Corking success

By JENNY LITTLE
Updated:

 

RICK Stein loves them. Wine critics rave about them. And one has such a cult following that it sells out before it is even bottled. Bob Lindo's wines have been winning awards almost since he first planted vines in 1989.

But the former RAF pilot says that being named drinks producer of the year in the Waitrose Small Producers Awards two years ago is what gave his wines a badge of credibility.

Local producers looking for a similar boost will have to move fast - the deadline for entries in this year's awards is less than a fortnight away.

Waitrose has a tradition of selling local produce and began offering awards three years ago to celebrate the best of British food and drink. This year, Financial Mail is offering a business award of £5,000 to the producer demonstrating the soundest business methods and plans for growth.

Bob had been a squadron leader in the RAF, but a mid-air collision, during which he was ejected from his plane, left him with a broken spine. Bob decided to move permanently to his farm in Cornwall and set up Camel Valley Vineyard after taking a gamble and planting 8,000 vines.

'Our first harvest won us a bronze wine medal,' he says. 'Now we produce white, red and sparkling wines and our champagne equivalent, Cornwall, is enormously popular.'

Rick Stein stocks Camel Valley in his Padstow seafood restaurant. And one of Bob's wines, Seyvel Blanc, has such a following that it is bought up by enthusiasts, wine merchants and a casino in Las Vegas even before it is bottled.

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Bob, pictured right, says that winning the Waitrose award has made a big difference. 'When we scooped the prize, people began to sit up and take notice,' he says. Any producer can enter the awards, as long as they have no more than ten permanent full-time or part-time staff and have a turnover of less than £1.5m a year. There are six categories - bakery, dairy, drinks, fresh produce, fruit and vegetables, and grocery.

Angela Megson, head of buying for Waitrose, says: 'The standard of entries is always high. Decisions are difficult.'

Each category has £5,000 prize, but there are also chances of winning the Financial Mail award, a BBC Good Food Local Shop award and a Best Newcomer trophy as well as the top prize of Supreme Champion.

All are worth a further £5,000 on top of category awards. Bob used his prize money to good effect. 'We used our cheque to pay for an expensive piece of equipment that simplified our champagne-making process,' he says.

Graham Cassie travels the country, sourcing local produce for Waitrose. 'For us, the awards are an extension of our desire to get closer to our suppliers,' he says. 'The producers we're looking at never compromise on taste. They deliver an excellent product - and that is increasingly what customers want.'

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