A sparkling wine produced outside of Champagne has become the first to be crowned the best in the world by the prestigious International Wine Challenge (IWC).
Nyetimber, made in England and a favourite of the royal family, was awarded two of the most lauded trophies on Tuesday: Champion Sparkling Wine and, for the brand’s head winemaker Cherie Spriggs, Sparkling Winemaker of the Year.
English fizz has been growing in popularity in recent years but it’s a historic moment for the industry, with Champagne having dominated for as long as anyone can remember,
As for Spriggs, it’s the second time she’s won the accolade of winemaker of the year, having first scooped the prize in 2018 when she became the first female to ever do so.
It was Nyetimber’s blanc de blanc 2016 magnum that won out. Judges described the vintage as “a time capsule of a wine with mouth-watering acidity, citrus zest and camomile, with a chalky finish”.
An announcement from Nyetimer called the result a “remarkable milestone for English sparkling wine”, while the vineyard’s CEO Eric Heerema said it was an “honour”.
“These two trophies are huge accolades for us, and we are honoured to have received them from such a renowned awards body,” he said.
“At Nyetimber we strive for perfection in everything we do, and the trophies provide real recognition of our winemaking teams and all the hard work and dedication that they put into creating world-class sparkling wines.
“We are truly delighted to be the first ever non-Champagne to have been awarded the Champion Sparkling Wine trophy, and to have done so for our Blanc de Blancs – a wine that is very special to us, having been the first ever created at Nyetimber – feels very special.
“For Cherie to have won Sparkling Winemaker of the Year for the second time is incredibly impressive and demonstrates her outstanding talent and the huge effort she puts into crafting the sparkling wines that we are so proud of.”
The blanc de blanc — made with 100 per cent chardonnay grapes — was the first wine Nyetimber produced, starting out in 1992.
The winning magnum (1.5 litres) costs £130 a bottle and was also awarded the IWC English sparkling wine trophy this year.
Since it was founded, Nyetimber has grown to be one of the biggest wineries in the UK and is served in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe.
The producer now has 11 vineyards across West Sussex, Hampshire and Kent, and makes around one million bottles of wine per year.
Chris Ashton, the IWC director, said: “It’s fantastic to see England shining so brightly this year. It proves that our wines can compete, and win, on the global stage.”
