Plenty of medals again for Chile, although the judges were most impressed stylistically with Australia and South Africa

Some weird and wonderful blends and, despite the lack of Golds, a generally positive reaction from the tasters

The customers’ love of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc shows no sign of abating, and the strong performance of this category shows why they may have a point

Still no Golds for Viognier, though certainly lighter, fresher, more food-friendly wines than in previous years

A good selection of medals from across the New World shows this is a category with real strength in depth

While the kick-out rate was high, the wines left at the end served as a blunt reminder to sub-standard also-rans of just how good the pink stuff can be

A big improvement on last year’s medal haul, although with nothing under a tenner, it came at a price…

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…

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

No Golds, but plenty of positive feedback. A good hunting ground for those of you who ‘do’ esoteric on your list

With steady rather than spectacular results in 2011, the New World still seems to be struggling to get its head around this most polarising of aromatic grape varieties

There was little to excite the judges in this new category. Here’s hoping for better things from the pair in 2012

The Gris-style, rather than Grigio-style, wines took the honours here, offering value for money and also an impressive food friendliness at a decent price

Good wines, good prices and a variety of styles, Syrah was one of the stand-out varieties for the New World

Food Match Awards