TWO Worcestershire vineyards have won medals at the 2001 Wine of the Year competition.

The contest, organised by the UK Vineyards Association and held at the House of Lords in London, is the benchmark for Britain's wine producers.

Tiltridge Vineyard, in Upton-upon-Severn, was recognised with a bronze medal for its Tiltridge Elgar Dry 1999.

Owners Peter and Sandy Barker, who have been growing grapes commercially since 1991, said it was one of their most popular wines.

"It is a dry, crisp white wine that can be enjoyed while relaxing in the garden after a long hot summer's day," said Mrs Barker, adding the medal was "quite an honour for a small vineyard".

The couple also won Highly Commended awards for their Tiltridge Huxelrebe and Tiltridge Schonburger.

Astley Vineyard, in Stourport-on-Severn, meanwhile, picked up two bronze medals for its Astley Kerner 1999, an off-dry, white wine, and its sparkling white Astley Vintage Brut 1998.

It also received Highly Commended for its Astley Kerner 2000 and Astley Severn Vale 1999.

"For many years, English wine has not been taken very seriously," said Astley Vineyard's owner, Jonty Daniels.

"I hope the recognition it is now receiving will encourage more people to try the many fantastic flavours of English wine."

He said that since the first bottle of Astley wine had left the vineyard in 1984, around 85 per cent of the wine produced had won national and international awards.

"Over the years, Astley wine has been in the company of many thousands of bottles of wine from the great grape-growing countries in the world, from Australia, South Africa and Chile to the traditional wine-producing regions of Europe," said Mr Daniels.

Both vineyards are members of Heart of England Fine Foods, a regional speciality food and drink group, set up in March 1998, to help producers market their produce.

HEFF chief executive Karen Davies said the awards demonstrated the "wonderful variety" of wines in the region.

"The Midlands is one of the regions in the world where we are self-sufficient in most produce, from wonderful wines to fantastic regional foods," said Mrs Davies.

"We are very proud of our members' success and look forward to further recognition on the world stage when the international wine challenge announce their results in September."