The annual regional competition for wines from theEast will be held at Giffords Hall Vineyard on Friday 19thAugust 2022. The last couple of years have seen a massive increase in planted acres in our region which is reflected in the increasing number of wines that are being entered into the competition. Vineyards from across the region Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Essex and even London will enter the awards to find out who produces the judges favourite wine. The competition is fiercely contested for the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals as well as the overall trophy for best wine in East Anglia. The chairman of the Judges, Tanja Wright MW, will lead the panel of judges who will make this difficult decision. East Anglia’s finest wine producers are hoping that their hard work over the last twelve months will be reflected in the marks given by the judges.
The judging will take place behind closed doors, with the wines being tasted blind and in style order, by a distinguished panel who bring with them a wealth of experience from trade buying to wine writing and lecturing.
The panel is chaired by Tanja Wright MW. BBCs Saturday Breakfast’s food & wine personality Andy Clarke has also agreed to join the panel. Tanja commented: “I’m looking forward to an interesting
day of judging and I am hoping to uncover some real gems’’. Andy added, “ “I am overjoyed to be judging for the Wine GB East competition this year. I am a big fan of wines from the region and I relish having the chance to explore them more. East Anglia is one of the country’s most progressive wine regions, and I can’t wait to celebrate the best of the area.”.
There is great diversity in the wines produced in this region, which is one of the driest in the UK, and has produced some of the best sparkling but also, increasingly, some of the best still wines in the country. This is particularly true of the Bacchus from East Anglia, which is beginning to build a following with those people who have tried it.
Tanya will announce the medal winners and Jointly present the trophies at approx 14:00 the final announcement being the winner of 2022 WineGB East Wine of the Year.
Once the judging is complete and awards have been presented, there will be a rare opportunity for members of the public to taste from the lineup of wines entered into the competition and judge for themselves which is the best.
The public ‘open table’ tastings will take place at Giffords Hall Vineyard from 17:00 – 19:00. There will be a £10 charge and tickets may also be booked at Eventbrite or on the door. It’s a wonderful opportunity for members of the public to meet the producers from across East Anglia who will be on hand to pour the wines and to talk to guests about some of the flavours and complexity of wines from East Anglia as well as providing an insight into English viticulture
