Enormous success for Moravian wines in Paris, last year champion of rosé and this year of white wines!

“It is quite incredible, we are still recovering from shock. The entire winemaking world is still digesting this moment of immense joy. Last year we were told that to succeed in the rosé category is a lifelong success for us and to repeat the achievement again and what’s more in the white-wine class amounts to a miracle… The French will have to start looking at the map to see where Vrbice is,“ Leoš Horák remarks with a smile and presents the Champion: “Our victorious wine is full of potential for laying down, it has a glistening green-straw hue, on the nose we find ripe peach, dried apricots and a mixture of tropical fruits. The palate is opulent, spicy, highly extractive, the light residual sugar is nicely balanced by its racy acidity. In overall character it actually reminds one of one of its parents - Riesling.“

Other than this success, by which a Moravian Hibernal has been nominated the best white wine in the world, all our other successful wines can be found in the autumn publication 1000 Vins du Monde (1000 Wines of the World), a book that receives the same respect in the wine world as the esteemed Guide Michelin does in the world of gastronomy.

In all 36 Moravian and Czech wines were bestowed with medals, 10 wines receiving gold and 26 silver. In total this year Moravian and Czech winemakers stood out and brought home 11 more medals than last year’s hugely successful haul!  

Apart from the Hibernal, gold medals went to many other wines – Welschriesling special selection of berries 2009 and Aurelius, special selection of botrytised berries 2012, from the Vinselekt Michlovský winery. Also Kerner, special selection of grapes 2016, from the Josef Dufek winery, Děvín, special selection of grapes 2015 from Vinařství Štěpán Maňák, Riesling ice wine 2016 from Vinařství Krist s.r.o., while other gold medals were awarded to white straw wine 2015 from the Pálava variety from Vinařství ZD Němčičky. Two gold medals also went rosé wines: Zweigeltrebe, kabinet 2016 from Vinařství Bronislav Vajbar and Rosé Horák, late harvest 2016 from Vinařství Horák.  

A gold medal also went to Merlot, special selection of grapes 2011 from Vinařství Vinselekt Michlovský. “This was put slightly in the shade due to the repeated winning of a Champion, nevertheless further wonderful news came in the form of a gold medal for the Moravian Merlot, for this is a wine which requires a warm environment and belongs to a top-grade league. We know that our vintners understand great red wines very well and each such harbinger comes with the promise that its time will come on both the home and international stage,“ commented Marek Babisz, head sommelier at the Wine Salon, on hearing the competition results.

Moravian and Czech wines won 26 silver medals in Paris – three wineries:  Vinařství Horák, Vinařství Krist and Mikrosvín Mikulov won 3 silver medals apiece.  

“The victory of Leoš Horák from Vrbice was proclaimed by Alex Schaeffer, founder of the Union of French Oenologists. Quite frankly, I did not quite get this into context when I heard “Orak Ibernal“, that is, not until I heard the words République Tchèque and Alex’s heartening gesture, which made me shoot right off my seat and, to great applause coming from the audience, I rushed headlong towards the podium. There I most gratefully thanked the organisers and also the tasters on behalf of Mr Horák as well as all Czech winemakers, and when I came to mention that this small family winery had won the champion of the rosé wines last year, the applause burst out all over again. The union’s president, Cyril Payon, made the observation that a similar “double“ had never happened to anyone in all the 23-year history of the competition,“ as Luboš Bárta, a long-standing judge at Vinalies Internationales, gushingly explained the proceedings during the announcement of winners.

About the Vinalies Internationales competition (http://www.vinalies-internationales.com/en/)

In the competition 3,540 wines emanating from 45 countries were assessed. France itself accounted for some 1,545 of these with the remainder coming from foreign countries. 122 wines came from the Czech Republic with 36 of these taking medals. Last year the absolute Champion in the rosé-wine category came from a grape variety raised in Moravia, precisely Cabernet Moravia Rosé late harvest 2015, from the Vinařství Horák winery. This year the jury could boast two representatives of the Czech Republic, Luboš Bárta, editor of Sommelier magazine and also, debuting, was Martin Šmíd, head sommelier and dealer for the Znovín Znojmo company. The strengthening of the Czech Republic’s representation on the juries reflects the growing repute of our vinous reputation around the world.  

 

Press release. For further information please contact:

Pavel Krška, Národní vinařské centrum, o.p.s.

E-mail: pavel.krska@vinarskecentrum.cz

Tel: +420 519 352 072, +420 721 414 575

Dominika Uhrová, Omnimedia, s. r. o.

E-mail: d.uhrova@omnimedia.cz

Tel: +420 774 530 255