Dunleavy Vineyards are celebrating success with their first win at international level. Their 2013 Pinot noir rosé, which won Best Local Wine at the Bristol Good Food Awards earlier in 2014, has just won Bronze in the coveted International Wine Challenge. With over 13,000 entries from across the globe, the IWC as it’s known is the world’s largest and probably most influential wine competition.
Dunleavy’s Pinot Noir Rosé wine was described by judges as “fresh with aromas of rosehip and red fruits. Bright and lively flavours with crisp acidity.”
Ingrid Bates, who owns and runs Dunleavy said they are ‘delighted’ with the win. “It makes the years of hard work leading up to this feel worthwhile. We thought this wine was great but it’s nice to have it confirmed by the judges. After the lovely summer this year, I can’t wait to see what our 2014 release gets!”
Despite being a relatively small producer, Dunleavy has been gathering in popularity over the last two years. The wine was initially only sold in Grape & Grind on Gloucester Road in Bristol and The Wine Shop in North Somerset but is now also available online at dunleavyvineyards.co.uk and from a number of restaurants and bars in Bristol including The Primrose Café, Thornbury Castle Hotel, Bordeaux Quay, The Library Bar and Café Kino.
Owner Ingrid moved to Bristol in 2001 to start her first job as a researcher at the BBC Natural History Unit. After a few years here she decided on a complete career change, started working in horticulture and began looking after the small vineyard at Thornbury Castle just north of Bristol. Several years later she planted her own vineyard in the Chew Valley, growing mainly Pinot Noir vines. She is one of the youngest vineyard owners in the country.
Dunleavy will produce around 5,000 bottles a year when at full capacity and hope to produce a sparkling wine in a few years time.