Rosso di Montalcino sticks to tradition

With good value evident across the range and a variety of styles on show, there was something for every restaurant in these must-stock medal-winners

High quality came hand in hand with high prices, with the best examples combining a strong regional character with a more approachable modernity

Over 1,500 wines can be boiled down to this: the hallowed Sommelier Wine Awards Gold List for 2011...

An interesting and diverse category, Tuscany seemed to have everything from ‘affordable and local’ to ‘blinged up and international’

The Sommelier Wine Awards doesn’t give out trophies per category because we’re worried that tasters will feel under pressure to dispense extra awards in categories where they may not believe the wines are up to it. Instead, in keeping with the whole ethos of the competition, we leave the judgement up to the sommeliers…

The mid-weight wines of the North-East were the stars, but overall Italy succeeded in providing a wide range of good food-friendly reds at decent prices

With screwcaps to the fore, the quality of the whites (particularly) and the reds here was amazing for the price. Rosé was another matter entirely

Huge wines and huge prices, this was a category that seemed to be more about ego than elegance

A good performance from Italy’s most famous region, with the more traditional styles tending to win out over more modern interpretations

It ain’t cheap, but Barolo still has the capacity to make our sommelier tasters drool. And argue about the correct style, of course...

Which style of Chianti is best with food, those with international grapes, or those that are 100% Italian? Chris Losh joins a team of tasters to put Italy’s best-known to the test