One hundred wine experts, 5,000 bottles of wine, seven days of tasting - the annual Decanter World Wine Awards really do find the very best reds and whites in the world. And to celebrate this year's awards, we have tracked down where you can find the winning bottles at a shop near you. Choose from a fantastic £5.98 Viognier from Asda and a gorgeous £6.99 Pinot Noir at M&S to a mind-blowing £112 bottle of ice wine from Slovenia that you can order online. Each year the awards throw up some shocking results - especially for the French. And 2006 was no different. At this year's awards, the best Bordeaux blends came not from Bordeaux, and not even from the southern hemisphere, but from Italy. The best Rhône varietals (shiraz),came from Australia and the USA. Although the wines are rooted in their regional stages, with each wine initially tasted alongside its vinous compatriots, so it's at the international stage that things get really interesting. That's when you get the best Bordeaux competing with a sublime South African cabernet, and a champion Chablis taking on an awesome Aussie chardonnay.
Here are the winners ...
Award-winning wines under £10
White
BEST BUY: 2004 Zilzie Viognier Murray Darling, Victoria Australia
£5.98, Asda, 0500 100 055
Good nose. Lovely style and weight, clean with lovely mouthfeel.
Winner: Under £10 White Blend Trophy
2004 Berton Vineyards Reserve Coonwarra Cabernet, South Australia
£8.99 (as part of case of 12), www.everywine.co.uk
Clear, well made and balanced. Great depth.
Winner: Gold Medal
2005 Kangarilla Road Viognier, McLaren Vale South Australia
£9.99, Majestic, 01923 298200
Pure viognier, a little bit of apricot. Intensity without being extreme. Balanced, delicious, fresh.
Winner: Gold Medal
BEST BUY: 2005 D'Arenberg The Money Spider Roussanne, McLaren Vale, South Australia
£8.99, Oddbins, 0800 917 4093
Complex. Lovely flavour of pears. Very good.
Winner: Under £10 White Single Varietal Trophy
BEST BUY: 2004 Eikendal Chardonnay, Stellenbosch, South Africa
£9.99, Majestic, as before
Lemon, lime, strong aromatics. Good length of flavour.
Winner: Under£10 Chardonnay Trophy
BEST BUY: 2004 Grove Mill Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand
£9.99, Threshers, 01707 387200
Lime and nectarine notes. Some sweet fruit flavours, oily and rich, lime and apple blossom notes. Good minerality.
Winner: Under £10 Riesling Trophy
2003 Howard Park Tesco Finest Riesling, Great Southern, Western Australia
£5.99, Tesco, 01992 632222
Magnificent, intense, smoky, floral, and nutty fruit. Elegant, balanced, with real class and pedigree. Gorgeous.
Winner: Under £10 Riesling Trophy Medal
2004 Bidoli Vini M&S Merlot, Grave Friuli, Italy
£7.99, M&S, 020 7935 4422
Vanilla overlaid on glossy fruit, damsons. Lively flavour with intensity and length. Juicy acidity.
Winner: Under £10 Friuli Trophy
2004 Wakefield Promised Land Shiraz Cabernet, South Australia
£6.99, Oddbins, as before
Amazing for the price. Black pepper, fruit, good lift with complex blackberry. Structured, juicy with acidity.
Winner: Under £10 Blend Trophy
2005 Brown Brothers Moscato, Victoria, Australia
£4.99, Tesco, as before
Lots of CO2. Lovely, ripe, sweet and delicious.
Winner: Gold Medal
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, Victoria, Australia
£7.99, Oddbins, as before
Dried fruit, spice and citrus peel. Super intensity, pure and focused. Balanced acid.
Winner: Gold Medal
2005 Zonte's Footstep Shiraz Viognier, Langhorne Creek, South Australia
£7.99, Sainsbury's, 0800 636 262
Intensely fragrant. Black and white pepper and raspberry. Juicy and delicious.
Winner: Gold Medal
2004 Tim Adams Shiraz, Clare Valley, South Australia
£9.99, Tesco, as before
Bright, lifted and spicy nose. Very good. Ripe berries, medium bodied, spicy.
Winner: Gold Medal
2004 Spier Vintage Selection Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier, Coastal Region, South Africa
£9.99, Threshers, as before
Savoury - olive and tomato. Sweet, ripe, layefruit.
Winner: Gold Medal
2004 Domaine d'Escausse La Croix Petite, Gaillac, South West France
£8.99, www.lescaves.co.uk
Peppery, dry and balanced. Smooth tannins. Dark, earthy, black fruit and herbs. Ripe and long. Utterly distinctive.
Winner: Gold Medal
2003 Domaine Berthoumieu Charles de Batz, Madiran, South West France
£9.99 (as part of case of 12), www.worldwines4u.co.uk
Rich, black fruit with sweet oak. Balanced, very long and concentrated with a floral finish.
Winner: Under £10 Blend Trophy
2005 Vina Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Merlot, Central Valley, Chile
£5.49, Majestic, as before
Uplifted nose of blackcurrants, vanilla and toasty oak. Hints of herbs and olives. Good ripe raspberry and blackberry fruit. Good balancing acidity. Long sweet finish. Excellent.
Winner: Under £10 Blend Trophy
2005 Vina Leyda M&S Secano Estate Pinot Noir, San Antonio Valley Chile
£6.99, M&S, as before
Lovely sweet, pure New World pinot aromas, with tinned strawberries and hints of black cherries. A classic. Good acidity, lovely balance. Very well made.
Winner: Under £10 Pinot Noir Trophy
2004 Pertaringa Undercover Shiraz, McLaren Vale South Australia
£9.49 (as part of case of 12), www.stratfordwine.co.uk Ripe, plummy and full. Sweet and ripe with decent length. Youthful and long.
Winner: Under £10 Rhone Varietal Trophy
Over £10
Henriques & Henriques 15 year old Verdelho, Madeira, Portugal
£16.99, Waitrose, 0800 188884
Good style of concentrated, rich grapey aromas. Balanced, rounded and complete taste. Subtle and classy seduction.
Winner: Gold Medal
2004 Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier, Eden Valley, South Australia
£20, Waitrose, as before
White pepper classic. Peach and apricot. Light and peachy, complex. Dry extract.
Winner: Over £10 White Single Varietal Trophy
2003 Curin-Prapotnik Sipon Ice, Ljutomer-Ormoz, Podravje, Slovenia
£112, www.latevintage.com
Light gold, bright appearance with a clean apricot fruit. Quite fine. Youthful and clean yet surprisingly supple acidity. Good length on finish, pure and elegant.
Winner: Over £10 Sweet Trophy
2002 Simicic Marjan Leonardo, Goriska Brda, Slovenia
£37.60, www.latevintage.com Bright, tawny appearance with orange tinges.
Winner: Gold Medal
2005 Sacred Hill Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
£11.99, Threshers, as before
Light and classy. Fresh and subtle. Fresh, lively strong green colour.
Winner: Gold Medal
2005 Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
£11.99, Majestic, as before
Toasty, meaty style, melony. Nicely compact palate - good definition and oak.
Winner: Over £10 Chardonnay Trophy
1999 Tyrrell's Vat 1 Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia
£20, Waitrose, as before
Dry and complex. Very austere, classic. It needs time though, and you need to be a fan.
Winner: Gold Medal
Red
2001 Beyerskloof Cabernet Merlot, Stellenbosch, South Africa
£14.99, www.sawinesonline.co.uk Vanilla, coconut and intense oak. Very powerful, intense chocolate and mocha - big.
Winner: Over £10 Bordeaux Varietal Trophy
2004 Green Point Shiraz, Victoria Australia
£14 (as part of case of 12), www.everywine.co.uk
Peppery, spicy nose. elegant palate but great length and depth.
Winner: Gold Medal
Grant Burge 20 year old Tawny, Barosaa Valley, South Australia
£17.99 (as part of a case of 6), www.everywine.co.uk
Lovely complexity. Fig, treacle, fish oil. Nice rich palate, good concentration. Complex, fresh lift. Pretty.
Winner: Gold Medal
2003 Costa di Bussia Barolo Riserva, Piedmont Italy
£25 (as part of case of 6), www.everywine.co.uk
Musty, gamey and spicy nose. Fruity blackcurrrant in style. Layered complexity. Great potential.
Winner: Over £10 Piedmont Trophy
De Bortoli Show Liqueur Muscat Riverina, New South Wales Australia
£10.99, Majestic, as before
Fig, raisin, candied citrus, sweet spice and coffee. Lovely structure, toffee and spice.
Winner: Gold Medal
2003 Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve, South Africa
£15.99 (as part of case of 6), www.everywine.co.uk
Cassis and sandalwood top notes. Quite soft.
Winner: Gold Medal
1999 Giacomo Marengo La Commenda, Tenuta del Fondatore Chianti Riserva, Tuscany Italy
£11.99, www.italyabroad.com A seductive vanilla and herb perfume. Very refreshing character, with good tannins and a cool finish.
Winner: Gold Medal
Taylor's M&S 10 year old Tawny Port, Portugal
£10.99, M&S, as before
Spice, old wood and alcohol. Big, lots of intensity of flavours. Long, lively balance. Fine acidity. Very stylish wine.
Winner: Gold Medal
2004 D'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz Roussanne, McLaren Vale South Australia
£11.99, Oddbins, as before
Bold, bright, heaps of oak. Dry classic finish.
Winner: Gold Medal
2004 Glaetzer Wallace Shiraz Grenache, Barossa Valley South Australia
£11.99, Oddbins, as before
Lovely, fruity nose, long, classy. Full complex palate. Great depth of fruit flavours.
Winner: Gold Medal
2001 Katnook Estate Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra South Australia
£29.99, Oddbins, as before
Deceptive beetroot, fantastic. Deep, complex and long. Opulent, structured. Top stuff. Juicy and balanced.
Winner: Gold Medal
2003 Penfold's Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, South Australia
£12.99, Sainsbury's, as before
Great oak and spice.
Winner: Over £10 Red Blend Trophy
2003 Domaine Chante Cigale Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone France
£14.99, www.surf4wine.co.uk Black fruit and leather. Has a local feel. Savoury length and palate. Finish has some gummy tannins.
Winner: Over £10 Rhone Varietal Trophy
2003 Kaapzicht Steytler Vision, Stellenbosch South Africa
£19.99 (as part ofcase of 12), www.sawinesonline.co.uk
Spicy top notes, very oak dominated. Big mouthful of wine, high alcohol. Dry tannins at finish.
Winner: Over £10 Regional South Africa Red Blend Trophy
2004 Longview Vineyards Duncan MacGillivray Yakka Shiraz, South Australia
£12.95, Arthur Rackham Emporia, 0870 870 1110
Intense spicy, minty nose. Great complexity and length. Wine has great style, very good depth of flavour and soft tannin finish.
Winner: Gold Medal
Fizz
1996 Union Champagne Cuvee Orpale Grand Cru, France
£34.99, M&S, as before
Delicious, rich, ripe, firm yet fruity champagne. A classy guzzler.
Winner: Over £10 Vintage Trophy
1998 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon, France
£86, Oddbins, as before
Restrained nose with power behind it. Complex. Good without being too strong. Fine, elegant, long, beautifully balanced.
Winner: Gold Medal
1998 Gauthier, France
£20 (as part of case of 6), www.tesco.com, online only
Taut, elegant red fruits. Very dry, rich, racy palate - clean, fine, but needs time.
Winner: Gold Medal
Bredon Brut NV, France
£14.69, Waitrose, as before
Very toasty nose. Lovely clean, creamy, vanilla pod style. Good middle and fine mousse, creamy texture.
Winner: Gold Medal
Comte Audoin de Dampierre Cuvee des Ambassadeurs NV, France
£20.46, Coe Vintners Mail Order, 020 8551 4966
Fine, stoney nose. Light, delicate, floral style. Very restrained, balanced, clean and elegant. Integrated yeast, good concentration.
Winner: Gold Medal
Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Sublime Demi-Sec NV, France
£23.99, Co-op, 0800 068 6727
Wonderful quality non-vintage demi-sec, brimming with fruit.
Winner: Gold Medal
Taittinger Nocturne Sec NV, France
£32.99 (as part of case of 6), www.everywine.co.uk
Deliciously rich, truly complex yet succulent fruit with sweet vanilla finish. Toasty aromas.
Winner: Gold Medal
1998 G. H. Mumm Millesime, France
£28.99, Majestic, as before
Attractive, ripe nose. Fresh, fruity, a very good mouthful.
Winner: Gold Medal
Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus NV, France
£34.99, Majestic, as before
Creamy citrus nose. Toast. Creamy long toasty finish.
Winner: Gold Medal
Competition
Win tickets for the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter.
Decanter are offering 10 pairs of tickets to their Fine Wine Encounter at London's Landmark Hotel on the weekend of 18-19 November.
There will be 100 of the world's top producers present letting you taste and learn more about your favourite wines. You can also experience a masterclass by Raymond Blanc or Paul Pontallier, wine maker at Chateau Margaux.
To win a pair of tickets for the event on 19 November, go to www.decanter.com and click on the OFM competition logo.
· Guy Woodward is the editor of Decanter. For more results visit www.decanter.com
