The final nine of the Winery of the Year 2023 and the Art of Wine were presented by the Governor of the South Moravian Region

The finalists were selected based on the evaluation of two juries. First, the "Junior Jury", composed of students and PhD students of the Faculty of Horticulture of Mendel University in Brno, visited all 25 participating wineries and collected basic information. Nine knowledgeable experts, three each from the fields of viticulture, cellar management and marketing and trade, as the "Senior Jury", then assessed them further on the basis of this information and their own investigation. By adding the scores of the two juries and adding the points for a blind tasting of 3 wines from each winery, the overall ranking was determined and the number was thus narrowed down to the final nine.

Winery of the Year 2023 and Art of Wine finalists

Small wineries (production up to 50,000 l/year)

• Spalka Family Winery
• Václav Winery
• Válka Winery

Medium wineries (production 50.001 - 200.000 l/year)

• KOLBY
• SONBERK
• THAYA winery

Large wineries (production over 200.000 l/year)

• CHÂTEAU VALTICE - Vinné sklepy Valtice, a.s.
• Štěpán Maňák Winery
• Vladimír Tetur Winery

"I'm delighted with how far the competition has come in recent years. Firstly, the three-round evaluation system, which was only introduced last year, is working perfectly, and secondly, the competition is gaining more and more attractiveness among winemakers and wine companies. This has two benefits: firstly, the nominated wineries are continuously changing and each year has a different character, and secondly, the wineries are in the final nine are already at such a high level that it is impossible to predict the winners in advance," said the President of the Union of Winemakers of the Czech Republic PhDr. Martin Chlad added: "By advancing to the finals, all of them have shown that they contribute to the entire industry and move Moravian and Czech winemaking forward, both in the long term and through specific activities in a given year. Congratulations to the finalists and a big thank you to all the nominees for having the courage to enter the competition and for their interest in supporting our winery as a whole."

In the final third round of judging, 26-28. The finalists will be visited directly by an "Expert Panel" at their respective wineries and judged by the extent to which the finalists meet the established competition criteria, thus finally deciding on the winners.

The whole evaluation process will be completed on 1. February at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium with the announcement of the winners in the three competition categories and the absolute winner of the Winery of the Year 2023 and the Art of Wine. Awards will also be presented - Lomax Enologist of the Year, Achievement of the Year, Prof. Vilém Kraus, CSc. The gala evening will be traditionally hosted by Mr. Marek Eben.

The competition is announced and the title "Winery of the Year" is awarded by the Union of Winegrowers of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the National Wine Centre, with significant support from the Wine Fund of the Czech Republic and the South Moravian Region. The event is organized under the auspices of the Governor Mgr. The general and titular partner is the new e-shop not only with wine Umění vína. The competition is also supported by the Brno Observatory and Planetarium and the Faculty of Horticulture of Mendel University in Brno.

More information can be found at www.vinarstviroku.cz, and the latest events can be followed on the social networks Facebook and Instagram and the YouTube channel.