Triumph for Hampshire Vineyard at UKVA National Awards 2017

2017 Supreme Champion- Coates & Sealey "La Perfide Blanc de Blancs 2009" Described by judges as Fabulously elegant and refined with the seductive toasted brioche and honey notes from age Best Sparkling Rose. Coates & Sealey 2009 Judges described as From its antique gold colour to its rich sour cherry and truffle flavours, this is a graceful, mature rosé to sip and savour.

The success of Coates and Sealey’s sparkling wine at the 2017 Wine of the Year competition was yet another proof of the old saying that the 3 main requirements of a successful business are Location, Location and Location. The Wooldings vineyard of Coates and Sealey was first planted in 1989 by Charles Cunningham who made his own wines - both still and sparkling, on site. Charles recognised that the chalky south facing slope of his family farm had similar conditions to that of the Champagne, and had no hesitation in planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier- grapes largely un-exploited in England prior to that time. In 1998, the wines were served by HM The Queen at a gala dinner in Paris. Sadly, in 2002 Charles was murdered in Indonesia while on a walking holiday. His mother retained the vineyard. However, in 2008, the potential was realised by Nicholas Coates and Charles Sealey who restored and extended it to 28 acres. It now specialises in sparkling wine made by "le Méthode Britannique". The awards in 2017 are a tribute to their knowledge, skill and dedication and to the site that they inherited. The latest wine is also a fitting memorial to Charles' pioneering work. Hopefully it will be the first of many such awards for wines from a wonderful site. All images except that of Charles Cunningham courtesty of Coates and Sealey

Charles Cunningham founder of the vineyard

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