Our Trophy Winning Hindleap Rosé

So far, it’s been a year of success for Bluebell, we couldn’t be prouder to announce that our Hindleap Rosé 2016 has been awarded Best Sparkling Rosé at this year’s WineGB Awards. We were the first Vineyard to win this Trophy in 2011 and we are thrilled to bring it home once again.

The WineGB Awards have been a highlight in our calendar for over a decade. It is such an exciting time for the British Wine Industry and it is fantastic to see the number of entries rise every year as Great Britain's home grown products continue to flourish and bloom. To celebrate, we spoke to our Winemaker Kevin Sutherland and his son, Assistant Winemaker Laurence Sutherland to discuss all things WineGB and Hindleap Rosé. 

“We love working with WineGB, they have a lovely team and attending the award ceremony was, as always, a delight. We tasted so many fantastic wines! WineGB retain world quality standards in their judging process and we are so pleased for all of the other trophy winners in other categories” – Kevin Sutherland, Winemaker
"It's great to be a part of the WineGB Awards. It's good to be able to see how other wineries approach creating their wines and seeing different techniques that we may want to use in the future. It also gives us the chance to see what we are doing well with in regards to our own product. In my opinion, it's a fantastic learning experience" - Laurence, Assistant Winemaker.

“We try to preserve the freshness of the wine and minimise the autolytic notes in the Rosé. However, due to a variety of variables, and a relatively small team we inevitably pick up a hint of autolysis which can add another level of depth. My Dad's style has always had a crisper, slightly more vibrant approach to give a more mouth-watering experience” – Laurence
“We focus on enhancing the red fruit flavours and endeavour to obtain a good residual sugar level on the finished wine. We aim to leave your palate salivating and desiring another glass” - Kevin
“Another thing that sets our Rosé apart is that we don’t add Chardonnay. My Dad has always preferred having a 100% Pinot to let these varietals shine” – Laurence
“We don’t want the Chardonnay profile coming through as we wish to retain the Pinot characteristics on the flavour profile” - Kevin

Where/When would you choose to drink Hindleap Rosé?
“Picnics, barbecues and on the beach - in the appropriate portable containers of course! It’s perfect for all summer activities really. I think there’s just something special about drinking a rose-coloured drink in the sun” – Kevin
“Where wouldn’t I choose to drink it? It’s an adaptable wine which most people would drink in the summer but I also think it would be great in the winter with a full meal to cut through the fattier/heavier flavours” – Laurence

“It goes well with any kind of rhubarb desert. It also works great with ginger and particularly a ginger crumble, though too strong of a ginger flavour may become overpowering. You can also have it with canapes, I have tried it with many kinds and it works well” – Kevin

Any closing comments?
“This win is a result of a good effort put forward from all members of the team to produce good quality fruit and wine. It took patience to let the wine develop in bottle resulting in this outstanding wine. It’s a team effort” – Kevin

For more information on our Hindleap Rosé click here.

To see all the fantastic winners of the WineGB Trophies click here.