Cheers! Hampshire wines taste success in national competition

WINES from Hampshire have won awards at a national competition.

This year saw a record number of entries for the annual WineGB Awards, with more than 100 producers entering – 11 for the first time.

Exton Park Vineyard in the Meon Valley picked up a gold award in the sparkling – classic method category for its Cuvée M Isaac Blanc de Blanc 2011, as did The Grange in Alresford for its Classic NV.

Hattingley Valley in Alresford was awarded one gold medal and three silvers.

It was awarded both a gold and a silver in the sparkling – classic method category for its Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve NV and Hattingley Valley Blanc de Blanc 2014, respectively.

The other silvers were from the still category for its Hattingley Valley Still Pinot Noir 2020 and the Hattingley Valley Still Chardonnay 2020.

Co-chair of the judges, Susie Barrie, said: ‘We were absolutely thrilled with the quality of the whole range of wines that we tasted this year.

‘There were some fabulous wines in both still and sparkling style categories, which shows just how exciting and dynamic the UK now is as a wine region. What’s terrific is that the wins come from both the largest producers and some of the smallest, and from long established to newcomers.

‘We’ve also awarded medals to wines from every region in the country, showing the scope of styles and grape varieties. Huge congratulations to all the medal winners!’

Simon Thorpe, CEO of WineGB, added: ‘This has been another great year for results across all the categories of still and sparkling wines, once again demonstrating what an exciting industry this is.’