An ebullient wine industry gathers in Luxembourg

The atmosphere during the run-up to the 18^th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is decidedly ebullient. Despite the challenge of recession for the industry, the final figures leave no room for doubt – the Luxembourg event is set to break a new record both for the number of wines and spirits entered by producers across the globe and for the ever-increasing range of tasters, in terms of origin and profile...

In all, 7,386 wines and spirits from 50 producer countries will compete in Luxembourg (6,964 in 2010 from 49 countries). Tradition dictates that France once again breaks its own record and remains the leading participating country in 2011 with 2,405 entries. Ranking second is Spain which has also broken last year’s record with almost 1,500 entries (1,474 to be precise). Next come Italy and Portugal with 759 and 645 entries respectively, followed by Chile which year-on-year confirms its status as the Southern Hemisphere’s premier participant.

The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles… in Luxembourg ? An unusual choice ? Not really, because Brussels is not only the Belgian capital but also that of Europe. On tour since 2006, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has travelled from Lisbon, to Maastricht, Bordeaux, Valencia and Palermo. This year, Luxembourg is the next stop. “Our country boasts a long-standing tradition of wine making” says Marc Kuhn. “Organising the 2011 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Luxembourg will undoubtedly enable us to showcase the breadth and depth of our range of wines”. Its ambition is confirmed by the 39 Luxembourg tasters taking part (a national record) and no fewer than 139 Luxembourg wines and spirits entered this year, which puts the country on a par with Switzerland, Greece and South Africa.

Every Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is different. Uncorking over 7,000 bottles from across the globe for almost 300 international judges over three days makes it a unique event. As a barometer for gauging the vitality of the sector, it provides a snapshot of the international wine and vine industry that is updated annually. It throws up new trends and consolidates change. The Luxembourg event has thus already confirmed:

- France’s predominant position with 2,405 entries. Bordeaux is still the most dynamic region, followed by Languedoc-Roussillon.

- Spain’s export drive. It ranks second with almost 1,500 wines and spirits entered. Rioja and Castila and Leon are joint first, closely followed by Catalonia and La Mancha.

- An underlying international trend towards varietal specialisation:

- out of 973 Spanish red wines entered, 610 are predominantly or exclusively made from the Tempranillo variety,

- out of 469 Italian red wines entered, 120 are made primarily from Sangiovese

- out of 414 Portuguese red wines entered, 60 are made primarily from the Touriga Nacional variety. Portugal champions varietal diversity at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles with over 33 different varieties entered.

- Lastly, 30% of Chilean red wines are Carmeneres – for the first time, this flagship Chilean variety has outstripped the traditional Cabernet-Sauvignon.

- On a more general level, a trend towards rounder, more supple wines has been witnessed. A case in point is France where the predominant variety is Merlot, either as a single varietal or blended (720 wines out of a total 1,538 red wines entered compared with just 180 wines made primarily from Cabernet-Sauvignon or 110 from Syrah).

- Finally, average ABV is on the rise and stands at 13.28% in 2011 compared with 13.09% in 2006 and approximately 12.8% in 2000… This is a key indicator at a time when changes in ripeness, sunshine hours and overall climate change are under scrutiny.

These are just some of the preliminary insights provided by the 18^th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The next stages are in Luxembourg on May 6, 7 and 8, 2011 for three days of tastings, then publication of results, scheduled for Monday May 16 à 6pm Brussels time (GMT+1).

Founded in 1994, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has since then achieved the status of a world wine tasting championship. The 7,000 wines and spirits competing from around the globe represent combined sales in excess of 500 million bottles.  

Since 2006, the Concours Mondial has decided to broaden its international scope and is organised outside Belgium. Lisbon, Maastricht, Bordeaux, Valencia and Sicily have all provided a prestigious backdrop for the tastings.  

The trade-only judging panel gathers together the foremost international experts. It represents almost 40 nationalities and this diversity contributes to the uniqueness of the event.  

At the end of the competition, only those wines and spirits that have achieved the highest scores are eligible for the prestigious medals. Since 2004, the organisers have been working with a team of researchers from the Statistics Institute at the Catholic University of Louvain. Their aim is to make the results as fair, accurate and relevant as possible.

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Press contact: Frédéric Galtier

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