Rutland distillery and vineyard Mallard Point wins medals in the International Wine and Spirit Awards

A fledgling vineyard and distillery business which is set to launch its first wines has won international acclaim.

Essendine-based Mallard Point, run by husband and wife Andy and Fi Beamish, won two medals for its gins at the International Wine and Spirit Awards.

And then yesterday (Wednesday) they found out they had won two more at the international London Spirits Competition.

It is a tremendous boost for the business which is putting the finishing touches to its first season of wines.

Their Mallard Point London Dry gin won silver medals in both awards, while the limited edition pinot noir gin earned a bronze at each.

For Fi, who runs the distillery side of the business, it was an instant reward.

“Fi is self-taught and to win these medals is a real confidence boost for her,” said Andy.

“For known international judges to pick us out is great verification and a big pat on the back.”

The couple, who are both from a farming background, have run an events business for 23 years, but dreams of creating a vineyard estate were stoked by post-university travels to Australia.

“We have always had a passion for wanting to create something that we have grown and made all the way through," Andy said.

“Here we have the ability to see it all the way through from the grape to the bottle.”

After buying Church Farm in 2012, plans gradually came together and after plenty of literal groundwork, the first vines were planted in 2019, totalling almost 8,000 over five acres.

The first wine from those vines is set to be sold from May - a still Chardonnay, a pink rose, and a pink semi-sparkling wine.

Tours and tastings are also planned from the end of April, while Fi is due to release a new pink gin this summer.

More vines were planted last year, with more due this month which would take the estate to 10 acres and 16,000 vines.

“You’re not wanting your vine to produced grapes in the first two years because you need the vine to concentrate on their roots to get them taller and established," Andy explained.

“It takes three to four years to get a first crop and we got a small crop in year three and last year was our first proper vintage.

"It's really exciting to realise our first wines."

Another priority for the couple is running an environmentally sustainable business.

“Being sustainable is part and parcel of who we are - we want to be good guests on the earth," said Andy.

“Everything we are trying to do from half-a-lifetime’s work is to make our impact as minimal as it can be.”

One way they are doing that is through choosing re-usable bottles for all of their gin and wine.

Customers are offered a discount for returning the bottles, via freepost, to Church Farm.

“As far as we can see we are the first people in the world to bottle both wines and spirits of our own in aluminium bottles," Andy added.

“By being aluminium it is re-usable rather than recyclable.

“We are of an age where we can remember returning milk bottles and pop bottles so it;s about bringing that idea back.”