WINEMAKERS near Winchester are celebrating after winning an international award for one of its sparkling wines.

Hattingley Valley was presented with the World Champion Vintage Rosé in the inaugural Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships 2014 with its 2011 English sparkling rosé.

The merchants were also presented a silver medal for their 2011 classic cuvée.

Hattingley Valley founder Simon Robinson said: “To win this title against stiff competition from Champagne and around the world is a great credit to the team who have taken this winery from a standing start to first release with six years of incredibly hard work. We are excited and humbled to win this, and it gives us enormous encouragement and enthusiasm for the future.”

Emma Rice, winemaker said: “This caps an extraordinary year for us. We are all delighted to win such recognition, not just for the rosé but also the silver for the Classic Cuvee too. We are a young winery with a tight knit young team. To be World Champion Vintage Rosé is a huge honour for us. We’ll be working doubly hard to make sure we build on this.”

In its first year of the competition the wines were judged by three of the world’s foremost Champagne and sparkling wine experts Tom Stevenson, Essi Avellan MW and Dr Tony Jordan.