Renishaw Hall hosts Mercian Vineyards awards

Vineyards from across the region are coming together for the Mercian Vineyards Association’s annual awards to be held at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire this weekend, the location of a historic vineyard which marked its 40th anniversary this year.
A vineyard was planted by the late Sir Reresby Sitwell in 1972, in the upper pasture on the Renishaw Hall estate. At the time, Sir Reresby was considered eccentric to be growing grapes so far ‘north’ of the UK and yet grapes have been produced ever since. Today, the vines are still thriving under current vineyard manager Kieron Atkinson (pictured), who makes a still and sparkling wine from Madeleine Angevine and seyval blanc grapes.
Atkinson, who recently picked up a national UKVA award for his 2011 still white wine, hopes to have similar success at this weekend’s awards: “I am hopeful the 2011 Madeleine Angevine wine performs well at this weekend’s judging, but I will not bank on it until we get the result,” he says.
Atkinson, who took over the vineyard management at Renishaw Hall last June, adds: “It’s great to be hosting the Mercian Vineyard Association at Renishaw and it’s a good opportunity for vineyards in the area to come together, share experiences as well as listen to the judging panel of experts and hopefully pick up some awards for all of our hard work.”
Six wine experts will be judging a selection of English wines from the region – which encompasses many counties – on Saturday at Renishaw Hall before making their announcement at a lunch and networking event on Sunday.