Wines from seven vineyards across Wales have been recognised at the Welsh Vineyard Association’s seventh annual Welsh Wine Awards.
35 wines were tasted at the event, which was held at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan. The wines were split into five classes: white, rosé, red, sparkling white and sparkling rosé, which were then judged blind by a judging panel of renowned industry experts: Michael Harrison, Simon Awdry and Yannick Joseph.
Each wine was given a score out of 20, with those scoring 14-15.9 awarded bronze, 16-17.9 awarded silver and 18-20 awarded gold. Overall, 29 out of the 35 wines won awards in either bronze or silver. One wine was then chosen as the overall winner for each individual class, with an overall winning wine receiving the Thomas Davies Memorial Trophy.
Montgomery Vineyard stole the show, winning four of the five classes – red, rosé and sparkling rosé – as well as taking home the Thomas Davies Memorial Trophy for its Sparkling Rosé, 2017.
“The Welsh Wine Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the fantastic wine we now produce in Wales,” said Robb Merchant, chairman of the Welsh Vineyard Association and owner of White Castle Vineyard in Monmouthshire. “The judging panel had a really difficult job deciding the winners as this year’s awards saw 35 wines entered. A total of 29 wines were recognised making it the most successful year to-date. With so many wines now winning awards in comparison to previous years, the future is looking very promising for Welsh wine.”
Anthony Mills, who heads up Wine & Spirits Group as part of The Drinks Development Cluster, said: “The wine industry in Wales is becoming increasingly established, attracting interest from further afield. A forward-thinking approach by Welsh Government to develop a cluster approach to facilitate and encourage collaborative working means the sector is punching above its weight.
“Many of our vineyards are developing a reputation for producing wines of excellent quality and slowly increasing the level of awareness. With further collaboration and innovation, I’m looking forward to seeing what the Welsh vineyards produce over the coming years and establishing Welsh wine as a staple on wine lists in restaurants and bars across the country and within the UK.”
The Welsh Vineyard Association is made up of award-winning vineyards within Wales to help promote the growing wine sector in Wales. The Welsh vineyards produce around 100,000 bottles of wine each year.
The full list of class awards for the Welsh Wine Awards 2019:
Montgomery Vineyard Bacchus/Solaris 2018
Best White
Montgomery Rosé 2018
Best Rosé
Montgomery Rondo 2018
Best Red
Llaethliw 2014
Best Sparkling White
Montgomery 2017
Best Sparkling Rosé
Montgomery Sparkling Rosé 2017
Thomas Davies Memorial Trophy
