English fizz has been knocked off the top of the rostrum in this year's English and Welsh wine competition. For the first time since 1999 a still white wine – Three Choirs Estate Reserve Siegerrebe 2006 – has won the Wine of the Year award.
The results of this annual taste-off, organised by the United Kingdom Vineyards Association (UKVA) and held this year at Brightwell Vineyard in Oxfordshire, were announced earlier this week and the main awards are listed below. The judging panel, chaired by Master of Wine and purple pager Patricia Stefanowicz, comprised no fewer than seven MWs.
Patricia said “We were delighted to see vineyards entering the best that they produce, and this was reflected in the higher number of awards. Professionalism and quality in grape-growing and winemaking has shone through, and the range of different producers now winning top awards shows just how good the standards are. This is a serious competition.”
TROPHY WINNERS FOR 2008
The Gore-Browne Trophy
The Wine of the Year
Three Choirs Estate Reserve Siegerrebe 2006
Winemaker: Martin Fowke
The Jack Ward Memorial Salver
Best large production wine from the previous year (2007)
Denbies Wine Estate Rose Hill 2007
Winemaker: Marcus Sharp
The Wine Guild Trophy
Best large production wine from any other year (NOT 2007)
Three Choirs Estate Reserve Siegerrebe 2006
The President’s Trophy
Best small production wine (<1,500 litres)
Camel Valley “Cornwall” White Pinot (Batch 2)
Winemaker: Sam Lindo
The Dudley Quirk Memorial Trophy
Best large production wine (over 10,000 litres)
Camel Valley Bacchus 2006
Winemaker: Sam Lindo
The Vintners’ Trophy
Best sparkling wine
Camel Valley “Cornwall” White Pinot 2005
Winemaker: Sam Lindo
The Bernard Theobald Trophy
Best red wine
Titchfield Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
Winemaker: Hans Schliefer
The McNie Trophy
Best oaked white wine
Wickham Vineyard Special Release Fumé 2007
Winemaker: William Biddulph
The McAlpine Winemaker of the Year Trophy
Martin Fowke, Three Choirs Vineyards
The Montagu Trophy
The best presented wine
Camel Valley “Cornwall” Brut 2006
The Tom Day Trophy
Best single varietal wine
Three Choirs Estate Reserve Siegerrebe 2006
The Waitrose Rosé Trophy
Best still rosé wine
Denbies Wine Estate Rose Hill 2007
The Berwick Trophy
Best large production unchaptalised still wine
Warden Abbey Bacchus 2006
Winemaker: Rob Capp