SWITZERLAND’S ENTRIES REACH A RECORD HIGH

door | 16 apr 2019 | importeurs, Internationaal, Nieuws, Redactie

The host country of the 2019 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles posted a record number of entries. With an all-time high of nearly 600 wines (vs. 166 in 2018), Switzerland overtook China and landed in the number 5 spot for entries, preceded only by France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Wines from the region of Vaud account for over 50% of Swiss entries, followed by the region of Valais with 37%.

“We are very proud and delighted that Switzerland ranks among the top 5 countries for the number of entries”, comments Frédéric Borloz, chairman of the CMB Aigle 2019 association. “Besides organising an unforgettable edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Aigle, our objective was also to involve winegrowers from every wine region in Switzerland and to show off the diversity and quality of our wines. The first step of this goal has been fully achieved.”

But Switzerland is not the only country whose participation has grown in 2019. Numbers from Italy and Spain increased respectively by 5 % and 3.4 % compared to 2018. Entries from Mexico surged by 20% and for the first time in the history of the competition, the Republic of Moldova has entered the top 10 for the number of entries with a rise of 23% on 2018. Romania and the Czech Republic are also on the increase.

9,150 wines from 46 wine producing countries will take part in this year’s competition.

Over 300 grape varieties have been entered in the 2019 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Switzerland alone has entered wines from more than 50 different grapes. The majority of the Swiss entries (133) are from the indigenous grape Chasselas, which is the second most widely grown variety in the country. Second and third on the entry list are Pinot Noir (89) and Merlot (37) followed again by the native varieties Gamaret (33) and Petite Arvine (30). The indigenous grape varieties that enrich and contribute to the identity of the Swiss wine regions represent 36% of the crop.

But despite the extensive diversity of indigenous grape varieties listed in the competition, the majority of the wines entered are produced from international grapes.

Moving from Cabernet-Sauvignon-dominated China to the cooler climates of Switzerland has also been reflected in the type of wines registered in the 2019 competition. The percentage of red wines amongst total entries has decreased by 3% in favor of white wines, whose share has increased by 3% compared to 2018. The ratio of rosé wines has remained unchanged.

After the steady upward trend in entries of organic and biodynamic wines between 2015 and 2018, their numbers slightly decreased this year. Last year’s record was partly due to the high quantity of wines entered by the 2018 host county China, over a third of which were organic.

The majority of organic entries in 2019 come from Italy (182), followed by Spain (151), France (121) and China (53). A total 24 countries entered organic wines in the competition.

350 oenologists and sommeliers, international buyers, journalists, specialist wine writers and critics, researchers and representatives from industry organisations from nearly 50 countries will gather together in the town of Aigle from May 2 to 5 for the 26th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is a touring competition with over 25 years’ experience and the only contest to perform quality-control checks on award-winning entries after the competition, in order to ensure consumers, the highest level of satisfaction.

The evaluation system of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is based on the strict model designed by OIV and the International Oenologists’s Union