Sussex wine: Flying the flag for Sussex wineries and vineyards win top awards

At the recent WineGB awards Sussex wineries received the most medals with 61 in total.

In the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 Sussex won 20 medals with Wiston Estate’s Blanc de Noir Brut 2014 being awarded a gold medal.

The county is regarded as the heartland for UK wine production with more than 50 vineyards benefitting from the warmest and driest climate in the UK, and diverse soils.

On June 15 Sussex wines were given geographic protection status like Champagne, Prosecco, Cornish Clotted Cream and Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, which means that still, sparkling and origin wines will only be allowed to be called ‘Sussex’ if they are grown in the region and meet a strict set of criteria.

The new measure will put Sussex wines from vineyards including Tinwood, Nyetimber, Carr Taylor, and Bolney, on the same protected status as the French and Italian wines so consumers can have confidence they are supporting local vineyards. It also ensures inauthentic products are not falsely represented as genuine.

This year the WineGB awards had a record number of entries with well over 100 producers entering, 11 of these for the first time.

Susie Barrie MW, co-chair of the Judges, 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.”

Of the medals awarded, 139 (48 per cent) went to sparkling, and 151 (52 per cent) showing that the number and quality of still wines being produced in the UK continues to grow.

Digby Fine English in Arundel won the most golds in the Sussex region with three of the wines scooping medals.

James Barnett, brand manager for Digby Fine English said on the awards: “We are absolutely delighted. It is always the greatest honour to be judged by our compatriots and friends. To continue this great journey of the new world of English Wines it’s truly special.

“We always try to win gold and strive for the highest standards.”

Artelium in Streat near Lewes, Wiston Estate, Steyning and Ashling Park Estate near Chichester each picked up two gold awards each.

Other vineyards across the East and West of the county picked up a number of silver and bronze medals.

Bluebell Vineyard in Uckfield was awarded two silver medals.

Kevin Sutherland, head winemaker, said: “Bluebell Vineyard is pleased and delighted that Valley View 2020 our newest wine in the Ashdown range has received a silver medal in the Wines of Great Britain awards in its first outing.

"We are also delighted that our Hindleap rosé has maintained its quality and status by also claiming a silver medal.

“We would like to thank WineGB for arranging the competition and the judges for awarding us such impressive accolades.”

Now in its 19th year, the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world's largest wine competition with unrivaled global reach.

It is judged by top wine experts from around the globe, and DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process.

As part of this process almost 250 expert judges, including 41 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers, evaluated 18,244 wines from 54 countries at DWWA 2022, making it a record year for wines tasted.

Wiston Estate, Blanc de Noir Brut 2014 was awarded a gold medal.

It also won gold at the WineGB awards for its Blanc de Noir Brut 2014 and Wiston Estate Cuvee.

Richard Goring, CEO of Wiston Estate, said: “We are incredibly pleased with the gold medals for our Blanc de Noir 2014 and Cuvée 2017 at this year’s Wine GB Awards. It’s wonderful to be recognised in this arena alongside our UK winemaking peers – congratulations to all who won medals.”

At the WineGB awards all the gold medal winning sparkling wines were from classic varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier), with both large and small wineries being successful. Notable successes among smaller producers include Artelium, a newcomer to the English wine scene in Sussex.

The oldest vineyard in Sussex is Bolney Wine Estate which dates back to 1972.

Simon Thorpe MW, CEO of WineGB said: “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. I cannot emphasise enough how lucky we are in the judges we have every year for our competition; not only are they highly skilled wine professionals but each have been chosen for their knowledge of our category, so we know that all the wines have been judged and assessed fairly. ”

The WineGB Awards trophy winners will be announced on July 15.

HAVE YOU SEEN: Sussex vineyards and wineries enjoy success at Decanter World Wine Awards