The trophy winners were unveiled at the WineGB Awards Ceremony in London today (Friday 18 July) with Langham Wine Estate achieving the competition’s first ever 99 points and eight trophies and two wineries from Devon also among the best performers.
Dorset-based Langham secured eight trophies overall including Supreme Champion, Best Sparkling Wine and Best Premium Sparkling Wine for its Perpetual MV, which received 99 points. The estate also picked up the trophy for the best NV Classic Cuvée for its Culver Classic Cuvée NV, Best Blanc de Blancs for its Blanc de Blancs NV, Best Blanc de Noirs for its Pinot Noir 2019, the regional trophy for Wessex and the title of the Best Producer.
Other high achievers this year were Devon’s Lyme Bay which won Best Chardonnay, along with Best Still Wine, Best White Wine and the regional trophy for the West for its Martin’s Lane Chardonnay 2020, while London-based Blackbook Winery secured the trophy for the Best Red and Best Pinot Noir for its Nightjar 2022 and the regional trophy for the South East with its Pygmalion South Bank Vineyard Chardonnay 2022. All three of these wines were produced from fruit sourced from the county of Essex.
Also picking up multiple trophies was Sandridge Barton in Devon. The winery won Best Alternative White and Best Innovative White for its Sonny 2022 Pinot Blanc and the Best Orange Wine for its Pinot Gris 2019. Wiltshire’s Domaine Hugo also bagged three trophies (Best Vintage Sparkling, Best Classic Cuvée and Best Boutique Wine) for its Hugo 2020, winning Best Vintage Sparkling for the second consecutive year.
Co-chair of the judging panel, Peter Richards MW said: “What a year this was at the WineGB Awards! It was not only an immense privilege to taste such a vibrant, eclectic, ambitious range of wines – it was fun too. And that reflects the fun the winemakers are clearly having experimenting, pushing the boundaries, and fine-tuning their craft. These were wines brimming with confidence and ambition – and both Susie and I together with our brilliant team of judges loved every minute of the judging, which inspired some intriguing (and sometimes heated) discussion.
Greg Sherwood MW, Panel Lead, added: “As a seasoned fine wine specialist with many years of judging experience, I was suitably impressed with both the breadth of styles and the premium quality of all the trophy winners this year. The attention to detail from all the winners more than justifies their prestigious awards. Incredibly, Langham Wine Estate really shot the lights out with their beautifully crafted sparkling wines that were, for all judges over multiple days, some of the most profound wines of the week. But the still wine category winners also represent the incredible growth, evolution, and maturity of the industry’s fine wine offerings in the UK – reds, whites and rosé wines that can all hold their heads up high. A truly spectacular array of trophy winners this year!”
