In the section dedicated to rosé wines at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Romanian wines won a total of 18 medals, including one grand gold medal and one gold medal with the "Revelation of contest" mention.
Girboiu, Hermeziu, and Caii de la Letea, at the top
Girboiu Winery won the only grand gold medal for Romania, while Hermeziu Winery impressed the jury enough to receive the mention "Revelation of the competition" in the semi-sweet rosé wine category.
In terms of medal count, Via Viticola Sarica Niculitel was the most awarded producer, with three gold medals and a silver one, closely followed by Cramele Recas, with two gold medals and two silvers. Two other remarkable wines made by Wines of Romania partners – Cuvee Alexis (Avincis) and Busuioaca de Bohotin Diamond Selection (Domeniile Averesti) – won silver medals.
Romania, special mention, alongside Croatia
Although Romania is still far from the number of medals obtained by countries with tradition – France (137 medals), Italy (76), or Spain (57), recent performances have led the organizers to mention Romanian wines, along with Croatian ones, as "standing out from the crowd":
"Although overshadowed by the leading rosé wine producer countries, two nations confirm that they are rising stars in the wine firmament, with each of them awarded 18 prestigious CMB medals – Croatia and Romania. In fact, the Semi-Sweet Revelation award went to a Romanian wine, the C’est Soir – Busuioaca De Bohotin Semi-Sweet", the competition’s website, concoursmondial.com, reports.
Medal-winning wines at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Rosé Wine section
Grand gold medal: Girboiu Winery, Bacanta Special Edition – Traminer rosé 2023
Gold medal and the title of "Revelation for semi-sweet rosé wines": Hermeziu Winery, C’est soir – Busuioaca de Bohotin semi-sweet 2023
Gold medals:
- Via Viticola, Caii de la Letea Vol. I – 2023, Syrah, Pinot noir, Merlot
- Via Viticola, Caii de la Letea Vol. II – 2023, Syrah, Pinot noir, Feteasca neagra
- Via Viticola, Caii de la Letea Geneza – 2023, Pinot noir, Syrah, Merlot
- Cramele Recas, Muse Day Roze – 2022, Merlot
- Cramele Recas, Balauri Roze – 2023, Merlot
- Crama Strunga, Velier – 2023, Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver medals:
- Avincis, Cuvée Alexis – 2023, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
- Via Viticola, Caii de la Letea Inima de Stejar – 2023, Feteasca neagra, Syrah, Cabernet Franc
- Domeniile Averesti, Diamond Selection – 2023, Busuioaca de Bohotin
- Cramele Recas, The New Rosé – 2023, Merlot
- Cramele Recas, Sole – 2022, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Feteasca neagra
- Crama Hermeziu, C’est soir – 2023, Cabernet Sauvignon, demisec
- Crama Hermeziu, C’est soir – 2023, Traminer, demisec
- Pancene Wines, Apus de Soare – 2023, Pinot noir, Feteasca neagra
- Pancene Wines, Taine – 2023, Feteasca neagra, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Gabai, Miraz – 2023, Feteasca neagra, Pinot noir
About Concours Mondial de Bruxelles
Organized annually for the past three decades, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world, its popularity leading organizers to divide it into four different sections – rosé wines, white and red wines, sparkling wines, and sweet or fortified wines – a necessary step due to the very large number of sample entries.
In 2023, 350 judges representing 50 countries were needed to ensure the judging of all entries. The section dedicated to rosé wines, held in Croatia, was the first this year, with the next three to take place in Mexico in June (white and red wines), Italy in July (sparkling wines), and Belgium in October (sweet or fortified wines).
In the just-concluded rosé wine competition, 1,205 samples were submitted, and the jury, consisting of 55 tasters, awarded medals within the regulatory limit of 30% of all sample
The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is not just an instrument for evaluating wines but also the tasters: since 2004, the organizers have collaborated with the Statistics Institute of the Catholic University of Louvain to evaluate the performances of each judge. Two Romanian tasters, Georgel Costache and Valentin Ceafalau, have been awarded the title of "Benchmark taster" over time for their consistent performances.
📷 Photo source: Concours Mondial de Bruxelles
