Exton Park English Sparkling Flies the Flag in Hong Kong

Exton Park Vineyard, the innovative English sparkling wine producer based on the prized chalk slopes of Hampshire’s South Downs, has once again scored a ‘first’ – as the only English producer to win awards in one of the most prestigious Far East competitions.

Announced last week at the glittering Awards Dinner for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition, the two Exton Park wines entered – Blanc de Noirs and Pinot Meunier Rosé – have both been awarded Silver medals.

Not one, not two – but a three medal tally, as Exton Park’s Blanc de Noirs NV also won Bronze in the Food Pairing class, as the ideal match to smoked pigeon with oolong tea leaves.

‘It is a tremendous honour for us to be representing England like this’ commented the vineyard’s Head Winemaker Corinne Seely, whose philosophy on the expression of the English terroir has seen the wines win a total of seventeen Silver and three Gold medals, together with a Trophy, since Exton Park was launched eighteen months ago. ‘Now to have the commendation of so many key wine experts in the Far East is very important. Exton Park is a premium, niche brand – just right for the region’.

Seely has been making wines at Exton Park since 2011, and, working with the team in the vineyard, has built up an impressive ‘library’ of reserve wines from different plots and from each harvest. This enables her to make blends of consistently – and proven – high quality, year after year, whatever the weather conditions.

Her rich, rounded Blanc de Noirs, specially created as an easy-drinking, easy-celebrating sparkling wine for the English palate, is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes – the majority from the more mature plots and of differing years. And all grown on this single-estate property.

Meanwhile, the 100% Pinot Meunier Rose –the first of its kind in England – is a fresh and stylish expression of the unique Exton Park terroir, and bottled in green glass to preserve the colour and quality of the sensitive Meunier grape. That’s quite a rare achievement.

Both wines are worthy winners – right across the world.