
The summer tastings took place in September and the results were released just a few days ago. 6,073 wines from all over the world were submitted to be judged in the 24th Summer Edition of the German competition, and an international panel of more than 150 jurors blind-tasted them for 11 days. Quite an amount of wines, which brings to a mind-blowing overall of more than 13,600 wines submitted this year (including the Winter Edition too). An incredibly good outcome, considering the arduous times all the wine sector had, due to Covid-19. The largest wine competition in Germany is held under the patronage of OIV – International Organisation for Vine and Wine, UIOE – International Union of Oenologists and VinoFed – the world federation of major international wine and spirits competitions.
OIV's rules allow only 30% of the tasted wines to be prized, so finally 1,834 medals were awarded: 30 “Grand Gold” category, 1,636 “Gold” and 168 “Silver” category. Italy dominated the most-awarded countries' chart, equalled only by German, Spanish and French wines: 465 Italian wines out of 1,268 received a medal (36% of all submitted Italian wines). Australia, New Zealand and Chile also showed their excellence, affirming themselves as international competitors on the world market. The new trends also saw organic wines, orange wines and lower-alcohol wines increasingly catch on.
Of course, the event's guidelines were strict as to health and safety, in order to avoid any possible risk of contagion. «Everyone’s behaviour has been exemplary, both the members of the jury and the staff – commented Henk Gibramczik, Operations Director of Deutsche Wein Marketing – These are uncertain times for the industry and it affects our lives. We want to continue supporting our participants, they place their trust in us and we cannot let them down. We will keep on valuing and recognizing the hard work of the winemakers so that consumers can confidently choose wines awarded with our medals».
A winning blend of native grapes
A vintage 2018, the Gran Cuvée “Monte D'Oro” by Sancin is a rich blend of native grapes and grapes that have a long tradition in Friuli Venezia Giulia: Merlot, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Cabernet Sauvignon. The vinification is entirely made in oak barriques and at the end of the process, the final nectar is a fruity, still red wine which is a perfect match with meat, especially red meat.
For example, Refosco goes along very well with typical dishes like pork meat-based ones: sausages, porcina, and maybe even a good stew with polenta – as we're entering winter, that could be a nice pairing! Sancin's team is very proud of this such deserved gold medal, but it didn't go to their head as they keep focused on the job: they're currently in Trieste showcasing their products (wines and EVO oils too) during the Barcolana race, and they'll also be in Muggia (near Trieste) on Saturday 17th October for “Malvasia in Porto”, a tasting event in the town's picturesque old port.