The four wines in the VORS (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum or Very Old Rare Sherry) range were each awarded the ‘Best in Class’ honour with Domecq® Amontillado 51-1a®, Domecq® Sibarita® and Domecq® Capuchino® also wining Gold Medals.

Granted the official qualification VORS (age over 30 years) in 2001 by the Sherry Denomination of Origin, Sibarita, an Oloroso, Capuchino, a Palo Cortado and Amontillado 51-1a are extremely rare with only 400 cases of each being drawn from the soleras each year.

The final wine in the VORS range, Domecq® Venerable®, a Pedro Ximenez, was awarded a silver medal alongside the ‘Best in Class’ prize.

Domecq® La Ina® fino sherry, recently hailed as the best Spanish wine of the last decade* by highly respected wine critic José Penin, was also awarded a silver medal to accompany the ‘Best in Class’ honour.

Domecq® Rio Viejo®, a recent addition to the Sainsbury’s range, was awarded a bronze medal.

And to round off a perfect day, Domecq was nominated for ‘Best Spanish Producer’. The result of this category is announced later in the year.

“We are absolutely delighted with the success of Domecq in this year’s Competition,” said Jo Smith, brand manager for Domecq. “We know these wines are of outstanding quality, but it is great for the winemakers to receive such admiration from the industry. The response to the wines has been fantastic both from consumers and from the trade. They really are in a class of their own.”

The VORS wines were repackaged in November 2004 combining a distinctively modern and contemporary style with references to their immense heritage and craftsmanship. The script used on the VORS labels originates from the original documents produced when the soleras were founded in the 1700s and the names of the wines were selected to reflect the history and heritage of the range.