Kingsthorne’s wines have been recognised in five regional, national and international competitions. The medal collection includes two golds, and coveted trophies for Best Still White Wine and Best English Sparkling Seyval Blanc.
Vineyard owner, Peter Cooke and his team at Kingsthorne are delighted to welcome a host of medals awarded for their first release of wines, which hit the market nine months ago. The collection features two gold, eight silver and seventeen bronze medals, one regional, two national and two international competitions.
The small team at Kingsthorne, located in the idyllic village of Flaxley, Forest of Dean were overwhelmed to see additional trophy recognition of their 2017 Seyval Blanc, and 2023 Chardonnay wines. The first release has been consistently commended by a wide variety of judges:
- Seyval Blanc 2017: Gold and Trophy at the International Wine Challenge; Silver at the Wine GB West and Wine GB Awards, and Bronze at the Independent English Wine Awards and International Wine Challenge.
- Sparkling Rosé 2019: Bronze at the Wine GB Awards; International Wine Challenge and Decanter World Wine Awards.
- Sparkling Rosé 2020: Silver at the Wine GB Awards, and Bronze at the Wine GB West and Independent English Wine Awards.
- Chardonnay 2023: Silver and Trophy at the Wine GB West Awards; Silver at the Wine GB Awards, and Bronze at the International Wine Challenge; Decanter World Wine, and Independent English Wine Awards.
- Solaris 2023: Bronze at the Wine GB West; Wine GB and Independent English Wine Awards.
- Rosé 2023: Gold at the Independent English Wine Awards; Silver at the Wine GB West and Decanter World Wine Awards, and Bronze at the Wine GB Awards and International Wine Challenge.
- Pinot Noir Early 2021: Silver at the Wine GB Awards, and Bronze at the Wine GB West; Decanter World Wine and Independent English Wine Awards.
The medal news came during the peak of the UK’s 2025 heatwave. Whilst the surrounding Gloucestershire countryside was becoming increasingly parched, and local farmers were sadly facing many associated challenges, the vineyard thrived.
Viticulturalist and winemaker, Simon Day explained that ‘the deep roots of grape vines ensure that during challenging conditions, vines can access moisture in the ground which is inaccessible to many other plants’ As a result, 2025 promises a bumper yield for Kingsthorne, with a 50-60% increase on last year’s harvest.