In this the 40th Anniversary of the International Wine & Spirit Competition, it seemed fitting that a notable wine took the top medal in the English category, with a Gold (Best in Class) won by Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 1992. This was the first English sparkling wine to win a trophy in this competition back in 1996. Nyetimber have kept back some stock of each of their best vintages and are releasing small parcels after disgorging, one of which has clearly proved that it is every bit as much of a winner now than it was over a decade ago.

Overall, an impressive number of awards went to Chapel Down, Camel Valley, Ridgeview, Nyetimber, Bookers and Denbies, who between them took just over 60% of all awards in the UK categories of the three competitions. In fact, EWP member vineyards between them scooped over 70% of UK category awards.

“This is a really impressive line up of awards,” commented Julia Trustram Eve, Marketing Manager of English Wine Producers. “The list of winners grows year on year and just shows that on the international stage, English wines are showing their star quality. I’m particularly thrilled to see a still white wine winning a top medal, showing that Bacchus is a grape that suits the UK.

“The fact that these wines have been tasted at the highest professional level shows just how good the quality of our wines is.”

These and many other English and Welsh wines will soon face scrutiny in the UK’s own national awards – the English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition, which takes place in June. This is the only competition in the world where the judges are all Masters of Wine. The results will be announced at the end of June.