Coates & Seely rules the roost at UK wine tasting

English wine producer Coates & Seely’s ‘La Perfide Blanc de Blancs 2009’ was named ‘Supreme Champion’ at the first UK Wine Awards held earlier this month.

The wine beat almost 300 English and Welsh competitors at the tasting to win the overall prize, while also scooping two more top awards: Best Overall Sparkling and Best Sparkling Blanc de Blancs.

Coates & Seely’s Rosé 2009 was also named Best Sparkling Rosé. Other winners included: Bolney Wine Estate Foxhole Vineyard Pinot Gris 2016 (Best Overall Still Wine and Best Single Varietal Still Wine); Digby Fine English Brut 2010 (Best Classic Cuvée sparkling); Lyme Bay Bacchus Block 2015 (Best Still Bacchus).

Nicholas Coates, Coates & Seely’s co-founder alongside Christian Seely, said: “We are of course very pleased, and honoured, to have our wines recognised in this way, and would like to pay tribute both to the team at Coates & Seely and to the organisers of this competition for the spotlight they have shone onto the incredibly exciting English wine scene.”

In total, 20 gold, 36 silver and 127 bronze medals were awarded. The tasting was organised by the UK Wine Industry in association with Hotel du Vin, Country Life and Waitrose, to celebrate the achievements of English and Welsh winemaking.

The tasting panel was comprised of 12 experts led by Susie Barrie MW and Oz Clarke.

Barrie commented: “We’ve all witnessed the stratospheric rise in popularity of UK wines on the global stage in recent years, and we now have a contemporary competition judged to international standards to reward the best of the best.

“From the bigger, established producers right through to new estates launching their first vintage, we tasted a host of world-class, medal-worthy wines. The Blanc de Blancs category was particularly impressive, as was sparkling rosé, but there were some lovely surprises from Pinot Gris, and the Pinot Noirs undoubtedly show early signs of greatness too.”

Clarke meanwhile added that the bar had been set high. He said: The winners are the epitome of the talent that lies in the winelands of the UK – and the range of winners shows just what extraordinary directions this industry is going in.

“Isn’t it brilliant that a producer as long established as Coates & Seely has shown the ongoing excellence of its wines? Hampshire terroir at its finest – ably backed up by ever-successful Kent and Sussex, and Cornwall weighing in from the Golden West.”

The UK wine industry is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the country, with one million vines due to be planted this year. The on-going success of English wine is evidenced not just by the fact it is now exported to 27 countries and Champagne houses Pommery and Taittinger have bought land in the south of England and begun planting their own vineyards.