Artelium clinched the Newcomer of the Year award, and then went on to win trophies for the best Blanc de Blancs and the Top Sparkling Wine of 2022. It was finally crowned Supreme Champion at the WineGB Awards for its Blanc de Blancs 2015.
Mark Collins and Julie Bretland, a husband-and-wife team, launched Artelium after quitting their jobs to follow their passion for wine.
They started out by purchasing grapes from growers, but they now have 85,000 vines spread across an 18ha estate in Sussex.
Artelium’s vineyards are in Streat, nestled between Ditchling and Plumpton, and in Madehurst, near Arundel.
The couple only released their first wines last year, and they are now celebrating a superb trophy haul.
Co-Chair Susie Barrie MW said: ‘It’s been another thrilling year in the WineGB Awards. A highlight for me this year was seeing up and coming wineries winning the top gongs alongside more established producers.’
Kent producers Gusbourne and Balfour shared the trophy for Best Pinot Noir. Gusbourne also took home the trophies for Best Chardonnay and Best Still Wine.
Chapel Down received the Best Bacchus trophy for the third year in a row thanks to the quality of its Kit’s Coty Bacchus 2019.
Harrow & Hope, located in the Thames Valley, claimed the trophy for Best Classic Cuvée NV for its Brut Reserve No. 6 NV.
Hampshire producer The Grange was named Best Boutique Producer. Exton Park won the Best Prestige Cuvée trophy for its Cuvée M Isaac Blanc de Blanc 2011.
The Best Blanc de Noirs was awarded to Wiston Estate for its 2014 vintage. Fellow Sussex producer Digby claimed the Best Classic Cuvée Vintage award for its 2013 Vintage Reserve Brut.
Sussex claimed yet another victory when Ashling Park Estate won the Best Sparkling Rosé trophy.
The Best Innovative Still Trophy went to Three Choirs Vineyard in Gloucestershire for its Three Choirs Siegerrebe Amber Wine 2021.
The producer with the highest average score in each region was also honoured:
East Anglia – Cobble Hill
Midlands & North – Dunesforde
South East – Artelium
Thames & Chilterns – Harrow & Hope
Wales – White Castle
Wessex – Exton Park
Oz Clarke OBE, co-chair, said: ‘Judging the WineGB Awards is one of the highlights of my year, not only for the sheer pleasure of it, but because I can come away with a real sense of where we are as a wine nation, what we’ve achieved and how thrilling the prospects for the future are.’
