The International Wine Challenge are globally recognised awards, with many different categories for Winemakers and Wines. This year Nyetimber took home two of the awards.
Cherie Spriggs, the head winemaker at Nyetimber (who their Demi-Sec cuvee is named after) took home her second trophy for Sparkling Winemaker of the Year. When she first won the award in 2018, she became the first woman ever to win the award and the first person outside of Champagne to win. Her win this year marks her still as the only woman to ever win and the only person outside of France to win twice.
So it isn’t a surprise that Nyetimber also took home the trophy for Best Sparkling Wine. The wines are tasted blind by an expert panel of judges and ranked accordingly, 1000s of sparkling wines are entered into the competition including Cuvees from all the top Champagne houses. This year Nyetimber Blanc de Blanc 2016 Magnum came out on top, with a score of 97 points. The judges describe the wine as “a time capsule of a wine with mouth-watering acidity, flavours of citrus zest and camomile with a chalky finish”
This marks the first time in the awards 34-year history when the top prize has gone to a non-Champagne. Nyetimber Prestige Cuvee 1086 White and 1086 Rose both scored 96 points earning themselves gold medals at the awards.
Nyetimber was the first producer of English Sparkling wine to exclusively grow the main three grapes of Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Over the years, the operation has expanded to now include 11 vineyards which cover 425 hectares across West Sussex, Hampshire and Kent. The wines are made from exclusively estate grown fruit, so each stage of production is closely monitored to create the best outcome. Cherie has been head winemaker at Nyetimber since 2007 and has continued to take the wines from strength to strength. These awards give more international acclaim to a woman who is clearly leaving her mark on the industry.
We look forward to seeing what is in store for Nyetimber and how they can continue to grow, as they continue to prove that English wine can be just as good, if not better, than traditional Champagne.
