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E&J Gallo's Barefoot label has fooled MWs who think "big equals bad" after winning three trophies and five 5-star awards in the blindly judged competition What Food, What Wine?
Judges at the competition, including Peter Richards MW and Susie Barrie MW, from BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, and Guardian columnist Fiona Beckett paired wine with 16 of the UK’s favourite dishes, including Indian food and Christmas dinner.
Barefoot Moscato (rrp £5), took top gongs in both the apple crumble and strawberries and cream categories, while the Barefoot Shiraz won the trophy for best match with lamb rogan josh in the competition where judges only knew if the wine cost more or less than £10.
Chairman Peter Richards MW said: “In the wine lover’s mind there is a default setting ‘big equals bad’, which is why it’s always good to challenge your preconceptions once in a while.
“The big company perceived to be churning out oceans of dull, soulless, mass-produced wine is anathema to your average wine geek. By contrast, the attitude changes when it comes to your rustic type carefully manicuring his vines in a small, picturesque vineyard that just reeks of terroir.”
Other surprising results in the Indian categories included Hungarian rosé, Spice Trail 2011, a blend of Pinot Noir and the local Kekfrankos variety, which won the Outstanding With Curry trophy for consistently being well matched with all the Indian dishes.
Morrisons’ Best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (rrp £7.99) took one gong for the fish and chips category, while Aldi’s Philippe Michel Cremant du Jura 2009 (rrp £6.99) took the Fizz and Chips trophy, while Bodegas Hidalgo took a special trophy award for its La Gitana Manzanilla.
For the full results visit whatfoodwhatwine.com.
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Comments
I don't think it's appropriate, however, to say anyone was 'fooled' by any wines in this competition. The very reason we judge this competition completely blind (ie the only thing we know is whether the wines are under or over £10 retail) is precisely to give all wines the benefit of the doubt. The only thing that matters is how well the wine goes with the food in question.
For reference, my article, which you quote, can be found in full here: http://susieandpeter.com/this-food-that-wine/). It makes the point that it's great to see these wines take top gongs when ordinarily they might otherwise have been dismissed. Vive la difference!
ps and we welcome you and your readers to come and taste the winning wines and dishes at What Food What Wine Live at Lord's on 24th November 2012.