In May 2009 Oz Clarke spent a day at Ickworth as he was writing an article about the only vineyard on National Trust land. It apeared in the Autumn edition of the National Trust magazine. You can read it at www. NT……
English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition
In 2007 Masters of Wine voted Ickworth Walled Garden White 2005* the top
wine in one of the competition’s categories. It won a gold medal &
went on to take the President’s Trophy for the best small production
wine (less than 1500 litres). Winemaker was Owen Elias of Chapel Down Winery
in Kent.
Previously our best result in the competition had been a silver medal for Ickworth Suffolk Pink, the vineyard’s traditional method sparkling wine, in 2006. The only sparkling wine to receive a gold medal that year was Nyetimber. Winemaker was Mary Mudd of Carter’s Vineyard near Colchester.
Owing to 2007 & 2008 being very wet, yields were very low, so we have
not had enough wine to enter the competition since 2007. The 2009 harvest
was exceptional, and when the wines come on stream we shall put them in
the competition to see how they do.