A Northamptonshire winery won the trophy at this year’s Wine GB Awards.
Stonyfield Wine, a family-run winery in Blisworth, is one of England’s smallest wineries, but that didn’t stop top judges Susie Barrie and Oz Clarke from giving one of their wines a grand prize at the prestigious ceremony.
With their Stonyfield Sparkling White 2017 they received the trophy and the gold award for the best sparkling wine blend and brought national recognition to a district little known for its wine production.
A bottle of 2017 Stonyfield Sparkling White that was awarded gold and trophy at the GB Wine Awards Photo credit: ITV Anglia
The organizers of the annual competition say it saw a record number of entries and first-time entries from across England and Wales in 2021 with 133 sparkling wines and 176 still wines.
Commenting on the awards, Jury Co-Chair Susie Barrie said:
2021 was a great year for the WineGB Awards and hands down our best yet. These awards shed some light on the best still and sparkling wines the UK has to offer and it is wonderful to witness an industry that is now consistently producing world class wines. Not only that, the range and variety of wines are getting better and better.
Susie Barrie, judge
The first vines in Stonyfield were planted in 2011 as a tribute to the late husband of the owner Belinda, who had long dreamed of turning her empty field into a vineyard.
Their range of sparkling wines made using the traditional champagne method has since received numerous awards.
Stonyfield Wine at Blisworth in Northampton Photo credit: ITV Anglia
John Vaughn, one of the family members who run the winery, said:
We are absolutely thrilled and amazed to win this award as this is the first time anyone from Northamptonshire has won a gold award or even the trophy. I hope this will put Northamptonshire wine firmly on the map.
John Vaughn, Stonyfield Wine