Busy masterclasses and award-winning wines on the IWSC stand at the 39th London Wine Fair

With attendance up 9% on 2017’s figures and with 11% more exhibitors than last year’s show, the 13,000+ visitors to this year’s London Wine Fair at Olympia (20^th – 23^rd May) encountered a lively show with plenty to see. Watch what went down:

The first results of the IWSC’s 2019 competition were released at the start of the fair. This tranche of winners included wines from Asia, Eurasia, the Middle East, Europe (excluding France, Italy, Spain and Portugal), and North and Central America.

Visitors to the IWSC stand were able to taste award-winning wines from the 2019 competition both during the three masterclasses that took place each day, as well as on the stand’s tasting zone where Gold and Silver medal winners were showcased, with wines having scored 90 points and above.

One stand-out masterclass was Susy Atkins MW’s ‘Best of British Bubbles’ which featured Harrow and Hope’s Brut Reserve NV (95 points), as well as Steven Spurrier’s Bride Valley Vineyard’s Rosé Bella 2014 (95 points). Serendipitously strolling past the IWSC stand as the masterclass was in session, Mr Spurrier delivered a few words about his wine to bring the very special masterclass to a close.

Commenting on their Silver medal win with 92 points for their Classic Reserve NV, a wine that also featured in Susy Atkins’ masterclass, Hattingley Vineyard’s Tours Manager Chris Delves said: ‘It’s a great award for us. Anything that attracts the attention of the press and the public can only be good for us in terms of introducing people to our wines.’

Wines that piqued visitors’ curiosity in the tasting zone hailed from all over the globe, including Romania, Japan and Greece.

Ice Wine Jidvei Traminer 2018 from SC Jidvei Srl Filiala Alba in Romania. Gold, 96 points.

Grande Polaire Dry Koshu 2017 from Sapporro Breweries Limited, Japan. Gold, 96 points.

Chateau Porto Carras 2010 from Domaine Porto Carras in Greece. Gold, 95 points.

Usadba Divnomorskoe Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 from DIVNOMORELLC. Gold, 96 points.

Woodchester Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 from Woodchester Valley Winery. Gold, 96 points.

Lenz Moser Prestige Beerenauslese 2017 by Weinkellerei Lenz Moser Ag. Gold, 95 points.

Jade Vineyard Hyacinth Dry Red Wine 2017 by Ningxia Jade Vineyard Winery Co. Ltd. Gold, 95 points.

2014 Trinchero Mario’s Cabernet Sauvignon by Trinchero Family Estates. Gold, 95 points.

Weingut Rabl Grüner Veltliner Ried Loiserberg Alte Reben 2017 by Weingut Rabl. Gold, 95 points.

Trius Showcase Riesling Icewine 2017 by Andrew Peller Estates. Gold, 95 points.

With the London Wine Fair doors closed for another year, its organisers have now begun planning next year’s event: a grand celebration for its 40^th anniversary.