Halstead Tuffon Hall rosé better than Provençal wine

Tuffon Hall's 2022 Beatrice pinot noir rosé was awarded a gold medal at the WineGB awards - a national wine-tasting competition whose judges included TV celebrity wine critic Oz Clarke.

He described it as "deliciously easy drinking and knocks the socks off any Provence stuff".

It follows a win at the regional WineGB event for East Anglian growers.

The wine was also awarded the Waitrose Trophy for the Best Still Rosé at a ceremony at Draper's Hall, London.

Angus Crowther, of Tuffon Hall, Sible Hedingham, near Halstead, farms around 1,000 acres.

He and wife Pod began their wine diversification in 2014 and have since scooped multiple awards for them.

The wines bear the names of their daughters - Amelie, Beatrice and Charlotte.

"This is the culmination of well over a decades hard work and for Oz Clarke and various other Masters of Wines to recognise our English Pinot noir as being the best in the whole country is amazing and rather humbling," said Angus. 

"And for Oz Clarke to be so enthusiastic about our wine and saying how it knocks the socks off any Provence rosé really is very humbling.

"English food 20 years ago wasn’t considered much good but is now among the finest in the world.

"Now our wines have caught up and increasingly our wines are being asked for alongside our food. And Essex really is the best place in the country to grow grapes for still wines. We are very excited about the future.

The wine is described as tasting of  honeydew, peach and green apple with a zesty, fresh finish.

Fellow judge and Master of Wine Susie Barrie said it was "just perfect to enjoy and drink with friends".

The Crowthers also took gold for their 2022 Bacchus wine at the Independent English Wine Awards (IEWA) this year.