingdom.

About the London Wine Competition 

The London Wine Competition is an international wine competition organised by Beverage Trade Network. The competition seeks to recognise, reward, and promote wine brands that have successfully created products that meet all three criteria: quality, value, and packaging. The competition acknowledges that for a wine brand to earn a spot on a retailer's shelf or a restaurant's wine list - and then crucially, stay there - it must be marketable and consumer-driven and serve excellent quality. Learn more at London wine Competition.