Chapel Down's double gold at International Wine & Spirits Competition
The awards were given to wines from the Chapel Down’s single vineyard estate Kit’s Coty in north Kent. Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2013 took home a Gold Outstanding award, while for Kit’s Coty Blanc de Blanc 2013 won gold in the Bottle Fermented Sparkling categories.
Kit’s Coty Bacchus 2016 won silver in the Bacchus category and Kit’s Coty Chardonnay 2015 achieved a silver in the Chardonnay group, capping a fine set of results for the English winemaker.
Unique micro-climate
The Kit’s Coty vineyard is located on the North Downs of Kent where the gently sloping lime-rich chalk soils and unique micro-climate enable it to produce wines of “exceptional quality”.
Speaking about the win, Chapel Down managing director Mark Harvey said: “These are exciting results! Our mission is to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in this country and – under the leadership of our exceptional head winemaker Josh Donaghy-Spire – we are consistently doing that.
“Our vineyards are capable of global excellence and we are thrilled to share these wines with the world.”
Donaghy-Spire added: “Kit’s Coty is the jewel in our crown and we’re thrilled the excellence of these wines has been recognised in this way. Its unique climate and terroir allow me to push English wine and sparkling wine to ever greater heights.”
Royal connection
The IWSC is one of the most prestigious awards, promoting quality and excellence in the drinks industry. The results were announced at London Wine Fair last week.
Meanwhile, last week, the WSTA predicted that it was ‘inconceivable’ that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would not mark their wedding with an English sparkling wine.
The organisation sent the couple a hamper of English made varieties at the end of last year to help them make their choice.