All the medal-winners from The Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters

While the heartlands of Sauvignon Blanc, such as New Zealand and Chile, were well represented in our competition, Siobhan Turner MW discovers a host of great offerings from other parts of the globe.

Sauvignon Blanc – herbal, citrusy, grassy, sometimes smoky – is perhaps not the wine one would think about tasting on a gloomy and chilly London day in early November as one mourns the daylight that seems to have suddenly disappeared with the changing of the clocks.

Besides, isn’t Sauvignon Blanc now just effectively the same thing, variations on gooseberry over and over? Thankfully, although nothing could be done about the Novemberishness, the wines themselves provided a joyous and varied treat.

Stylistically, we saw a range from the overt expressionism of full-on wines from Marlborough, and Casablanca, Chile, through to much more subtle Bordeauxesque expressions, and two lovely blends; one from Provence, the other from Rueda, where Sauvignon was fully integrated into a harmonious and pleasurable whole.

We tasted 146 wines over the course of the day, and while more than half were, as expected, from New Zealand (52) and Chile (32) combined, there were entries from 13 countries, and Golds or Masters awarded to eight. It was particularly encouraging to see that Indian wines received two Bronze medals. It was also a positive sign that there were very few faulty wines, probably helped by the preponderance of screwcap closures, but on the other hand, too many producers are still creating – and entering into competitions – dilute and dull liquids, with sugar being used to cover up a lack of interest on the palate. There’s not much more disappointing, in vinous terms at least, than expecting something special from the nose, only for everything to disappear the moment it’s in your mouth, and producers need to consider yields carefully if they want to make medal-winning wines. While there was a lovely Gold medallist from Rueda, Spain in particular needs to work harder to develop Sauvignon Blanc worth the alcohol units, as six of its eight entries did not win medals.

We were very pleased to find delights at every end of the price spectrum, and the Luis Felipe Edwards Echo Reserva, at £7.99, especially, is a masterclass in what inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc can and should be.

It is also particularly pleasing that both wines that were awarded Master medals are under £23. One, unsurprisingly, hails from Marlborough, and has a true sense of place and lovely elegance.

The other, to all of our astonishment, was from England – Gloucestershire to be precise. Engaging and utterly enjoyable, the Woodchester Valley was the wine of the tasting for me.

Unoaked 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Unoaked 100% Sauvignon Blanc continued

Oaked 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Unoaked Blend (minimum 50% Sauvignon Blanc)

Unoaked Blend (minimum 50% Sauvignon Blanc)

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Global Sauvignon Blanc Masters provides a chance for your wines to star.

The 2022 competition was judged on 2 November at Vinegar Yard, London, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding in their field received the ultimate accolade – the title of Sauvignon Blanc Master. This report features the medal winners only.

Please visit the Global Masters website for more information, or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com