An award-winning Huntingdonshire winery is expecting another successful vintage, mid-way through its autumn harvest.
Williams Family Wines, based in Buckden, said this year’s harvest is yielding grapes of outstanding quality and expects the 2024 vintage to match the success of its first vintage, which bagged multiple awards.
The 2023 range included a rosé wine that was the most highly rated English still rosé at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), and ranked in the top 15 in the world.
Nick Williams, who runs the family business with wife Julia, said: “For a family business that runs a small vineyard and small-batch winery in Cambridgeshire, we couldn’t have imagined that our wines would receive such great feedback so quickly so it’s reassuring to know that our attention to quality is already proving worthwhile.
READ MORE: Cambs NHS offers half term tips as national norovirus cases almost double usual rate
"The success surpassed our wildest dreams, especially when we realised that this also placed our Rosé wine in the top 15 in the world, and we could never have imagined such recognition when we first established our exciting new business."
However, the success has brought about challenges, including high demand for limited quantities of wine.
Mr Williams said: "We’re already noticing interest in the Williams Family Wines 2024 vintage.
"We are in the midst of harvesting grapes and will be giving the wine-making process our characteristic attention, with every detail closely monitored from grape to glass to produce the best quality wines possible.”
READ MORE: Cambridgeshire firefighters practice skills in Huntingdon
Despite challenges posed by the summer's wet and warm weather, and an early frost, Mr Williams is encouraged by the quality of the harvested grapes.
The winery currently produces four wines - Solaris, Bacchus, Rosé, and Sweet Rebel.
A red Pinot Noir is in the pipeline, and a sparkling wine is in the early stages of production.
The 2024 vintage is expected to be available from spring 2025.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here