Antibes is a summer seaside resort known already in the golden days of la Belle Époque (1890-1914) which is among the best-known tourist destinations along with Cannes and Nice on the French Riviera (and readers of Erich Maria Remarque will immediately recall the scenes in his famous Arc de Triomphe novel). 
 
The entire event unfolded under the chapiteau of Les Espaces du Fort Carré facing the Fort Carré (known also from the James Bond film “Never Say Never Again“) and in the yacht marina of Port Vauban in Antibes and was attended by wineries from eight of the most important regions of France (apart from the southern French regions of Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, Gascogne and southern Rhône, also the prestigious regions of Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux and Alsace). Also present were countless cheesemakers, charcutiers and producers of regional specialities and “produits du terroir“ such as honey, tapenade, nougat, olives, dried fruit, jams, etc. 
 
The Concours International des Vins de Gastronomie ™ competition is the “spiritual child“ of the well-known French oenologist, Régine Le Coz, and was inaugurated during last year’s 25th edition of the oeno-gastronomic biennial fair AGECOTEL - NICE CÔTE D'AZUR and as we have seen, will be alternating in odd years with this salon in Antibes – Côte d‘Azur. 
 
Most of the wines entered for the second edition of this Concours International des Vins de Gastronomie competition were from traditional wine-producing nations such as France, Italy, Spain and Germany, although the greatest surprise came when one of the two Gold Star medals was awarded to a Moravian winery based in Velké Pavlovice! This was to Radomil Baloun who received his gold medal for his Gewurztraminer 2012, whilst the second gold went to his Alsatian counterpart Les Troubadours Gewurztraminer from Le Clos du Château d'Isenbourg. Moreover, out of the 18 awarded silver medals Vinařství Baloun also took home one Silver Star for his Pinot Blanc 2012. 
 
Further information and full results: www.civg-igwc.fr 
 
 
Helena Baker, AIWS 
member of the tasting jury

Radomil Baloun has defended his title in the “Vins de Gastronomie“ competition

The event takes place with the support of the Wine Fund of the Czech Republic. The honorary president and spiritual father of the only wine contest of the Moravian-Silesian district is the guru of Czech and Moravian vini-viticulture Professor Vilém Kraus. 
 
Czech and Moravian wine producers and foreign-wine importers entered into this year’s edition a total of 149 wines in six competition categories: 29 white dry wines (category A1), 22 white semi-dry and semi-sweet wines (A2), 65 red wines (B), 13 rosé wines (C), 8 sparkling wines (D) and 10 sweet and liqueur wines (E). A total of 8 countries sent their wines to this competition: Czech Republic (98 samples), Slovakia (16), Spain (13), Poland (11), France (4), Italy (3), Portugal (1) and Chile (1). Wines which fulfilled the conditions of the competition statutes were assessed in the tasting room of National Wine Centre in Château Valtice on 15th April. A hundred-point system was used and only wines receiving 85 or more points were awarded a gold medal. Silver medals were given to wines receiving between 82 and 84.99 points. The organisers were bound by the rules not to award more than 30% of all the wines entered in the competition. The intensity and aromatic profiles for each wine formed part of the comprehensive evaluation of every sample (an average length of 6 minutes for each sample), which serves the producers as better feedback than the simple number of points received. 
 
A quartet of specialised committees under the direction of Professor Fedor Malík, Josef Balík, Bronislav Pavelka and Helena Baker was composed of jurors coming from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Great Britain, who awarded 19 gold and 26 silver medals. Local Moravian wines received 11 gold and 14 silver medals. Most successful among the foreign participants were wines emanating from Slovakia (3 gold, 5 silver) and from Spain (3 gold, 2 silver). One gold apiece went to Italy and Chile, whilst two silver medals were received by France, as well as by the somewhat exotic Poland and one silver medal is on its way to Portugal. 
 
The title of Champion among the white wines went to the blend of popular cultivars Chardonnay and Pálava entitled Cuvée Elen 2012 selection of grapes (Pavel Krška – Palavia Vinum, Pavlov) from the Mikulov wine sub-region. Champion in the red-wine category was the Slovak blend of Merlot with the new crossings of Dunaj and Alibernet under the titul of Veterlin 2011 (Elesko a.s., Bratislava). The prize for the highest-rated red wine of local provenence was granted to Bellegrado 2011 (František Zapletal, Břeclav), produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Alibernet and Merlot grape varieties. 
 
The victor in the other white wines category was the Grüner Veltliner-Traminer 2012 late harvest blend (Wine School and Horticultural College of Valtice). The highest rating in the rosé category was received by Cuvée rosé 2012 moravské zemské víno (Víno Holec, Dolní Dunajovice) made from the Zweigeltrebe, Saint Laurent and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winner in the sparkling-wine category was Znovín de Lux Brut 2009 (Znovín Znojmo, a.s.), Pinot Blanc and Welschriesling cuvée. The best overall collection of wines went to the Wine School and Horticultural College of Valtice. 
 
Concurrently with this contest was, for the seventh time, the PRIX FIJEV CZ (Special Prize of the International Federation of Journalists and Writers on Wine). Jurors from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland who are also members of FIJEV nominate those wines chosen from among the competing samples at Cuvée Ostrava that represent the best value for money, together with their intrinsic overall quality. The laureates of the 2013 edition were the Polish Rose Twelve 2012 (Winnica Płochockich, Daromin) made from the Maréchal Foch and Rondo hybrids, together with Italian blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Umbria Tegolaro 2007 (Azienda Agraria Carini). 
 
Notional medals and titles of Champions were also awarded at Zámek Zábřeh Hotel on 25th April by the Lay public committee. These results permit wine producers and importers to compare the opinions of the specialists with those of wine aficionados. In total the lay public committee awarded 27 gold and 18 silver medals. The Champions were Cuvée 2009 Moravské land wine (Nesyt Lake Wines, Mikulov) a blend of white grape varieties in which the Pinot Blanc dominated and Chilean assemblage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot Anke Blend 1 2008 Reserva (Santa Alicia / imported by Víno Hruška s.r.o.). The highest rated red wine of local provenance was Bellegrado 2011 jakostní (František Zapletal, Břeclav). Víctors in the individual categories were: Jurigov Ausbruch 2008 (Polnohospodárske družstvo Vajnory; the rosé blend of Saint Laurent and Lemberger Lázeňské cuvée 2012 (Patria Kobylí a.s.); Jaworek Miner 2011 (Winnice Jaworek, Miękinia), an off-dry brand wine from Poland made from the Traminer cultivars and the sparkling wine predominantly featuring the Pinot family bearing the name Charles Sealsfield Brut Klaret 2008 (Znovín Znojmo, a.s.). The best overall collection of wines according to the opinion of the public went to the Patria Kobylí, a.s.. 
 
The results from this, the one and only international wine competion taking place in Northern Moravia were made public on 26th April 2013 at the Cuvée Ostrava Wine Exhibition in Zábřeh castle. Professor Fedor Malík inaugurated the accompanying programme for the general public with his traditional tutored tasting of “Slovak wines at 5 o‘clock“. Thereafter the wine exhibition was made accessible to the public to the accompaniment of Moravian dulcimer music and where visitors could sample not only the wines from the competition, but also varietal wines from those Moravian winemakers and importers of foreign wines who were present. The accompanying programme culminated with Joaquín Gay de Montellá Estany (Bodegas Torre del Veguer) and Bonfill Arché Pagès (Celler Arché Pagès) with their “Wines from the Land of Salvador Dalí“. 
 
The presumptuous aim of the organisers of Cuvée Ostrava competition is to witness a renaissance of the good name of blends or brands and their return to the forefront of the products on offer from Czech and Moravian winemakers, as is customary in other major wine-producing countries. In the words of the spiritual father of the competition Professor Vilém Kraus: "There's no Cuvée like a Cuvée" meaning that each and every blend is different. 
 
Contact: Dr. Martin Křístek, tel. +420 603 240 661, info@cuvee.cz, www.cuvee.cz 
 
 Translation: John L. & Helena Baker

Cuvée 2013 Ostrava

Professor Vilém Kraus - Czech Republic 
 
Born on 30th May 1924 into a bourgeois Prague family Vilém Kraus has lived through some of the most extraordinary events that have marked the Europe of the 20th century. In 1929 his family moved to Louny (a small town about 80 km from the capital). Here he attended elementary and higher school. His childhood coincided with the golden age of the First Republic of Czechoslovakia, and he was given a solid middle-class upbringing very much influenced by the democratic thoughts of T. G. Masaryk - the first president and virtual father of the nation. Since the age of six he was a member of the Sokol youth movement (similar to the Scouts) and ever since he can recall he wanted to be a gardener. 
 
The first major disruption to the idyll of this way of life came with the German occupation of the country in 1939, an act quickly followed by the Second World War. The Czechoslovak nation effectively ceased to exist, with Bohemia and Moravia becoming a protectorate under direct rule from Berlin. As elsewhere, Jews and other 'undesirables' were soon being deported to concentration camps all over Europe. During this time his own mother and several relatives were arrested and sent to Auschwitz where they all perished. Meanwhile young Vilém was shipped away incognito to Mělník where he attended a boarding school specialising in landscape gardening. No doubt removing the boy from his home town to one where nobody knew who he was contributed to his survival, for this was an age when scores were easily settled by the mere whispering of a name to the local authorities, which would soon be followed by a rounding up or a disappearance. In any event after one year training in the gardens of Château Mělník he began to study viticulture in the same town. The local vineyards and the winemaking-technology classes fascinated him from the very outset. 
 
Eventually peace was restored though it was not long until the communists in the government staged their putsch in 1948. The following year saw Vilém Kraus studying at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of Charles University in Prague. Due to his staunch democratic views he soon found himself coming into conflict with Party members (for reading English literature and foreign oenological publications, for not being a member of the Party, for engaging in public discussions with fellow students etc.). This was the era of the cold war, brutal Stalinism, show trials, when walls really did have ears, and when silence was truly golden. 
 
Nevertheless, due to his good work he was permitted to graduate in 1952. However, as a punishment for his poor attitude, he was sent to work in Chomutov, northern Bohemia, at a state farm which was engaged solely in livestock production. Again luck favoured him; the director at the co-op was sympathetic and sent him to the technical college at Lednice, in southern Moravia, where he could immerse himself in viticulture. This led to his appointment as technical researcher and vine cultivator at the Research Institute for Vines in Velké Žernoseky, north of Prague, during time which he undertook external studies at the Faculty of Agriculture in Brno, graduating in 1960. 
 
In 1964 he became Reader in Wine Production Technology and Viticulture after which he was offered the post of Lecturer and Viticultural Instructor back at Lednice Technical College. In those days hardly any textbooks on vine growing and wine-making technology were available in this self-satisfied socialist state where wine was considered pretty bourgeois anyway unlike good old proletarian beer. Due to his ability to speak German, French and Russian he did manage to remain in contact with foreign viticulturists and winemakers, notably Lenz Moser in neighbouring Austria, who supplied him with much necessary literature. 
 
Methods of wine cultivation were already much more advanced in Austria and the local viticulture here was finding life very hard under the prevailing collective farming system and the lack of a properly trained labour force. Kraus introduced the so-called Moser training and pruning methods, which involved the high cordon system, to the Czech and Moravian vineyards. Lenz Moser supplied his "Weinbau Einmal Anders" publication which Kraus translated into Czech and distributed amongst colleagues in Moravia and Mělník. The successful application of the high-cordon system (which increased yields of 15 hl/ha to 40 hl/ha) was so remarkable that the authorities eventually allowed his work to be published. On the basis of the Moser training system he subsequently invented a training method of his own, referred to as heart-shaped, he and later introduced the vertiko system, as generally used in the steep vineyards of the Mosel valley. 
 
In 1965 Vilém Kraus founded the Moravín association which served for the education of local vine growers. Under the old regime people were not permitted to travel abroad so Moravín became active under the name of Czech Agricultural Society in inviting foreign experts not only from the Soviet Union and other socialist states, but also from Germany, Austria and France, to lecture to local viticulturalists and winemakers. He acted as interpreter at all these events, compiled and translated all notes and subsequently published papers on the meetings. 
 
During the Dubček era the situation improved somewhat and groups comprised of agriculturists and students were allowed to travel abroad, first to Yugoslavia, then later to Austria and Germany. Kraus headed these groups, acting also as translator at the visits to wineries, nurseries, vine-research institutes etc. He endeavoured to better the conditions for mutual understanding between growers and winemakers at the international level and to initiate much needed improvements at home. 
 
Among these latter he managed to reduce plantings of ubiquitous varieties such as Müller-Thurgau, Welschriesling and Grüner Veltliner to 50% of the total, replacing them with 25% of higher-quality white grape varieties such as Sylvaner, Riesling, Traminer, Pinot Blanc and the other 25% with black grape varieties such as Blaufränkisch (Frankovka) and Saint Laurent. However, his influence on improving the overall standard of wine production was much inhibited - mainly because, to produce first-class wine one needs first-class material! 
 
Wine production was a state monopoly. Grape processing at agricultural co-ops was not allowed - the fruit had to be delivered to state wineries. Exceptions were the co-operatives at Práče and the State farms of Valtice and Znojmo. As one of the very few influential figures in the country Kraus - who never signed up for the Party - knew the directors and tried to influence them. Some apparatchiks saw his views as blatant capitalist propaganda but, on the other hand, the directors of the co-ops had to fulfil their quotas for the Five-Year Plans! Out of necessity more than for anything else, some of them started to listen. 
 
His main strength during this time was his huge popularity amongst the ordinary village folk. Most communes had their own gardening associations and clubs where the indefatiguable Kraus delivered hundreds of lectures accompanied by slide projections in his spare time in the evening hours. 
 
After the Warsaw Pact armies invaded the country in 1968, thus bringing the Prague spring to a sudden end, came the so-called Prague winter with its "normalisation" in the early seventies. This was yet another terrible blow. Many who had lived through the same years as Kraus decided they had had enough and emigrated. He too considered emigration. He had friends abroad as well as a reputation. He received several offers, one from Lenz Moser himself and another via the Geisenheim Research Institute in Germany with an offer to work in Toronto. But he never wanted to leave; he loved his country, its land and vineyards too much - they needed him - so he stayed on. 
 
In 1970 the communists closed the Department of Viticulture at the Technical School where he was lecturing in Lednice, subsuming it into the Horticultural Department. On the day his five-year contract was coming to an end, he received a midnight visit from a state official who demanded he either hand over the keys or else sign a month-long contract, which he did. This cruel little charade was repeated every month without fail for almost a decade, and he was forced to renew his contract of employment in this way right up until late 1979. He was thus kept under strict control by functionaries of the regime, who only allowed him to continue because they themselves needed him, for, as the only worldly-wise authority on viticulture in the country, he might prove very useful to them although they could have easily removed him completely. 
 
Luckily the spiteful regime was toppled without tears in the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Kraus was belatedly named Professor for Viticulture and Winemaking in the Czech Republic and received honorary awards at Masaryk University and the University of Agriculture in Brno. Since then he was increasingly active in working for the improvement of the nation's viticulture and winemaking to bring it up to world standards. To this end he devoted his life right up to the end. 
 
text: Helena Baker {fotogalerie foto_aktuality_3038}

R.I.P. professor Kraus who died in the early morning hours of today, 7th June 2013 aged 89...

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Radomil Baloun has defended his title in the “Vins de Gastronomie“ competition

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