AN OXFORDSHIRE vineyard taken on “by accident” by its owners a decade ago has been listed among the world’s best.

Almost 11,000 wines from 41 countries were entered for the influential Decanter World Wine Awards, but two of Brightwell Vineyard’s white wines still caught the judges’ attention.

Crispin Dry 2008 won a bronze medal, while Bacchus 2008 was commended.

Also, Bacchus and Oxford Flint both received bronze awards in the International Wine and Spirit competition.

Even the Queen has signalled royal approval: Buckingham Palace has ordered four cases of wine for its celebrated wine cellar.

The results are further success for owners Bob and Carol Nielsen, who only decided to harvest the 14-acre vineyard on the banks of the River Thames near Shillingford because it came with the house they bought ten years ago. The couple, who had no experience of winemaking, saw their hobby turn into a second career as they set about restoring the overgrown vineyard to commercial production.

First planted 20 years ago, the vineyard had been left untouched for several years, with weeds and 12-ft saplings growing between the rows of vines.

Mrs Nielsen, 53, said: “The kids were moving on and I did not have a proper job, so we decided to give it a go.

“I knew about plants, although certainly not vines in particular, and this is just 6,000 of them rather than one or two.”

Mr Nielsen, 52, an RAF squadron leader, said it was five years before the vineyard returned to proper production.

He said: “It was a lot more work and a much tougher job than we expected. Like any agriculture, once it gets away, it takes a long time to get back again.”

He added: “It is very physical work. You have to be fit, and it keeps you fit.

“People have romantic visions of sitting on the patio sipping wine, but ultimately this is farming.”

The couple hope that 2010 is going to be a vintage year.

The hot dry summer has provided ideal growing conditions for the grapes, which will be harvested by a small army of volunteers in October.

Brightwell wine is on sale in 24 branches of Waitrose in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, as well as farm shops and specialist delicatessens.

Decanter’s tasting director, Christelle Guibert, said: “This is a fantastic result for UK wines, and further proof that home-produced bottles can compete at an international level.”