I was chatting to a wine industry luminary last month who told me that they’d accepted the presidency of the International Wine & Spirit Competition thinking that it was the International Wine Challenge. IWSC? IWC? A simple enough mistake to make and a reminder that even those in the know can get confused now that medals are scattered like confetti and wine competitions two a penny.

I only mention it because for the first time in nearly a decade I was invited to the posh black tie dinner of the International Wine Competition at the Guildhall recently, and although black tie dinners are not high on my wish list of fun nights out , I thought it was time to show my face. I wish I’d known that the highlight of the evening was a tasting of the award-winning wines and spirits because I would have arrived sooner.

With 220 wines to taste and 179 spirits, maybe it’s as well that I only had just enough time before the trumpet fanfare to taste my way, in pre-Christmas mode, through the 26 gold medal winning champagnes. I wasn’t just pleasantly surprised, I was blown away at the excellence of so much excellent champagne. Leading the field were such treats as the 2002 Piper Heidsieck Rare, £120 - £140, The Whisky Exchange (0207 403 8688), Harrods, and the magnificently perfumed, seductively nutty 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires, £115.11, Exel Wines (01738493535).

The famous brands produced yet more stunners in a fine, biscuity Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve, £29.95 - £31.95, The Whisky Exchange, Berry Bros (0 8002802440), Besserat de Bellefon’s superb 2002 Cuvée des Moines Brut, £29.99, Noble Green (0208 979 1113), and an elegantly dry summer strawberry mousse champagne in the 2002 Moët & Chandon Rosé Grand Vintage, around £54.95, Wine Rack, Nickolls and Perks (01384 394518), winedirect.co.uk. My favourites in this section were the fabulous, intensely rich and textured Jacquart Brut de Nominée, £38.92, Lay & Wheeler (0147 331 3300), and Taittinger’s magnificently creamy, nutty yet refreshingly lively Folies de la Marquetterie, £47.95 - £52.95, winedirect.co.uk, Harrods,.

The surprise of the night was to find what might have been thought to be a rather modest supermarket champagne in such exalted company. I was in no doubt that Tesco’s Finest Premier Cru Champagne, £14.99, down from £19.99, deserved all the plaudits for a lively fresh textured mousse with delicious undertones of grilled nut and honey. After recently tasting Marks & Spencer’s creamy and tangily dry 2005 Oudinot Champagne, £24, down from £29, I would have no hesitation in putting it in no less impressively stylish company. Speaking of fabulous prestige champagne, a handful of tickets remain for the Wine Gang’s glittering Champagne tasting on Tuesday, 11 December. For details, check http://www.thewinegang.com/about/fizz.

Something for the Weekend

Something For the Weekend 1 December 2012

Night In

2010 Le Passé Authentique, Saint Mont

This blend of the local gros manseng, arrufiac and petit courbu grapes from Plaimont contains an appealing quince and grapefruit zest quality with a trenchant apple bite to complement smoked salmon perfectly. £7.99, down from £9.99, until Tuesday, Waitrose.

Dinner Party

2009 Château de Flaugergues, Languedoc

Fresh and fragrantly spicy, this chocolatey black-cherry-centred blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre from Henri and Pierre de Colbert with its lively unoaked fruit and chunky, broad-shouldered tannins, makes for a serious red at the price. £9.99, Marks & Spencer.

Splash Out

2007 Marqués de Riscal, Finca Torrea, Rioja

This is a seductive blend of tempranillo and graciano with a fine vanilla-scented perfume, while the concentrated dark cherry and strawberry fruit is coated with a polished veneer of stylish, subtly crafted oak. Youthful yet succulent. £20.99, Tesco.

Ends