The results are in for the 26th Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

The 26th edition of the Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles recently concluded in Renhuai, China. “The major producer countries – France, Italy, Brazil, Mexico and China – confirmed their ranking, but smaller nations such as Japan, Scotland and Bolivia made a name for themselves with remarkable medal rates.”

From September 3-5, industry experts gathered to evaluate a record 2,754 entries from 62 countries. The competition remains a crucial indicator of trending innovations in the spirits world.

Highlights from This Year’s Event:

Scotland claimed a major victory with 57% of its participants winning medals, nearly doubling last year’s count. The judges were bowled over by SPEY Trilogia by Speyside Distillers Co Ltd, with its smoky red fruit notes, awarding it the Scotch Whisky Revelation.

Taiwan made history with its OMAR Single Malt Whisky Cask Strength securing the World Whisky Revelation, captivating judges with its fruity, honey-laced, and chocolate-driven flavors.

As the host country, China dominated the competition, particularly in the Baijiu category, winning 5 Revelation awards, a testament to its expanding influence in the world’s spirits market.

The United Kingdom impressed with 8 medals, including 5 Gold for entries across whisky and gin categories.

Japan had a remarkable year, with over 60% of its entries medaled, including the Honkaku Shochu Revelation awarded to Shouro Shuzou.

For a full list of this year’s winners: https://spiritsselection.com/en/

Sources: Vinopres and Spirits Selection by CMB

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – Guanajuato, Mexico – Key Highlights

I was trilled to participate in the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Guanajuato, Mexico, just two months ago!

Some key points:
The wines were blind-tasted by wine trade, including buyers, journalists, wine merchants, and oenologists, who were selected by the CMB, representing 45 nationalities.
We tasted over 7,500 red and white wines from 42 countries.

🥇🥈 Full results can be found here: concoursmondial.com

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Announces Results of its 2024 Red and White Session

The 31st edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wrapped up last week in Guanajuato. The results are officially announced, with the host country, Mexico, breaking into the top 5 in terms of the number of medals won. China is also making a strong showing with significant progress, and South Africa continues its upward trend.

Uruguay and Romania have taken the two major international revelations with a red wine and a white wine, respectively. The winners include wines from all five continents, encompassing both historical wine-producing countries and some more surprising origins like Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, and Peru.

Here are the Revelations:

From June 7 to 9, the world’s largest traveling wine competition brought together experts from across the international wine sector in Guanajuato, Mexico, to taste nearly 7,500 red and white wines from 42 countries. All wines were blind tasted by a panel of wine experts (buyers, journalists, wine merchants, oenologists, etc.) carefully selected by the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, representing 45 nationalities. Of all the wines presented, only 30% will take home a medal.

“It is a real satisfaction to have gathered so many wines for this new edition despite a challenging global context. It proves that producers still want to place their trust in us, and we are honored by it!” said Thomas Costenoble, director of the CMB.

International Revelations
The highest-scoring white wine of this year’s competition is the Issa Chardonnay Barrique 2022 – a Romanian white wine produced in Transylvania by Crama La Salina. The highest-rated red wine comes from Uruguay – the Balasto 2017 produced by Everest Wines and Spirits.

The “No Low” Revelations
One of the new features of this 2024 edition was the creation of the Revelations for the best no-low wines (completely or partially de-alcoholized wines, de-alcoholized wine-based beverages, and others). The winners are Divin – Sauvignon Blanc 0.0% 2023 from Divin No-Low in Loire (France) and the Portuguese “Lower alcohol” wine Lagosta from Enopnort Wines.

Organic and wooded Revelations
The Sylvain Trophy, awarded each year to the highest-scoring wooded wine, goes in 2024 to an Italian wine, Starderi 2020 from Collina Serragrilli. The highest-rated organic wine is from Spain for the second consecutive year: this time, it is a wine from Navarra, Arínzano Merlot Agricultura Biológica 2019 produced by Arinzano.

Bordeaux in the lead
Among the major French wine-producing regions, Bordeaux is the most represented and rewarded region in the competition with 189 medal-winning wines. Gironde also takes home the French Red Wine Revelation with Château Terres Blanches Cuvée Carpe Diem 2022. Another Grand Gold Medal goes to a Bordeaux wine, Château Le Bonalguet Cosecha 2023 from Bonalgue Saint-Germain.

China and Mexico stand out, South Africa progresses
These three nations continue to demonstrate their dynamism in the numbers. Of the 663 wines presented by Mexican producers, 152 won medals (including 9 Grand Gold Medals), a record. South African wines continue to improve in quality with a significant increase in the number of Grand Gold Medals (6) and Gold Medals (35). As for China, no less than 40% of the wines presented won a medal, including 6 Grand Gold Medals and 83 Gold Medals!

This sets the stage for the next Red & White Wines Session of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which will take place in June 2025 in Ningxia, China. It will be the second time the Concours is held in China, following the 2018 edition.

The results can be found here: https://results.concoursmondial.com/en/results/2024

Source: www.concoursmondial.com/

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Launches “South Africa Selection by CMB” 17 to 20 September in Cape Town

One of the world’s largest and most respected wine and spirits competitions, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB), launched last week a national competition for South Africa under the global CMB brand “South Africa Selection by CMB.” The inaugural edition will open for entries on 1 June, with judging scheduled to take place from 17 to 20 September in Cape Town.

Says Quentin Havaux, CMB’s CEO, “To head up the new South Africa Selection by CMB, we have appointed Lorraine Immelman, who has founded and run two successful wine and spirits competitions in South Africa since 1997. With almost 30 years of experience in the international wine and spirits competition business, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team.”

Following the success of the Sauvignon Selection by CMB in March 2023 – known as the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon at that time – the decision was taken to establish a national competition in South Africa in 2024.

Quentin continues, “Our vision for the South Africa Selection is three-fold:

1. to develop a national wine and spirits competition which is powered by the well-recognized Concours Mondial de Bruxelles;
2. to create a synergy in South Africa which will promote the country’s wines and spirits to local consumers, and
3. to create new platforms for the promotion of South African wines and spirits in world markets.”

Global Exposure on Local Soil
“Amidst a seeming flood of recent new wine competitions, I believe that South Africa right now needs a global wine and spirits competition of the stature and international significance of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles,” says Lorraine.

CMB offers entrants true value for their entry fees, including:
personalised, usable feedback from the judging panels on every product entered and tasted. This includes an Aroma Wheel generated by AI and a detailed analysis with actionable insights to support marketing campaigns.

CMB’s judges represent a mixture of the best local and international experts including buyers, journalists, oenologists and hospitality representatives, who add real marketing support for awarded products.

A Wine and Spirits Experience by CMB concept has been developed with the opening of Wine Bars and Wine Corners in cities and airports around the world (including Mexico City and Tokyo). These tasting venues are exclusively dedicated to CMB medal-winning products from all competitions and sessions.

The CMB media team gives exposure to awarded products at international wine shows such as Prowein, Wine Paris-Vinexpo, Vinitaly and Guiyang.

The South Africa Selection team will focus on the sustained promotion of winning cellars and sponsors through a dedicated media campaign to promote our winners locally. CMB also adheres to the strict competition rules set forth by the European Union, as well as all CMB competitions and selections are meticulously audited by the Service Public Fédéral belge de l’Economie (SPFE).

“CMB aims to be the most prestigious and the most rigorous wine competition in the world. What we want is to be the most reliable wine competition for producers and also for consumers,” says Quentin Havaux. “We look forward to bringing this competition to your beautiful country, and giving South Africa’s fine wines and spirits a more global presence.”

The inaugural South Africa Selection by CMB opens for entries on 1 June, with the judging taking place from 17 – 20 September in Cape Town.

For more information and entry details, please visit our website, Facebook and Instagram page:
southafricaselection.com/

www.facebook.com/southafricaselection/href=”

http://www.instagram.com/saselectioncmb/”>www.instagram.com/saselectioncmb/

For enquiries please feel free to contact Lorraine directly on southafricaselection@vinopres.com or lorraine.immelman@vinopres.com

Pays d’Oc Hosts the 2023 Rosé Wine Session of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

The 2023 Rosé Wine Session of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is due to take place in Montpellier, in the heart of Pays d’Oc.  This year there will be over 50 international judges who will get the opportunity to discover the region’s incredible range of wines, from 8 to 10 March 2023.

For the past 30 years, Pays d’Oc winegrowers have been instrumental in the success of varietal wines and the reputation of this Protected Geographical Indication. To express their creative spirit, they can draw on a vast array of 58 grape varieties and 120,000 hectares of vineyards set between the sea and the mountains, soaking up the multiple influences of a temperate Mediterranean climate. A significant 30% of Pays d’Oc production is now rosé, equating to nearly 300 million bottles of wine annually. This is France’s leading IGP rosé producer region, focusing primarily on the Grenache noir, Cinsault and Syrah grape varieties.

The Pays d’Oc wine region embraces four departments in Languedoc-Roussillon which is part of the broader Occitanie region: Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Hérault, Gard and six localities in southern Lozère. Forming an arch along the Mediterranean, it stretches from the Spanish border to the Rhone delta. Its 120,000 hectares of vineyards are home to myriad landscapes and contrasting weather patterns. The land is shaped in terraces facing the Mediterranean and combines mountains, high-level plateaux, mountain foothills, mid-level plateaux and coastal plains. The climate in Pays d’Oc is Mediterranean, with Atlantic influences to the West and continental influences to the East. Four prevailing winds sweep across the region – the Mistral, Tramontane, Marin and Autan. These weather conditions ensure the vines stay healthy and the fruit ripens naturally. A mosaic of soils – clay-limestone, limestone, gneiss, schist and gravel at the foot of the hills – instils Pays d’Oc wines with their inimitable character.

Varietal Wines

92% of the IGP Pays d’Oc range of wines are single varietals, which means they come from just one grape variety. Varietal wine is the cornerstone of the designation and production specifications feature a whopping 58 different grapes to choose from. The range embraces both world famous ‘star’ grapes like Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Viognier, but also lesser known varieties, some of which have a distinct Mediterranean accent, like Grenache, Rolle, Syrah and Carignan. This extensive array of varieties promotes an endless range of aromatic characters. In terms of output, IGP Pays d’Oc production volumes are consistent from year to year, with each vintage producing between 5.5 and 6 million hectolitres of wine across all three colours.

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