Chapel Down, the Tenterden winemaker, is celebrating after winning four gold medals - and clinching a finalist place in Kent’s premier business awards.
It won gold for Bacchus Reserve 2011 at the French Sommeliers Awards, and more gold for Blanc de Blancs 2007, Brut Rose and Chardonnay Reserve 2010 in the International Wine Challenge.
The vineyard also won a trophy for Best Sparkling Wine over £15 for its Blanc de Blancs.
Chapel Down has been shortlisted in the Kent Excellence in Business Awards (KEiBA) for Best Land-Based Business. It will find out if it has landed the top prize at a glittering gala at Kent Showground on June 27.
In another pat on the back, it was ranked in the top 10% of all venues rated by Trip Advisor and received an Award of Excellence for the achievement.
Meanwhile, Chapel Down has defied recent bad weather. Managing director Frazer Thompson said: “The unusually cold and wet spring has been a frustrating period for the vineyard team as many of the usual tasks have had to take a back-seat whilst mother nature tries her best to show us what she can do with the vines.
“However, the ground has now dried out and we are back out into the vineyard post pruning to give it a much needed mow and a tidy up and just double check the bud burst. This is a very
exciting time for the vineyard team as it signals a real transformation in how the vineyard looks and needs close management. It’s been an unusually late start, which will add to the pressure at harvest time, but we’ve got a great, multi-award winning team to manage it.”
Meanwhile, the vineyard has reported profits up 90% on total sales up 29%.