2009 promises to be possibly one of the best vintages at Welcombe Hills yet – not in terms of quantity (in comparison with 2006) - but certainly in terms of quality.
At the United Kingdom Vineyards Association Competition in June, the Welcombe Hills Rosé 2008 and Welcombe Hills Pinot Noir Precoce 2007 were both highly commended.
This August, all five Welcombe Hills wines entered in the Mercian Vineyards Association regional competition won medals: the Pinot Noir 2007 and the Rose 2008 were both awarded Silver, and the Pinot Noir Precoce 2007, Bacchus 2008 and Hollow Meadow 2008 all won a Bronze.
2008
At the United Kingdom Vineyards Association Competition in June, the Welcombe Hills Bacchus 2006 won a Silver Medal and our Rosé a Bronze.
The Welcombe Hills Pinot Noir 2005 and Welcombe Hills Pinot Noir 2006 Special Reserve were both highly commended.
2007
At the Mercian Vineyards Association regional competition in August 2007, Bronze Medals were awarded to all four of the 2007 Welcombe Hills wines we entered for the tasting. These were the Bacchus 2006 and the Pinot Noir 2005, as well as this year's exciting additions to our range: a Rosé, which has sold especially well despite the lack of sunny summer afternoons with which it would be ideally matched, and last but not least, the Pinot Noir (Precoce) which was released only on August 1 st , as it became a legal varietal qualifying for Regional Wine Status on that date. These awards consolidate the season's successes at the United KingdomVineyards Association Competition in June, when the Pinot Noir (Precoce) and the Rosé were both Highly Commended.
In 2006 with only its second vintage, Welcombe Hills Vineyard won two bronze medals in the UKVA National Competition. The medals were awarded for the Welcombe Hills Pinot Noir 2004 and the Welcombe Hills Bacchus 2005.
This builds on the success of the previous year, when the Welcombe Hills Pinot Noir 2003 won both a Highly Commended certificate at the UKVA National Competition (see below) and a silver medal at the Mercian Vineyards Association regional competition. Not only that, it was awarded the trophy for Best Red Wine by the judges.