28th July 2005

English Sparkling Wine Best in the World

Against competition from every wine making country on the Globe, a wine made in England has been awarded the World Wide Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine! This unbelievable success comes from English sparkling wine specialists RidgeView in the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2005. The wine awarded was RidgeView Merret Bloomsbury 2002; the House’s signature wine with a traditional blend of Champagne varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The Competition is the premier of its kind in the world with the aim to promote the quality and excellence of the world's best wines; boasting the most highly qualified group of international judges. Entries were sent in from over 55 Countries around the world.

The Competition has the support of many of the world's top wine and spirits producers and strives to set the international benchmark for quality. The unique combination of detailed technical analysis, blind tasting and specialist judging panels means that gaining a Competition award is an outstanding achievement. Frances Horder, Competition Director; “We hand pick each judging panel for their expertise in the particular field they will be judging … This attention to detail is the reason our judging process takes 4 months!” Winners of the Product Trophies; including RidgeView were announced at Vinexpo, Bordeaux on last Tuesday.

In just five years RidgeView have now won 44 medals and 12 trophies in International and National Competitions. They achieved English Wine of the Year in 2000 & 2002, and last year took out 2 Silver medals in prestigious French Competitions. The Estate currently produces between 40,000 – 50,000 bottles a year;  specialising in growing only the three classic French grape varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The company is a family enterprise. Mike and Christine Roberts set up RidgeView in 1994. Son Simon shares the winemaking, his Australian born wife Mardi is responsible for Sales and Marketing and daughter Tamara is General Manager. 

RidgeView’s Merret sparkling wines are named after the 16th century Englishman Christopher Merret who recorded making traditional method sparkling wine in London with the Royal Society 30 years before Dom Perignon in Champagne. The company have just been awarded a Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) from DEFRA for nearly £50K to extend their facilities within the winery. The grant will be invested in the winery to enable a planned increase in production from 50,000 bottles to more than 100,000 bottles per annum over the five years. The winery, situated North of Ditchling in Sussex is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 4.30pm for sales and tastings. RidgeView’s wines are also found at Waitrose, Sunday Times Wine Club, The Wine Society and other speciality resellers around the country. 

Electronic photos and more details are available from:

Mardi Roberts:  RidgeView Wine Estate, Fragbarrow Lane, Ditchling Common, Sussex BN6 8TP

Tel: 01444 241441  

Fax: 01444 230757 

ridgeviewestate@aol.com   

www.ridgeview.co.uk