Asia Sparkling Masters and Asia Sauvignon Blanc Masters 2024

Cecilia Wong takes us through the wines that made the podium at this year’s Sparkling and Sauvignon Blanc Masters competition.

Think of an apéritif before dinner, and which wine pops into your mind? Many of us will look for something refreshing, say a chilled sparkling wine or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

The results of the drinks business Asia Sparkling and Sauvignon Blanc Masters 2024 are sure to offer up some ideal suggestions for what to try at your next dinner party.

Sparkling wine isn’t just Champagne – it’s widely produced all around the world. It encompasses Cava from Spain, Sekt from Germany, Cap Classique from South Africa, and Prosecco from Italy. It’s very diverse in style, from brut (dry) to doux (sweet), and it can be white, rosé or even red. Six methods dominate the production of sparkling wine, including traditional method, tank method, transfer method, ancestral method, continuous method, and carbonation method, which all result in different levels of carbonation and different styles of bubblies. Traditional method and tank method are most commonly used.

As for Sauvignon Blanc, it is one of the most popular white wine grapes, originating from Western France. The grape is planted all around the world, and showcases versatile styles, from classic lightly coloured and aromatic white wines with crisp acidity to highly aromatic international expressions as well as sweet, botrytised wines. In cooler climates, the grape has higher acidity, with more grassy, green bell pepper, and floral notes. In warmer climates, it develops more ripe tropical flavours, with passion fruit and grapefruit notes.

This year’s competition had entries from around the world, including South Africa, Spain, India, New Zealand, Chile, Australia, and the US.

All wines were blind tasted by a panel of expert judges, and the results were encouraging, with three Master awards, 12 Golds, two Silvers, and one Bronze.

This year’s judging panel was made up of: Cecilia Wong, co-chair of the drinks business Asia Masters; Cherish Ho, group sommelier at ZS Hospitality Group; Danny Ng, beverage manager, The American Club Hong Kong; and Yu-Kong Chow, independent wine consultant.

In the sparkling wine category, all expressions were unoaked, from brut to sweet, from white to rosé, with different price ranges, showcasing diverse interpretations. As for Sauvignon Blanc, all the wines were unoaked 100% Sauvignon Blanc, featuring diversified and intriguing expressions.

All four judges were excited to have been able to deliver three Master awards in this competition. One went to Félix Solís Avantis Mucho Más Sparkling, from Castilla La Mancha, Spain. It was unoaked, and made of 85% Viura and 15% Chardonnay, priced under HK$100, with 14g/l dosage. All of the judges found it refreshing, with a good balance of acidity and sweetness. It’s off-dry with white floral, candied orange peel, pear, apple, lemon tart and a hint of cotton candy notes.

“It’s balanced and not too sweet, with a toasty and yeasty nose, and the palate is fruity and straightforward,” said Cherish Ho. “I liked it more when I tried it again. It’s good value for money.”

Another Master went to The People’s Sauvignon Blanc 2023, an unoaked 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, priced at under HK$100. The judges found the wine expressive, with crisp acidity. Pale lemon in colour, the wine was full of white floral notes, grassy, gooseberries, tropical fruit and grapefruit peel notes.

Danny Ng said: “It’s classic. I like the acidity, and it’s very pronounced and refreshing. It’s also very good value for money.”

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Marlborough, New Zealand, was the third to win a Master medal. The pale-lemon wine was refreshing, with white floral notes, mineral, tropical fruit, citrus and grapefruit notes, with an aroma of crushed herbs. Cecilia Wong said: “It’s aromatic, fresh, well balanced, with complexity. It’s nicely done, and I could drink it all day.”

Among the 12 Gold medals in the competition, one went to Robert Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc 2021, from Napa Valley, US. Yu-Kong Chow said: “It took me some time to smell the complexity and layers of aromas. It’s interesting, with great fruity notes like tropical fruit, passion fruit and lemon peel. It’s one of my highest points of the day.”

Four Sauvignon Blanc wines priced under HK$100 also won Gold. These included: Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Leyda Valley, Chile, which offered “grapefruit peel, gooseberries and herbaceous notes”; Selaks Origins Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Marlborough, New Zealand, with “refreshing tropical fruits and lemon zest”; Wakefield Taylors Family Wines Flight of Fancy Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Adelaide Hills, Australia, with “passion fruit and a hint of freshly cut grass”; and Selaks Taste Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Marlborough, New Zealand, which boasted “classic gooseberries, green bell pepper, and white floral notes”.

Moving up a price tier to HK$100-HK$150, four wines secured Gold. These were: Wakefield Taylors Family Wines Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Adelaide Hills, Australia, with “more ripened tropical fruit and grassy notes”; Luis Felipe Edwards Marea Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Leyda Valley, Chile, with “perfumed aromas of herbaceous and tangerine notes”; Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Marlborough, New Zealand, with “crispy vegetal and guava notes”; and Wakefield Taylors Family Wines Jaraman Sauvignon Blanc 2023, from Adelaide Hills, Australia, with “green apple, herbaceous and mineral notes”.

One Gold award in the unoaked white sparkling brut category went to Nederburg Première Cuvée Brut (under HK$100) from Western Cape, South Africa, made of 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, with “good acidity, stone fruit plus citrus flavours”.

Félix Solís Avantis Próspero Brut White, an unoaked sparkling sweet wine priced under HK$100, and with a dosage of 12g/l, also secured a coveted Gold medal. The wine, from Castilla La Mancha, Spain, is made of 55% Viura, 30% Airen, and 15% Chardonnay, with “floral, stone fruit and subtle sweet touches”.

The last Gold award of the day went to The Source Moscato, from Maharashtra, India, under White Sparkling Sweet (HK$100-HK$150), made of 100% Muscat, with 95g/l dosage. The judges praised it for its “sweet lychee, stone fruits and rose flavours”.

White Sparkling Brut (12g/l or lower) – Under HK$100

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
Première Cuvée Brut	Nederburg	South Africa	Western Cape	NV	Gold

 

White Sparkling Sweet (12g/l+) – Under HKS 100

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
Mucho Más Sparkling	Félix Solís Avantis	Spain	Castilla La Mancha	NV	Master
Próspero Brut White	Félix Solís Avantis	Spain	Castilla La Mancha	NV	Gold

 

White Sparkling Sweet (12g/l+) – HK$100-HK$150

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
Sula Brut	Sula Vineyards Ltd	India	Maharashtra	NV	Silver

 

White Sparkling Sweet (50g/l+) – HK$100-HK$150

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
The Source Moscato	Sula Vineyards Ltd	India	Maharashtra	NV	Gold

 

Rose Sparkling Sweet (12 g/l+) – HK$100-HKS150

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
Sula Tropicale Rosé	Sula Vineyards Ltd	India	Maharashtra	NV	Silver

 

Semi-Sparkling Sweet White – Under HK$100

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
Próspero Moscato Sparkling	Félix Solís Avantis	Spain	Castilla La Mancha	NV	Bronze

 

Sill, White, Unoaked, 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Wine name	Winery	Country	Region	Vint.	Medal
Under HK$100
The People’s	Constellation Brands	New Zealand	Marlborough	2023	Master
Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc	Luis Felipe Edwards	Chile	Leyda Valley	2023	Gold
Selaks Origins	Constellation Brands	New Zealand	Marlborough	2023	Gold
Flight of Fancy Sauvignon Blanc	Wakefield Taylors Family Wines	Australia	Adelaide Hills	2023	Gold
Selaks Taste Collection	Constellation Brands	New Zealand	Marlborough	2023	Gold
HKS100-HKS150
Estate Sauvignon Blanc	Wakefield Taylors Family Wines	Australia	Adelaide Hills	2023	Gold
Marea	Luis Felipe Edwards	Chile	Leyda Valley	2023	Gold
Catalina Sounds Sauvignon Blanc 2023	Catalina Sounds	New Zealand	Marlborough	2023	Gold
Jaraman Sauvignon Blanc	Wakefield Taylors Family Wines	Australia	Adelaide Hills	2023	Gold
HKS150-HK$200
Kim Crawford	Constellation Brands	New Zealand	Marlborough	2023	Master
HK$300-HK$350
Robert Mondavi	Constellation Brands	United States	Napa Valley	2021	Gold

 

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