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Garnacha Blanca: Panel tasting results

Garnacha Blanca may not be as well-known as Spain’s other native white grapes, but this tasting showed that, in the hands of talented winemakers, it can be a hidden gem. Sarah Jane Evans MW reports…

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Pierre Mansour tasted 54 wines with two outstanding and 15 highly recommended.

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were asked to submit their latest release of 100% Garnacha Blanca, or blends with 50% minimum, with availability in the UK or US markets

The verdict

Garnacha Blanca may not be as well-known as Spain’s other native white grapes, but for adventurous wine lovers, that’s undoubtedly part of its appeal. Not even our panel of expert judges were quite sure what to expect from this varied line-up of wines – though they were certainly keen to see how the grape is performing across different regions of Spain.

Top scoring Garnacha Blanca wines


See all wines from the panel tasting here


The judges

Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW
A DWWA joint Regional Chair for Spain, Ballesteros Torres is a regular contributor to Decanter and a widely published wine journalist, educator and judge. He is a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino and on the governing board of the Spanish Tasters’ Union.

Sarah Jane Evans MW
One of our three DWWA Co-Chairs, Evans is a regular contributor to Decanter and an award-winning journalist and author, specialising in Spanish wines, food and culture. A member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, her most recent book is The Wines of Northern Spain.

Pierre Mansour
Mansour has worked in the wine trade for his entire career, starting in 1995 with the Antique Wine Company. In 2000 he joined The Wine Society to oversee tastings and events, before taking on the role of buyer in 2004. He was made head of buying in 2017. Mansour has been a DWWA judge since 2006.

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