Some very good wines here, with our tasters generally favouring those from the cooler climates and the mid-price points over expensive blockbusters

Chile, again, was the country to catch, with Gold Listed wines throughout the price points. On this evidence, the Kiwis and Aussies need to pull their socks up

High prices, for the most part, but some good, interesting wines, and no shortage of ambition from the winemakers. A good way to add interest to the classics on your list

Another decent performance from Spain’s smaller near neighbour, with clean whites, characterful reds and keen pricing

Not quite so staggering as last year, with some tasters bemoaning a lack of ‘Spanishness’, but still some excellent wines at competitive prices

Not much wrong in Rioja these days on this evidence, though there wasn’t much there to actively excite our tasters either – and price was something of an issue

A lot of entries, but also a lot of character, quality and food friendliness. On this evidence, the first place to stop if you’re trying to revamp your wine list

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...

Good stuff again from the Germanics section, with some excellent food-friendly wines in a variety of styles and at all price levels

Plenty of bang for your buck in this go-ahead section, but the quality wasn’t just at the bottom end; the South of France delivered some excellent wines right the way through

A strong set of wines, that delivered character and restaurant friendliness. The only quibble? The tasters would have liked to see a few more of the cheaper entries

Fewer entries than last year, but some very, very good wines with real character kept our sommeliers more than happy

White Burgundy is historically one of the strongest categories in the competition, and so it proved again, while the reds had their best showing ever

The number of Chablis entered has grown over the last few years, and so has the quality. There were some impressive wines here, with real poise and class