« As a buyer TOP 100 Vins de Pays is extremely useful as it offers a great opportunity to discover new faces in quality Vins de Pays. We all know who the big players are but unearthing the smaller producers is harder and this competition makes the job easier. »
Chris Hardy, Wine Buyer, Majestic

« Some of the local varieties, whether Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Rolle in the South or Sauvignon Gris and Petit/ Gros Manseng elsewhere have really shone out. I hope this event sends a message that real top quality is to be found using indigenous grape varieties. Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay are marketing solutions, but not the real treasures of the regions. »
Charles Metcalfe, Wine Writer and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge

« TOP 100 Vins de Pays send a strong quality message to the producers, hopefully encouraging them to keep experimenting and improving. »
Laura Jewell MW, Agency Director, HWCG

« Thank you very much for inviting me to the Top 100 competition; I was extremely impressed by wines and organisation alike. A most worthwhile event and seamlessly run. »
Simon Fields MW, Buyer, Berry Bros & Rudd

« The competition establishes an independently assessed benchmark for quality in a difficult area of the wine market. »
Richard Ehrlich, Journalist, The Independent on Sunday

« Having been part of the competition over the last three years, I was expecting a well organised competition with a high quality standard of entrants. The Sopexa team have managed to improve every year and it is now one of the better organised competitions I have judged in. Venue, judging ability, organisation was 1rst rate. I believe that trophy quality has improved every year, irrespective of vintage conditions. Thus the top producers are getting better. »
Sam Harrop MW, Winemaking and consultant

« The competition adds credibility to a largely customer misunderstood category. »
Graham Nash, Buyer, Tesco

« I was expecting to find many more non-despcript commercial styles with too much alcohol and residual sugar. I was surprised by so much very good varietal character to many of the wines-especially the reds. The competition acts as a great filter to UK trade to eliminate many poor wines. It sends a clear message to the producers about what styles of wine to produce. »
Ronan Sayburn MS, Head Sommelier, Gordon Ramsay Holdings

« In the end the overall quality was more consistent than I’d expected. It’s a brilliant format and the whole event was very well run. Kudos to Tim for chairing the whole thing with good humour and professionalism. It was great to work with such an excellent band of tasters. »
Jamie Goode, Freelance, Webpublisher

« Our snapshot of what is arguably the most dynamic sector of the French Wine industry is one of the more pleasurable tastings of the year. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard work – the judges had to sniff, swirl and spit their way through more than 1,000 samples in this contest. These wines are a credit to the Vins de Pays category. What’s more they’re a credit to France. More please! »
Tim Atkin MW, Wine Writer and OLN Wine Editor at Large, Co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge