Sir Cliff Richard has picked up five awards for his wines in a Portuguese wine competition judged by Michelin-starred sommeliers and international wine critics, veteran singer–cum–wine producer.

At the annual Concurso O Melhor Vinho Do Algarve 2011 awards in Faro, his wines won the Best Red from the Region for his 2009 Onda Nova Alicante Bouschet, and gold medals for his Onda Nova Verdelho 2010 and Vida Nova Rosé 2010.

The world-renowned performer, who owns a vineyard in Portugal’s Algarve region called Adega do Cantor (which translates as Cellar of the Singer), produces a number of different wines under his Vida Nova brand. Hopefully this wine will help repair some of the damage caused by Sir Cliff himself back in 2006, in a somewhat unfair comparative tasting, when he was tricked into describing his own wine on chef Gordon Ramsay’s TV programme.

During recording, Mr Ramsay gave Sir Cliff two wines to taste blindfold. The first he described as “amazing”, to which Mr Ramsay said: “Of course, it’s a £400 bottle.” Of the second wine, his own Vida Nova, Sir Cliff said: “That’s rubbish. I wouldn’t pay for that, it’s tainted, it’s insipid. It tastes like vinaigrette. I’d never buy that.” A triumphant Mr Ramsay revealed that the singer had just rubbished his own wine!