English Supermarkets

May 13, 2013


Four English wines have been awarded Gold medals for excellence at the 30th annual International Wine Challenge.

 
English wine producers demonstrated their star quality at the 30th annual International Wine Challenge with four wines being awarded a Gold medal. In a record year of success three English sparkling wines received the much-coveted medal, with a sweet white wine from Surrey also winning Gold.

Announced today, the results show the idyllic English countryside is now the perfect environment for growing and producing high quality sparkling wine.  Gold medal winners included a 2008 sparkling Chardonnay Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs produced in Kent, while the bubbly blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (2008) for Nyetimber Rosé is grown in West Sussex.  Completing the sparkling golden trio is a 2009 Classic Cuvée from Furleigh Estate in Bridport, Dorset.  The warm temperatures and chalky soil in the South of England are similar to those found in the Champagne in France making it perfect for creating stunning sparkling wines.
  • The Classic Cuvée from Furleigh Estate was the first commercial vintage year the family-run vineyard produced and immediate success for a vineyard is rare.
  • Surrey wine estate Denbies was also awarded a Gold Medal for their 2011 vintage sweet white wine Noble Harvest
  • Another 19 English wines were awarded silver medals with the IWC judges impressed by the quality achieved in the UK’s more temperate climate
  • The 30th International Wine Challenge awarded 514 Gold medals this year, making it a record for quality with wines
  • Entries were received from all over the world including Peru, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Lebanon and Thailand

The full press release and high resolution images can be downloaded below. To see the full results, please go to //www.internationalwinechallenge.com/

Quotation

Charles Metcalfe, Co-Chairman of the IWC, says:

“We’re so pleased with the success of our English winemakers.  The gold medal winning wines are absolutely stunning.  They have been tasted against thousands of contenders so it is a tremendous achievement that will catapult their product to an international audience.  The IWC is the most influential wine contest in the world and we are thrilled that our home-grown talent is really shining.”

“It’s always brilliant to see a few surprise winners in the medals table and great to see these emerging wine regions and some great value wines triumph.  The International Wine Challenge is unique.  I know of no other wine competition in the world where each medal winner will have been blind tasted a minimum of three separate occasions to ensure consistency and fairness.  We want high quality wine to be available to anyone and with our medal system consumers can instantly trust the quality of the product, whatever the price.”

About International Wine Challenge
  • In its 30th year, the International Wine Challenge is accepted as the world’s finest and most meticulously judged competition. The IWC assesses every wine ‘blind’ and judges each for its faithfulness to style, region and vintage.  Each medal winning wine is tasted on at least three separate occasions by a minimum of 10 different judges.  Awards include medals (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and Commended awards.  The IWC is committed to helping consumers discover great wine, and the medals are displayed on winning bottles offer a trusted guarantee of  quality.

Visit the IWC website for the full list of winners www.internationalwinechallenge.com

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