£65-a-bottle sparkling English wine made from grapes grown on the chalk downlands of North Hampshire has been crowned the best tasting in the UK after beating nearly 300 English and Welsh rivals in the first national awards scheme of its kind.

Coates & Seely’s La Perfide Blanc de Blancs 2009 – served in the UK’s royal palaces and in Paris’s famous George V hotel – won the supreme champion award in the inaugural UK Wine Awards on Wednesday. The wine was hailed by judges as “fabulously elegant and refined with … seductive toasted brioche and honey notes”.

The awards were created by the UK wine industry, in association with hotel chain Hotel du Vin, Country Life and Waitrose to celebrate the quality and diversity of British wine. The announcement of the winners was made to coincide with English Wine Week.

The industry is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the UK. Over the past 10 years, the number of acres planted with grapevines in England and Wales has grown by 135%, according to the English Wine Producers trade body, and English wines are exported to 27 markets overseas.

The inaugural gongs attracted 293 entries, with 20 gold, 36 silver and 127 bronze medals awarded to winning wines. The judges were a panel of 12 experts led by broadcaster and writer Susie Barrie.

Hampshire-based Coates & Seely took home four of the eight trophies, including the top award. The company was founded in 2009 by Nicholas Coates and Christian Seely and produces an average of 65,000 bottles each year in its winery. It currently exports about 25% of its wines.

Earlier this month Norfolk’s Winbirri Vineyards was named the surprise winner of the world’s best value, single variety still white wine in the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards.

A record number of English wine companies were launched last year, new figures revealed earlier this week. Sixty-four new wine businesses put down roots in England and Wales during 2016, up 73% on the previous year, according to HM Revenue and Customs.

Read more at Source: The Guardian