Awards

Trophée Gosset Celebris 2005

UNUSUAL UK PRIZE LINE UP IN TOP EUROPEAN CHAMPAGNE AWARD

A privately owned country inn has scooped one of the top trophies of the European champagne industry from under the noses of some of the UK's most respected fine dining establishment. The Bell at Skenfrith, which nestles between the Welsh and English borders in some of the most beautiful and unspoilt Monmouthshire countryside, took the Provincial prize while the City's Fishmarket Restaurant took the Capital prize.

The UK winners were announced today (26 September) at an awards ceremony in London, by Beatrice Cointreau, CEO of Champagne Gosset and instigator of the Trophee Gosset Celebris, which over the last decade has rewarded the best champagne lists in a range of establishments across Europe. The competition was created in 1995, in France by Gosset. the oldest wine house in Champagne: Ay 1584. It has also been very successfully expanded to include a separate trophy for the German, Swiss and Belgian/Dutch/Luxembourg markets.

Just 17 establishment were short-listed for the competition, which has been run in the UK for the past six years. The Bell had already been placed in the top three of the competition for the last two years, and was competing with just nine other top UK establishments in this final section of the competition - establishments such as Winteringham Fields, Chewton Glen in Hampshire, Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and The Gleneagles Hotel, scene of the recent G8 Summit - so competition was indeed fierce.

Second prize in the Provincial class went to The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, near Marlborough, while the third place went to a champagne and oyster bar in rural Kent, built in the 16th Century, with the unusual name WHO'D A THOUGHT IT. The other winners in the Capital category were Michelin starred Chinese restaurant Hakkasan, which took second place and Pearl restaurant and Bar at the Chancery Court Hotel.

"While the judges were encouraged by many of the initiatives promoting champagne being run in the UK, they also felt that there were many small growers which still needed to be discovered by the British consumer," comments Beatrice Cointreau, CEO of Champagne Gosset. "Sadly, there was still evidence in the UK of "shocking, greedy pricing," which we feel does little to encourage the uninitiated to try champagne. However, we are very pleased with the results of this year's competition and the prizes are much deserved."

This year's UK judging panel was chaired by Michel Roux, OBE and comprised some of the top names in UK food and drink writing, including: Christine Austin, Charles Metcalfe, Fiona Sims, Steven Spurrier, Tom Stevenson, Josie Butchart of Harpers Wine & Spirit, and Philippe Boucheron. William Smith - formerly with Putney Bridge Restaurant, current UK holder of the Trophee Celebris augmented the judging team.

The winners each received an invitation for four people to visit Champagne Gosset at Aÿ and a gourmet dinner and overnight accommodation in Champagne. They were also presented with a commemorative trophy and an engraved casket containing a magnum of Gosset Celebris 1995. The winners also become members of the Champagne Gosset Club des Lauréats, which meets annually to share a fine dining experience at a tip European restaurant, courtesy of Beatrice Cointreau.

SHORT-LISTED ESTABLISHMENTS FOR THE PROVINCIAL TROPHEE 2005

Who'd A Thought It, Grafty Green, Nr Maidstone, Kent
Winteringham Fields, Lincolnshire
The Vineyard at Stockross, Newbury, Berks
Strathearn Restaurant {Gleneagles Hotel), Aucherarder, Perthshire
Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Great Milton, Oxon
Tunbridge Wells - Hotel du Vin et Bistro, Kent
The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Marlbourgh, Wilts
Chewton Glen, Great Milton, Hants
The Bell at Skenfrith, Nr Monmouth
Ashdown Park Hotel, Forest Row, East Sussex