Spanish wines won a total of 198 medals in the latest edition of the Challenge International du Vin, split between 36 Gold Medals, 55 Silver Medals and 107 Bronze Medals. This competition is one of the most prestigious wine events in the world and the most important in France. Every year, within the framework of this highly-professional organisation, close to 1,000 expert tasters blind taste more than 5,000 wines from around 40 different countries.

Of the 235 Gold Medals awarded during the competition, eight went to wines under QDO Rioja, six to wines under DO Navarra, four to wines under DO Rueda, another four to wines under DO Ribera del Duero and three to wines under DO Jerez y Manzanilla de Sanlúcar. The following appellations also won a Gold Medal for one of their wines: Valle de Güímar, Valle de la Orotava, Valencia, Cava, Ycoden-Daute-Isora, La Mancha, Tarragona, Jumilla and Utiel-Requena. Gold also went to a Vino de la Tierra Ribera del Gállego and a Vino de la Tierra de Castilla.

A total of 378 Silver Medals were also awarded, 55 of which went to Spanish wines, while from the 733 Bronze Medals,107 were again scooped by Spanish wines.

Part of this competition’s importance and recognition resides in its tasting method. On the day of the competition, the jury panels occupy separate rooms under the supervision of two commissioners per room who ensure that the tasting is conducted in the correct way: a blind tasting, in two flights of a dozen wines, each tasting separated by a break. The wine tasting score sheets are precise and specific. All of these factors together ensures the selection of only the most outstanding wines. Once a flight of wine samples has been tasted, the chair of the jury panel collects the comments from his or her table and draws up a summary on a sheet provided for this purpose. This sheet is then used to identify the prize-winners.

Between 800 to1,000 tasters take part in the competition every year, awarding only a maximum of 25 to 30 percent of the wines with an accolade. Furthermore, the Challenge International du Vin’s role is not just limited to prize-giving. After the competition, the prize-winners are subject to strict laboratory analytical controls. This is a simple and efficient way of checking that the wine’s qualities correspond to its production ensemble.

By using the Challenge medal on their bottles, winemakers add value to their products. This medal also acts as a quality reference for wine purchasers, be they consumers or trade professionals.