Hampshire's Winning Wines
This year the WineGB Awards were a little different – but perhaps more important than ever, showcasing one of the world’s most exciting wine regions at time when the opportunity to taste our homegrown wines at events and restaurants has been severely curtailed.
Judging took place in July with a reduced judging panel comprising Co-Chairs Susie Barrie MW and Oz Clarke MBE, and Rebecca Palmer, wine buyer of Corney & Barrow. The trio tasted a record number of wines and in very different circumstances to the normal tasting set up.
The results are now in. Co-Chair (and Winchester local) Susie Barrie MW commented: “There are some very strong winners, both sparkling and still wines, in all categories. It was particularly pleasing to see new producers competing alongside long-established ones, proving that the UK is an ever-growing and hugely exciting region to watch. Congratulations to every single medal winner, you can feel very proud of what you have achieved.”
The results show that sparkling wine remains the strongest category in Gold and Silver Medals, but successes for still wines are on the increase. When it comes to grape varieties, pinot noir, chardonnay and bacchus dominate the still wine category featuring in all the Gold Medal winning still wines, with chardonnay the most popular grape variety for Britain’s traditional method sparkling wines.
Tracy Nash, Commercial Manager, Hampshire Fare, added: “We are delighted that so many of our Hampshire Fare members have been awarded Golds and Silvers. These include high profile Hampshire vineyards, among them Black Chalk Wines, Hattingley Valley Vineyard, Jenkyn Place Vineyard, Raimes English Sparkling and The Grange Estate. We are, however, particularly pleased to see our lesser known vineyards, Priors Dean Vineyard and Somborne Valley Vineyard receiving much-deserved recognition.”
Gold Awards (34 Awards in total)
Black Chalk Wine: Classic 2016
Grange Estate Wines: Classic 2015
Hattingley Valley Wines: Kings Cuveé 2014
Jenkyn Place Vineyard: Blanc de Blancs 2015
Raimes English Sparkling: Classic 2015
Silver Awards (98 Awards in total)
Hattingley Valley Wines: Classic Reserve NV; Still Rosé 2019
Jenkyn Place Vineyard: Blanc de Noir 2010
Priors Dean Vineyard: Summer Hills 2018
Somborne Valley Vineyard: Blush Rosé 2014
The Grange Estate: The Grange PINK NV
Image courtesy The Electric Eye of Craig Revel Horwood launching last year's Fizz Fest (part of Hampshire Food Festival)