English & Welsh wine

The decadent Drapers’ Hall in London once again played host to the WineGB Awards Luncheon and Ceremony this July, welcoming nearly 200 vineyard owners, wine makers and industry professionals for a wine tasting, lunch and awards presentation. Deputy editor Sarah Kidby attended.

Ahead of a sumptuous lunch and awards ceremony, guests descending on Drapers’ Hall on 7th July were able to sample from a wide selection of still and sparkling wines entered into this year’s national competition. A record number of producers – nearly 100 from 27 counties – entered the 2023 awards and judges handed out the highest number of gold medals to date.

Digby Fine English in West Sussex secured its place in the Hall of Fame, being crowned Supreme Champion and also scooping trophies for Best Classic Cuvée Vintage and Top Sparkling for its 2013 Vintage Reserve Brut. Meanwhile the Malvern Fox orange wine 2021 from Nania’s Vineyard was recognised with the Innovative Still award.

Two new trophies were introduced for 2023. The Pioneer’s Trophy – named after one of the pioneers of English wine, the late Colin Gillespie MBE of Wootton Vineyards in Somerset – went to Ridgeview for its Sparkling Red Reserve NV. The new Sustainable Wine Trophy, given to the highest-scoring wine certi ed by the Sustainable Wines of Great Britain, was awarded to Gusbourne’s Chardonnay Guinevere 2021.

Co-chair Oz Clarke OBE advised growers to stay exible, open minded, con dent and optimistic

Ageing fabulously

Speaking to guests in the magni cent Livery Hall at Drapers’, event co-chairs Oz Clarke OBE and Susie Barrie MW highlighted the successes of the British wine industry and looked to the everevolving future for the sector.

Susie noted that the UK’s still wines are becoming “just as exciting, if not more so in some ways than its sensational sparkling wines”. For any wine region to be considered world class, she believes it requires one key attribute – ageability. Demonstrating how far the British wine industry has come, the recent International Masters of Wine Symposium in Germany included Gusbourne’s English sparkling wine in the ‘Old and Rare’ category.

“These wines needed to be able to age to be included in this stellar line-up,” she explained. “I don’t think anyone would walk away from that tasting in any doubt of the potential of that Gusbourne wine, and by association, all of the UK’s top sparkling wines to age fabulously.”

She added: “In my experience the UK’s nest sparkling wines unquestionably age superbly. And there’s absolutely no reason why we won’t be saying exactly the same thing about our top still wines in the very near future.”

What does the future hold?

In light of the changing climate, Oz Clarke questioned whether the industry’s targets are still appropriate. June 2023 was the hottest June since records began at nearly 1ºC hotter than the previous record. Meanwhile, 2022 was our hottest year yet and experts predict temperatures will rise still higher in 2024 and beyond.

“Many of our wineries are set up for sparkling wine as their prime, and sometimes sole, purpose. As we look at the weather conditions for Essex, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, is this still wise? Should we thinking more about non-sparkling Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? After all, Chablis is right next door to Champagne and they’re not famous for zz.”

He added: “Are we thinking about the right colour? Most of our wine is white, but the British wine drinker is lapping up pink wine. Numerous British wineries I’ve talked to in the past year have only just made their rst pink wine. Our Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and our Rondo too for that matter – are perfect for pink wine. The British wine

Full list of trophy winners

Best Classic Cuvée drinker will buy it if we make it.”

Although Bacchus has been the British equivalent of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc, with rapid climate change perhaps we should be thinking about our Pinots for the next generation of quintessential white British wine, added Oz, advising growers and wine makers to stay exible, open minded, con dent and optimistic.

Speaking after the event he said: “We have a wine nation that has barely begun to exploit its potential. Every year we have more growers and winemakers brimming over with imagination and ambition. Every year new areas of Britain stand up proud and say – we can do it too. We have the chance in the next generation to become one of the world’s greatest cool climate wine nations. And this year’s Awards competition shows that we’re going about it in the right way.”

Vintage Top Sparkling Supreme Champion Digby Fine English 2013 Vintage Reserve Brut

Best Chardonnay

Sustainable Wine Joint Top Still

Gusbourne Chardonnay Guinevere 2021

Best Red Pinot Noir Joint Top Still Sandridge Barton Pinot Noir 2020

Classic Cuvée NV/MV

Sugrue South Downs Cuvée Dr Brendan O’Regan MV

Best Blanc de Noirs Ridgeview Blanc de Noirs 2015

Best Blanc de Blancs Sugrue South Downs Cuvée Boz Coldharbour Single Vineyard 2015

Best Sparkling Rosé Bluebell Vineyard Estates Hindleap Rosé 2016

Best Prestige Cuvée Chapel Down Chapel Down Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2016

Best Still Rosé Tu on Hall Vineyard Pinot Noir Rosé, Beatrice 2022

Best Still Bacchus Chapel Down Kit's Coty Bacchus 2020

Pioneers’ Trophy –

Best Sparkling Red Ridgeview Sparkling Red Reserve NV

Boutique Producer Sugrue South Downs

Newcomer Candover Brook

Estate Winery of the Year

Gusbourne

Contract Winery of the Year Wiston Estate

Regional trophies

West Sandridge Barton Pinot Noir 2020

Wessex Candover Brook Brut NV

East Tu on Hall Vineyard Pinot Noir Rosé, Beatrice 2022

Wales White Castle Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 2021

Thames & Chilterns All Angels Classic Cuvée 2015

South East Digby Fine English 2013 Vintage Reserve Brut

Midlands & North Halfpenny Green Wine Estate Chardonnay 2020

Digby Fine English was crowned Supreme Champion this year, and also won Best Classic Cuvée Vintage and Top Sparkling for the 2013 Vintage Reserve Brut. Pictured l-r are: Digby’s Gabriella Rondelli, CEO Trevor Clough and marketing director Rachel Fellows

Tuffon Hall Vineyard in Essex won Best Still Rosé and the regional trophy for the east for its Pinot Noir Rosé, Beatrice 2022. Pictured l-r are: Awards co-chair Susie Barrie MW; Tuffon Hall’s Liz Waddington; Bevica’s John Bain (trophy sponsor and awards lunch cosponsor); and Tuffon Hall’s Angus Crowther

Robb Merchant (centre), of White Castle Vineyard in Abergavenny, took home the regional award for Wales for their Pinot Noir Reserve 2021