Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Mexico. Red & White Wines Session

The 31st edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) concluded a few days ago in Guanajuato. The results have just been announced, with the host country, Mexico, breaking into the top 5 in terms of the number of medals won. Among the the award-winning wines recognized by the Wine Travel Awards, this year’s winner in the Progressive Approach category is the Italian winery Tenuta Manoylo. The editor-in-chief of Drinks+, Olga Pinevich-Todoriuk, took part in the competition as a judge. A detailed article about the visit to CMB Mexico will soon be published on the website.

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. 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.

“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.

We are pleased to share that this year’s Concours Mondial de Bruxelles was a true revelation for both judges and participants. The standout white wine of the CMB Red & White Wines Session was Issa Chardonnay Barrique 2022, a Romanian gem from Transylvania’s Crama La Salina. The top-rated red wine hailed from Uruguay, with Balasto 2017 by Everest Wines and Spirits taking the honors.

We will go through what was especially impressive during the session.

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 Oaked 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.

Moldova – 20 gold medals

Moldova stands as the undisputed leader in modern winemaking in Eastern Europe. This small country showcases tremendous production potential and is a front-runner in global wine tourism, developing this promising industry with competence and purpose. Notably, the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 recognized The National Wine Day of Moldova as the Event of the Year, underscoring the country’s prominence in the wine world. Moldovan wineries have become a powerful presence in the Wine Travel Awards community over the past three years.

And, of course, among the medalists of the summer Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, where Moldova has 20 gold medals, there is a large part of our nominees. Let’s name their wines: Radacini Reserve Chardonnay – Pinot Grigio 2020 (Radacini Wines S.R.L.), Castel Mimi Negru de Bulboaca 2018, Castel Mimi Chef Cuvée Blanc 2022, Castel Mimi Chef Cuvée Rouge 2020, Castel Mimi Viorica de Bulboaca 2023, Castel Mimi Merlot 2020 – from WTA vote winner Castel Mimi, Taraboste Rosu Reserva 2018, Taraboste Chardonnay Barrique 2022 (Château Vartely), Negru de Purcari 2021 (IM Vinaria Purcari SRL), etc.

Marche Comes Forward!

The Italian province of Marche, once a renowned wine-growing region that lost its luster to northern areas, is making a strong comeback. This year, the young winery Tenuta Manoylo entered the international scene and, following triumphs at spring competitions, won another gold in Mexico for its wine, The Red 2021 Tenuta Manoylo, Passo del Borgo, Marche IGT Sangiovese. The Drinks+ team proudly supports this winery, a member of the friendly international Wine Travel Awards community.

Romania Continues Its Ascent

In our view, Romania has every chance to become a leader among Europe’s wine-producing countries in the coming years. The summer competition in Mexico confirmed this potential. Not only did the best white wine come from Romania, but several other winners as well. Notably, the stunning Jidvei Srl winery, located in the medieval Castle Bethlen-Haller, won the public vote for the Wine Travel Awards 2023-2024 in the Must Visit category and also secured a leading position in the Progressive Approach category. In Mexico, this outstanding Romanian producer won gold for its Iluziv Sauvignon Blanc – Riesling – Muscat Ottonel 2023, and silver for the Owner’s Choice Ana Sauvignon Blanc 2023.

China, Mexico, South Africa

These three countries continue to showcase impressive growth and dynamism. Mexican producers presented 663 wines, with 152 winning medals, including a record 9 Grand Gold Medals. South African wines also showed marked improvement, earning 6 Grand Gold Medals and 35 Gold Medals. China had an outstanding performance as well, with 40% of their entries receiving medals, 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.

You can read the detailed results here.