British cuvée fizzes to victory

Nyetimber’s Classic Cuvée 2003 fought off stiff opposition from the likes of Bollinger and Louis Roederer in a blind tasting to win the Champion of Worldwide Sparkling Wines prize in the Italian Bollicine del Mondo competition.

The competition, run by the Italian wine magazine Euposia, is in its second year and attracts entrants from all over the wine world.

Nyetimber’s Blanc de Blancs 2001 was also in the top 12 out of 52 entrants in the category and Camel Valley’s Pinot Noir Brut was in the top 10. Bob Lindo of Camel Valley called the result a “big win for the British”.

The English wines were up against the leading names of the Champagne region, but all cost less than £30.

Eric Hareema, the owner of Nyetimber said: “It has been an extremely exciting year for all of us. This is a significant win on the international stage and to win against Champagnes is extremely rewarding.”

Beppe Giuliano, director of Euposia, praised the high quality of all the wines on offer but added: “This is an outstanding success for England and my congratulations go to Nyetimber for their win.”

Nyetimber is based in Sussex and first its vineyards were planted in 1988. The aim was to produce premium quality English sparkling wine that would rival Champagne.

The company uses the classic Champagne blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for its sparklers.

Rupert Millar, 29.01.2010