Boutique English winery near Wellingborough scoops two national wine awards

Fortieth Rule, based near Wellingborough between Wilby and Mears Ashby, recently returned triumphant from the Independent English Wine Awards (IEWA).

They entered two wines and won with both.

The Hemina Pinot Noir Rosé won a silver medal with the judges’ comments including: “Expressive vibrant expression of English rose, with Pinot shining on both nose and palate.”

Their Gaudete Sunday won a bronze, with comments from the judges including: “Fresh, light wine, very appealing, with aromatic nose.”

The awards are an independent and consumer-focused wine competition, all about shining a light on world-class wines and the talent behind them.

As well as awarding medals, the competition is designed to ‘celebrate innovation, bold ideas and the people pushing English wine to new heights.’

Fortieth Rule founder Josh Atkinson told the Northants Telegraph: “This is our second year of commercial production and we are a small family-run company.

"We use the highest quality grapes from Essex and East Anglia and aim to produce market-leading English still wine.

"My parents and my sister are all PhD chemists so we really focus on scientific precision to get the results we want and the awards imply that’s paying off.”

Fortieth Rule is the brainchild of Josh and his sister Eleanor, who were born and raised in Milton Keynes.

Josh had an idea to start a boutique winery which focused on creating quality English still wine.

He knew the first person to call was his sister, Eleanor, since she had a PHD in chemistry and he thought she could do the scientific elements of wine-making in her sleep.

Josh bought a home in Northamptonshire and the family established the winery there, first making two English chardonnay wines for his wedding before going commercial.

And for anyone wondering where the name Fortieth Rule comes from, it goes back to when Josh studied Theology at St Bennet’s, a private hall at the University of Oxford run by Benedictine monks.

The students would gather each evening for dinner and read from the Rule of St Benedict.

They were never allowed to read one particular chapter - the fortieth - since it outlines how much wine monks were allowed to drink.

The students found themselves unable to take this one too seriously and it become a firm favourite.

While the name evokes fond memories for Josh and his university friends, it is also a tribute to the rich history and importance of sharing wine.

And Josh added: “We even had a monk come and bless the winery at the launch of our Rose.”

For more information about Fortieth Rule and its wines, visit their website.