22nd Berlin Wine Trophy

The 22nd Berliner Wein Trophy took place from 15 to 18 February 2018 at the Hotel am Borsigturm. This continues the tradition of wine evaluation in Berlin, which began in 1994.
2,177 products were awarded medals. Particularly noteworthy are the products to which the “Grand Berlin Gold” has been awarded. The countries of origin are Chile (1), Germany (6), France (5), Italy (3), Portugal (3) and Spain (1). All results can be viewed at www.dwm.de.

VINOFED Annual General Meeting 2018

The Annual General Meeting of the Fédération Mondiale des Grands Concours Internationaux de Vin et Spiritueux (VINOFED) was held in Madrid on March 10, during the Concours Bacchus.

The following were elected to the Executive Committee:

• François Murisier: President
• Zoltan Zilai: Vice-president responsible for development
• Wolfgang Haupt: Vice-president responsible for relations with Germany

The secretariat was entrusted to

• Daniele Maffei and Elisabeth Pasquier

The Federation comprises 14 members from around the world, representing the following competitions: Asia Wine Trophy (Daejeon, South Korea), Bacchus (Madrid, Spain), Berliner Wine Trophy (Berlin, Germany), Citadelles du Vin (Bordeaux, France), International Wine Challenge (Buccarest, Romania), Mondial des Vins Extrêmes (Aosta, Italy), Mondial du Merlot et assemblages (Sierre, Switzerland), Mondial des Pinots (Sierre, Switzerland), Les concours des Grands Vins Blancs du Monde (Strasbourg, France),  Portugal Wine Trophy (Bairrada Portugal), Premios Zarcillos (Valladolid, Spain), Sélections Mondiales du Canada (Québec, Canada), Vinagora (Budapest, Hungary), and Vino Ljubljana (Ljubljana, Slovenia).

The 2018 diary of VINOFED member competitions is available at the dates of the competition 2018.

For further information, contact general secretary info@vinofed.com or vinofed.com + 41 27 456 31 44

Merry christmas and happy new year

Dear Friends,
As the year draws to an end
And a new beginning beckons
We pause to reflect and remember,
Sharing happy times with loved ones,
Simply cherishing the moment
Before moving forward into the light…

The World Federation of Major International Wine and Spirits competitions and currently thanks you for your confidence, for your support and for your loyalty and wishes you wonderful Christmas and happy new year.
the dates of the competition of its members in 2018.

Vinofed: Calendar 2018

Vinofed, the World Federation of International wines and spirits competition, presents to you the dates of the competition of its members in 2018.

Our goal is to ensure the absolute credibility to the results of competitions which are members of Vinofed and to certify the authenticity and high quality of our wines and spirits winning an award. When you enter a wine or spirits in a competition of member of Vinofed, you have the assurance that your products will be juged by strict rules and appreciated by competent tasters. It strengthens consumer confidence by guaranteeing the quality of award-winning products.

François Murisier: president for the interim period

Further to the passing of VINOFED president Ghislain K. Laflamme, VINOFED vice-president and OIV coordinator François Murisier has been named president for the interim period, until the elections to be held at the next General Assembly. The Federation’s members thank him warmly for accepting this responsibility.

Denys Paul-Hus appointed president of the SMV Canada International wine Championship

The board of directors of the Sélections Mondiales des Vins (SMV) Canada International Wine Championship is pleased to announce the appointment of Denys Paul-Hus as president. Denys Paul-Hus will take on the duties formerly held by Mtre. Ghislain K.-Laflamme, who passed away last July 27.

Further to this appointment, Carole Cliche will stay on as SMV Canada’s Vice President of Administration and board director as well as take on new responsibilities, including growing SMV Canada’s partnerships with international wine organizations such as the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) and VINOFED (Federation of Major International Wine and Spirits Competitions). See more.

25^th edition already underway
The next edition of SMV Canada is slated to take place May 24-28, 2018, again, at the Delta Hotel in Quebec City. “2018 will be an important year, as it marks the 25^th edition of the championship,” added Denys Paul-Hus. “We are working to create an event that will pay tribute to Mtre. Laflamme’s contributions as well as introduce new elements, as we have done each year.”

20th Mondial des Pinots: the big winner in 2017 is from Switzelrand in Graubünden!

The international scope of the competition is once again apparent, with nearly 1,300 wines from 25 countries registered. Six Great Gold medals, a record, were awarded August 31st 2017, within the grounds of the splendid Château Mercier in Sierre. They were given to four Swiss wines, a New Zealand wine and one from Germany. An indication of the clear success of Swiss Pinot Noir wines: they carried away more than two-thirds of the gold medals.See more.

The event operates entirely digitally, with the 60-plus members of the jury noting the wines on tablet devices, creating a top-level comfortable environment for the tastings. This year for the first time, the Festival des Pinots primes was organized offering so a unique opportunity to the Pinots lovers to winetaste and meet the awarded producers.

Vino Ljubljana: 59th edition

The already 59th International Wine Competition – Vino Ljubljana was held in the capital of Slovenia from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July.
At this edition , 48 tasters from 15 countries selected five world champions out of 430 samples from 19 countries. This year the number of both, the samples and the tasters exceeded last year’s.
In the category of white dry still wines, the World Champion has become the Slovenian Kobal Sauvignon 2016, by Petovion. Other titles have gone to Austria, Romania, Macedonia and the Czech Republic.
This year’s wine samples came from Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Japan, Canada, Luxembourg, Germany, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Spain, Uruguay and the United States.
Full list of awardwinners

Tribute to Ghislain Laflamme

It is with great sadness that VINOFED (Fédération Mondiale des Grands Concours Internationaux de Vins et Spiritueux) shares the news of the death of its president, lawyer Ghislain K.-Laflamme, on July 27th 2017 in Quebec.

President of VINOFED since 2014, Ghislain K.-Laflamme was also president of the Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada, an international competition to which he devoted himself tirelessly, each year welcoming tasters from around the world to Quebec, the city that he loved so much.

A veritable globe trotter, he travelled the world year-round, taking part in a multitude of competitions as VINOFED’s representative.

A highly cultured man with a hidden sense of humour, Ghislain K.-Laflamme was an endearing and exceptional man who will be remembered by all who knew him for his great kindness and his dedication to the world of wine.

May he rest in peace.

The 17th edition of Citadelles du Vin

The 17th edition of Citadelles du Vin was held from 10^th to 12^th June in Bourg en Gironde.

The 21 Special Prizes were unveiled during a ceremony on the eve of Vinexpo Bordeaux opening and showcased on Citadelles du Vin booth during all the international wine fair.

This year, 45 jurors representing 18 nationalities awarded 178 Gold medals and 131 Silver medals among the 1,074 wines in competition.

The full results are now available on www.citadellesduvin.com.

Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada

The 2017 edition of the Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada (SMV Canada) International Wine Championship, the only OIV (Organisation of Vine & Wine) and VINOFED (World Federation of Major International Wine and Spirits Competitions) endorsed wine competition in North America that samples and crowns emerging wines from around the world, wrapped up last May 29th in magnificent Quebec City.
The 2017 edition of SMV Canada welcomed 481 producers, vintners and brand ambassadors who submitted a total of 1,880 wine products from 33 countries around the world in order to compete in the various categories of the competition. The winners of the Grand Gold medals and special awards were announced by SMV Canada organizers at the Judges Recognition Soirée that took place at the Quebec Garrison Club on the evening of May 29th. During the four days of the competition, which began on May 25th, seasoned national and international oenologists and skilled tasters pooled their expertise to form panels of five to six judges. Working in teams, they applied the competition’s stringent wine selection criteria with exceptional rigor and objectivity.
The judging panels awarded a total of 592 medals, representing 30.58% of the registered wines as required by OIV and VINOFED standards. Moreover, 16 medals were awarded to wine products in the NON-OIV category, which samples wines produced from fruit other than grapes. Five special awards were also conferred.
Please find all the results on the website www.smvcanada.ca

528 Medals at International Wine Contest Bucharest 2017

“The growth of the IWCB 2017 was a qualitative one, limiting the “quantity”. The number of jury panels were  increased from 5 to 7 members, reaching a total of 56 jurors. They can evaluate a limited number of samples per day, which is why a limit of up to 1700 titles was decided. The 57.33%  of samples from abroad are in this edition on a significantly higher number of wines sent directly by foreign producers, thus proving their confidence in IWCB and the importance of this competition, for Catalin Paduraru, IWCB CEO.

1690 samples from 25 countries entered the competition. A total of 907 samples (representing 53.67% of total samples) obtained more than or equal to 82 points.

See more

Mondial du Merlot & Assemblages 2017 : 10th edition

Organised by VINEA, this year’s Mondial du Merlot & Assemblages saw 450 wines (10% wines more) entered, from 22 countries. The judging took place in Sierre (Switzerland), awarding 1 Great Gold Medal, 50 Gold medals and 89 Silver Medalsto outstanding wines. The only  Great Gold medal (the highest award) to a Merlot from Switzerland, Ticino. These first results have been shared with the winners in Zurich during the prize award ceremony  and can be found on www.mondial-du-merlot.com.

On the same day the second edition of the Festival of Award-Winning Merlots was held, more than 30 producers have been pouring their medal-winning wine for the general public.

Strasbourg, The Capital of the Great White Wines of the world !

Organized once again under the VINOFED and OIV patronages, the 2017 edition took place on April 9th-10th at the Palais des Congrès in Strasbourg.
During those 2 days of “The Great White Wines Competitions”, 928 samples were tasted by 70 judges coming from 20 countries –wine experts, journalists, oenologists, cellar men, sommeliers, VIP’s like Serge Dubs Best Sommelier du Monde 1989, Prof. Dr. Monika Christmann, the OIV President and Ghislain K. Laflamme the VINOFED President.
268 medals were awarded (208 Gold and 60 Silver) to Germany, Australia, Austria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic and USA.
In addition to the 5 regular contests Riesling du monde (20th anniversary!), Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner et Pinot Blanc, a 6th competition was scheduled for the first time « Vins Blancs de Cépages et d’Assemblages du monde » this year and enables Greece to win two Gold medals !
Please find all the results on the website  www.lesgrandsconcoursdumonde.com

Bacchus 2017

Bacchus 2017 became, once again, Spain’s leading wine world event. 1’751 wines coming from 20 countries participated in the fifteenth edition of Bacchus Wine International Competition. 85 international tasters from 23 countries made the tasters panel and was leaded by fifteen Masters of Wine (the highest participation in an OIV/VINOFED competition) and also included Masters Sommelier, wine buyers behind major high street brands, oenologists, wine critics and delegates of the most important wine institutions all over the wine world. Following OIV standards Bacchus 2017 prized 530 medals including 18 Great Gold Bacchus, 180 Gold Bacchus and 332 Silver Bacchus. Full list of awardwinners

Berliner Wine Trophy

The winter edition of the Berlin Wine Trophy was very successful and the progression should continue with the summer edition. Between February 2^nd and February 5^th 2017, 188 wine experts from 31 countries evaluated 6’488 samples coming from 32 countries. Spain was the country with the strongest participation with  1’412 samples. From other continents the following countries are mentioned because of their strong participation: Chile with 177, Australia with 148, China with 132 and South Africa with 58 samples. A total of 2’034 medals were awarded. Full list of awardwinners

VinoFed Annual General Meeting 2017

The VINOFED Annual General Meeting took place on February 4th during the Berliner Wein Trophy (a competition which joined our Federation in 2016). Members in attendance were pleased to note the growth of the Federation which now comprises 14 members.
Our objectives remain as important now as ever:

• Ensure total credibility of the results of member competitions.
• Guarantee the authenticity and high quality of the award-winning wines and spirits.

This applies to both producers and consumers, the former in terms of the strict and specific rules followed during tastings, and the latter in terms of the reliability of the published results.
Each competition is assessed annually.
The competitions calender 2017 can be found here

Tribute to Pascual Herrera

Pascual Herrera passed away on January 15th, 2017. He was an engaging, much-loved and respected figure on the Spanish and international wine scene, and as an agronomist he was at the forefront of important changes in the Spanish wine sector over the last forty years. As a founder member of the Union of Spanish Wine Tasters, he also played a part in the creation of the Rueda DO and of the wines of the Autonomous Community of Castilla y Leon, the current headquarters of the Cigales DO. A taster himself and a proponent of taster training, he was the creator of the Concours International de Vins Zarcillos which he managed for many years, under the auspices of VINOFED, championing quality wines. His cheerful presence at our many competitions will be much missed. May he rest in peace.

Vinofed: Calendar 2017

Vinofed, the World Federation of International wines and spirits competition, presents to you the dates of the competition of its members in 2017.

We are proud to announce the entry this year of three new competitions which are: Mondial des Vins Extrêmes and International Wine Contest Buccarest in the Federation which brings its members to 14 International competitions.

Our goal is to ensure the absolute credibility to the results of competitions which are members of Vinofed and to certify the authenticity and high quality of our wines and spirits winning an award. When you enter a wine or spirits in a competition of member of Vinofed, you have the assurance that your products will be juged by strict rules and appreciated by competent tasters. It strengthens consumer confidence by guaranteeing the quality of award-winning products.

Mondial des Pinots: Awards given to the best Pinot wines

The Mondial des Pinots 2016 awards reflect the excellent quality of wines made from Pinot Noir and other Pinot grapes. The competition, which is for wines made only from grapes in the Pinot family, offers a good indication of how well these grow in greatly different regions around the world. In Switzerland, canton Graubünden and other cantons in German-speaking areas put in a particularly good showing. Two wines from canton Valais obtained the highest distinction, the Grand Or medal. Grand Or, gold medals and several special prizes will be handed out during the ceremony that takes place 2 September 2016 in Sierre, which serves as a prelude to the opening of the VINEA Swiss Wine Fair.

These first results have been shared with the winners and can be found on the recently revamped website.

A toast to the winners of SMV Canada 2016: Recap of an illustrious edition

The 2016 edition of Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada (SMV Canada), the largest wine competition in North America, recently wrapped up in beautiful and charming Quebec City. This year, some 2,000 products from 35 countries were showcased. The winners of the Grand Gold medals and special awards were announced at the Judges Recognition Soirée that took place at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac on Monday, May 30.

For four intense days, a prestigious and objective panel awarded a total of 600 medals: 9 Grand Gold medals,
430 Gold medals and 161 Silver medals. These 600 medals represent 30% of the competing products, in keeping with the requirements of the International Organisation of Vine & Wine (OIV) and VinoFed, the world federation of major international wine and spirits competitions. The judging panel was composed of some 80 judges from 24 different countries.

Full list of awardwinners

The Citadelles du Vin took place 14th – 16th May in Bourg.

The results are now available to view online and the special prizes were revealed in Hong Kong, on the eve of Vinexpo. 

While the results of the 16^th annual Citadelles du Vin have been available online at www.citadellesduvin.com since 18^th May, the special prizewinners were revealed at Vinexpo Hong Kong, on Monday 23^rd May at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel.

This year, 45 tasters from 21 countries awarded 143 Gold Medals, 147 Silver Medals, and 24 Special Prizes.

Full list of awardwinners : www.citadellesduvin.com

Portugal Wine Trophy

From 5 to 8 May 2016, the Portugal Wine Trophy has taken place for the first time in the city of Anadia in the Wine Museum of the region of Bairrada.

Bairrada is well known for its sparkling wine production and thus a special element of the wine industry in Portugal. Among the 1,582 tasted samples from 24 countries were 425 samples from Portugal. 523 products were awarded medals. Six of the nine “Grand Gold” were awarded Portuguese products.

Full list of awardwinners

Mondial du Merlot & Assemblages 2016 : And the winners are….

Organised by VINEA, this year’s Mondial du Merlot & Assemblages saw 420 wines entered, from 230 producers and 22 countries.

The judging took place in Sierre (Switzerland), awarding 42 Gold medals to outstanding wines and one Great Gold medal (the highest award) to a Merlot from Uruguay. These first results have been shared with the winners and can be found on the recently revamped website.

On the same day the very first edition of the Festival of Award-Winning Merlots was held, some 40 producers have been pouring their medal-winning wine (plus another of their choice) for the general public.

Interview of Ghislain K. Laflamme, President of VINOFED

2016 VINOFED renews its confidence and will be represented by its President himself !

Mr Ghislain K. Laflamme, the President, will be taking part of the jury panel this year and we asked him to explain to us precisely what the VINOFED’s missions really consist of. He also brings his expertise to the way in which the Grands Concours are organized.

Discover here the global interview

General Assembly VinoFed 2016

In Madrid, during the Bacchus competition on March 19 was held the General Assembly of the Fédération Mondiale des grands concours internationaux de vin et spiritueux (VinoFed).

Were elected to the Executive Committee:

• Ghislain K.-Laflamme, M.A.: President
• François Murisier: Vice President in charge of relations with the OIV
• Zoltan Zilai: Vice President for Development
• Wolfgang Haupt: Vice President for relations with Germany

The secretariat is entrusted to

• Daniele Maffei and Elisabeth Pasquier

The agenda 2016 for the competitions of the members of VINOFED can be consulted here

SMV Canada Mme Nancy Rossi is appointed General Manager

Ghislain K.-Laflamme, President of SMV Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Nancy Rossi to the position of General Manager for Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada – International Wine competition. Ms. Rossi is working with her team in the development of a new approach that will allow SMV Canada to be even more responsive to its participants.

Ms. Rossi is trilingual, has a master’s degree in international administration obtained with the maximum notes and wrote a thesis in sociology of organization. Her training, experience in international development and involvement in SMV Canada since 2007 are all factors that will contribute to advancing the contest.

SMV Canada, which was established in 1983, is one of the oldest and most important wine competitions in the world.

SMV Canada brings each year in Quebec City, more than 2,000 wines from more than 30 countries and 75 judges from 26 countries, contributing to the reputation of Quebec City, across Quebec and even Canada internationally.

Bacchus 2016 : 14th edition

Bacchus 2016 Wine international competition announces its dates

From 18^th to 21^st March 2016 Madrid will host the fourteenth edition of one of the most prestigious international wine competitions in the yearly calendar: Bacchus Wine International Competition. A total of ten Masters of Wine will lead an exclusive selection of national and international leaders of opinion. Bacchus 2016 opens its unrestricted participation to all kinds of wines, regardless of their origin, add or type. More information about Bacchus 2016 on www.concursobacchus.com, info@uec.es  or  +34 914 293 477.

True to form, Strasbourg événements, organizes the 2016 edition of the “Grands Concours du Monde’’

5 grape varieties are simultaneously competing – Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc- A prestigious place, the newly renovated Strasbourg Congress Centre will be the venue, the OIV and VINOFED have renewed their patronage and the official partnership of the Union de la Sommellerie Française is continued.
SAVE THE DATES : Sunday 10th and Monday 11th of April 2016
With the approval of the whole international judges, The Grands Concours will be held on Sunday and Monday what enables the announcement of the Grands Prix du
jury by Strasbourg evenements on Monday afternoon in the presence of the Judges.
Renewed patronage and partnerships
For the fifth consecutive year the Grands Concours du Monde obtained the OIV Patronage (The International Vine and Wine Organisation) which guarantees their
adherence and respect to the contests organization and strict rules. VINOFED (the World Federation of Great Wines and Spirits Competitions) renews its confidence and hereby confirms the credibility of the notes expressed by the 70 international involved judges. Then, thanks to the official partnership with the very prestigious Union de la Sommellerie Française, the Contests’ jury will be composed by numerous famous international sommeliers, among them, the French expert, Serge DUBS, meilleur Sommelier du Monde 1989.
A prestigious place: The newly renovated Strasbourg Congress Centre 
The contests will be held this year in the newly renovated Strasbourg Congress Centre. In the right place! A specially equipped room in addition to areas pleasantly transformed within a prestigious place : The Congress Centre is the ideal setting for such an event ! Key information : Les Grands Concours du Monde
Winegrowers who wish to enter their products in the contests must do by : 7th of March 2016.
www.lesgrandsconcoursdumonde.com

Citadelles du vin take place from 14th to 16th may 2016.

Registration is open! This year’s guest of honour: Bordeaux wines.

In homage to the world’s most famous wine region, Bordeaux wines have been invited as guest of honour in 2016! It is the largest fine wine-producing region in the world, with 155,000 hectares of exceptional quality: 60 regional, subregional and communal registered destinations of origin, more than 5,000 châteaux, 40 cooperatives, 400 trading houses… The Bordelais is made up of several major sub-regions, the Médoc, the Libournais, the Sauternais, Graves, the Entre-Deux-Mers and the Côtes. The quality and diversity of Bordeaux wine is a result of the marked individuality
of the region’s terroirs, its huge variety of grape varietals (majority merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc for reds, sémillon and sauvignon blanc for whites), and widespread local expertise in both winegrowing and blending. For enthusiasts, Bordeaux wines represent subtlety, balance and harmony…

www.citadellesduvin.com

Vinofed : Calendar 2016

Vinofed, the World Federation of International wines and spirits competition, presents to you the dates of the competition of its members in 2016.

We are proud to announce the entry this year of three new competitions which are: Berliner Wein Trophy, Portugal Wine Trophy and Asia Wine Trophy in the Federation which brings its members to 12 International competitions.

Our goal is to ensure the absolute credibility to the results of competitions which are members of Vinofed and to certify the authenticity and high quality of our wines and spirits winning an award. When you enter a wine or spirits in a competition of member of Vinofed, you have the assurance that your products will be juged by strict rules and appreciated by competent tasters. It strengthens consumer confidence by guaranteeing the quality of award-winning products.

Strasbourg, France, The world Capital of the “Great White Wines du monde”

April 12^th and 13^th, nearly 800 Riesling-Pinot Gris- Gewurztraminer- Sylvaner and Pinot Gris have been blind tasted by 70 international wine judges from 20 countries.

Mrs. Claudia Inès QUINI, the President of the OIV, Mr. François MURISIER, Vice-President of VINOFED, as well as Mr. Serge DUBS, Best Sommelier in the World, were amongst the prestigious judges of the Grands Concours du monde.

122 Gold Medals and 109 Silver Medals have been attributed by the judges.

Please find all the results on the website  www.lesgrandsconcoursdumonde.com

Bacchus

Bacchus 2015 became, once again, Spain’s leading wine world event. 1.652 wines coming from 18 countries participated in the thirteenth edition of Bacchus Wine International Competition. Bacchus 2015 tasters panel was leaded by ten Masters of Wine (the highest participation in an OIV/VINOFED  competition) and also included three Masters Sommelier, wine buyers behind major high street brands, oenologists, wine critics and delegates of the most important wine institutions all over the wine world. Following OIV standards Bacchus 2015 prized 496 medals including four Great Gold Bacchus, one hundred and seventy eight Gold Bacchus and three hundred and fourteen Silver Bacchus. Eslovaquia with 36 medals was the international most awarded country. Bacchus 2016 Wine International Competition will be held in Madrid on March 2016. More information at www.concursobacchus.com.

VINOFED fait peau neuve !

VINOFED est fière de vous présenter sa nouvelle identité visuelle qui se décline en un nouveau logo et un nouveau site Internet trilingue en français, anglais et espagnol.