WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL publishes new ranking - with 221 wines from 18 countries

Top topic: Stylistics vs. climate change - Overall winner comes from Armenia - Call for summer tasting from 1 to 4 July 2022

Frasdorf, March 2022 - The WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL is one for all. All styles, all origins, all types of cultivation - it's all about diversity. And that is exactly what the sixth, current ranking reflects: Ten of the 18 participating wine nations are already represented among the 21 top scores. And the spectrum of styles also ranges from international modernity to traditional Qvevri. The absolute leader with 99 points is a white wine from Armenia: the 2018 VOSKEVAZ KARASI COLLECTION from the Voskevaz Wine Cellar in the Aragatsotn region, aged oxidatively in wooden barrels. In total, 21 times Grand Gold, 111 times Gold, 72 times Silver and 17 recommendations were awarded. Non-alcoholic wines and wines made from apples were also on the tasting tables for the first time. The closing date for entries for the summer edition of the WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL is 10 June 2022. The complete ranking including the tasting sheets is available at winesystem.com/wine-award-int/results.

Top Ratings for Each Category

From the Grand Gold category - i.e. those wines that still reach 96 to 100 PAR® points 24 hours after opening - the following wines occupy the absolute top positions:

Highest scores in other categories

Stylistic diversity - or a sustained learning curve?

As an internationally active award jury, the WINE SYSTEM crew is naturally close to the developments in the industry. In particular, the tasting by terroir, which pays special attention to the type of vinification, makes it clear what is on the minds of winemakers worldwide. What stands out is climate change. Brigitte Wüstinger: "The current range of wine styles is extremely exciting to observe. There is not only the continuing trend of fresh, fruity wines in the international style and, almost in parallel, the growing trend towards natural wines, but also everything that lies somewhere in between. A lot is being tried out. One reason for this is probably the climate." Martin Darting continues: "The ongoing climate changes require creativity, because what the market is 'used to' can no longer be delivered in many places without major additional expenditure on cellar technology. For this reason, more and more wineries are seeking specific advice, because it is often worthwhile to start in the vineyard and to analyse the individual conditions on site in detail. There are already a few successful examples." The 2018 PAISAJES EMBOTELLADOS - a white Rioja from the biodynamic Viñedos Ruiz Jimenez, which was awarded 96 points - shows that it is possible to make wines that are slender and exciting even when temperatures rise.

New categories, proven jury

As a transnational quality test for wines of all styles, the WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL is a complex tasting per se. With the integration of the new categories for non-alcoholic wines and wines made from apples and pears, the demands on the jury of PAR® Certified Masters have increased once again. Those who are familiar with the methodology, however, already suspect that the challenge here will be met with enthusiasm. For PAR® not only requires regular training and a kind of critical curiosity; the analytical and documentary approach also enables the examiners to approach the diversity of the competition objectively and beyond simple comparative tests. In this way, each wine submitted receives comprehensible documentation of its sensory and oenological characteristics, which are always evaluated in relation to its origin with climate, style and marketability. Like the ORGANIC WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL, the WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL is now also tasted twice a year in order to give the winemakers more flexibility with regard to ripening and storage times. Further information is available at winesystem.com/wine-award-int.

WINE SYSTEM - Trust your Senses with its three fields of activity - consulting, training and PAR® quality competitions - has been a competent partner for winegrowers, the trade and the specialist public in the field of wine and sensory analysis since 1999. Since 2019, the company has been under the management of board members Brigitte Wüstinger and Martin Darting and has been organising renowned wine quality competitions for many years - including the ORGANIC WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL, the WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL, the PiGUNDY WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL, the PIWI WINE AWARD INTERNATIONAL and many smaller competitions. The WINE SYSTEM database with over 40,000 items is the basis for the PAR® evaluation system developed by Martin Darting. It is appreciated in the professional world as a comprehensive information portal and serves as an important tool in many areas. www.winesystem.de