Twenty-six wines were tasted over two sessions by 16 judges, who comprised a cross section of the UK’s leading palates: Masters of Wine; Master Sommeliers; specialist sparkling wine writers.
The wines were tasted in pairs under exam conditions over two flights: Thirteen pairs of sparkling wines – one Champagne and one Global Sparkling. The judges scored each wine out of 100, which resulted in a grand total for each wine, and a final overall score for each group; Champagne and Global Sparkling. The retail price of each of the wines was thoroughly researched and a calculated GBP per point was awarded. The lowest GBP per point was deemed best value.
The pairings were selected by Sarah Abbott MW, MD of Swirl Wine Group and Ronan Sayburn MS, CEO of The Court of Master Sommeliers. According to Abbott, “We paired the wines partly through a direct correlation of grape varieties, terroir, ageing and style. In some cases, for very distinctive wines, we paired them because they had a similar personality or structure, even if their elements were quite different.”
The results were presented on Centre Stage by Hannah Tovey, Head of London Wine Fair alongside Abbott and Sayburn and can be viewed here.
As with last year’s Judgement of London, this year’s Battle of the Bubbles was designed to illustrate a section of the fine wine landscape and whether the playing field had levelled in recent years.
Sarah Abbott MW commented: “It was a thrill to select the wines, and to work with these judges. The sparkling wine category is in a very exciting place, thanks to this diversity of style and superb quality. Champagne, of course, is producing wines of exceptional depth and beauty – and all over the world, producers are expressing the beauty of bubbles through their unique varieties, land and methods.”
Ronan Sayburn MS commented: “It was a fascinating experience to taste such a wide range of high-quality sparkling wines side by side. It’s terrific to see English wine do so well. Ultimately, Champagne still reigns supreme with the mature Prestige Cuvées showing their class. No wines embarrassed themselves and the best of Spain, Italy, California and Australia showed their unique characteristics which were appreciated by the judges.”
