Despite Challenges Concours Mondial De Bruxelles Broke Its Own Record

Despite challenges that had many judges and producers and even the organizers themselves wondering if it would be held, the 28^th session of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles took place in Luxembourg in June. An international competition in which thousands of wines are entered to be tasted by a global panel of experts, the event was moved from Ningxia, China for the second year in a row due to the Covid-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions. 

Undeterred by the hurdles that needed to be overcome, this year’s Concours was considered a great success by its organizers. Rather than the usual three days, it was held over 9 days, from June 17 to June 27, with more than 10,000 wines from 46 different countries being tasted by 300 judges. This was the first year that broke the 10,000-wine threshold, and results were released the first week in July. This year, medals were awarded to wines from 40 nations. France led the way with 672 medals, followed by Spain (507), Italy (389), and Portugal (335). 

     One thousand rosés were tasted earlier in the spring, and the balance of more than 9,000 wines were presented in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Concours is normally held within a wine-producing country, and Luxembourg is no exception. The rolling hillside vineyards of Luxembourg stretch along a 42-kilometre strip bordering the Moselle River, facing Germany. Luxembourg’s Moselle wine route and the breath-taking scenery of its vineyard landscapes, bordered by the Moselle River, make this a unique spot and promote wine tourism. Here nearly 340 winegrowers farm more than 3,000 acres of vines, 90% of them planted with grape varieties used to make white wines. Judges had the opportunity to discover the output of Luxembourg’s vineyards during visits that were held in strict compliance with current health restrictions.

Of course, tastings were held in compliance with health regulations as well. According to Quentin Havaux, third generation member of the CMB’s founding family, who heads up sponsor relations, “At the time we decided to go to Luxembourg, the local regulations imposed a maximum of 100 persons in the same room. So we had to find a solution and reinvent ourselves. Our main concern was to provide the best conditions for tasting. Instead of tasting the wines for three days by 300 tasters, we decided to invite three groups of 100 tasters for three-day sessions over nine days. In this way, we could keep our tasting standards and provide the guarantee of quality of the medals to the consumers and producers. For the staff, the contest was three times longer than usual and it was a bit more complex in terms of logistics. But we were so happy to make it happen that we did not feel it. Indeed, we are so proud to have organized this tasting because the whole wine industry has missed this type of international event the last two years.” 

Baudouin Havaux, Chairman of the CMB, spoke with us regarding moving the Concours from China for the second year in a row: “The decision to change the venue from China to Luxembourg was not easy but was the most logical decision to make. Staying in China would not have allowed us to invite the international jury panel of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. This aspect was unthinkable for us. So we decided to organize it in Europe where we knew that the travel conditions were more flexible. Luxembourg appeared as a good solution due to the quality of its vineyards and its stability regarding health conditions. It was essential for us to welcome our tasters in safe conditions. We still have the ambition to organize the contest in China when the conditions will allow it. According to us it is important that the international community knows what its currently happening in China in terms of production but also in consumption of wine.”

The Concours’ main goal is to offer wine producers a tool that guarantees quality to consumers, with the thought that a bottle bearing a CMB medal has been proven to be excellent by not just an individual but by a panel of experts. In addition to utilizing statistical tools which measure the repeatability and discrimination capacity of its tasters, the CMB also purchases medal-winning bottles on the market in order to check that the purchased bottles correspond to those presented at the competition. 

The CMB does not wish to be the biggest competition but rather the most reliable. Only 25% of all wines entered receive a medal, which can be Silver, Gold, or Grand Gold. While this may be a frustration to producers it is proof of the organization’s strict standards and of the seriousness and professionalism of the jury. In addition to the quantitative evaluation that uses a points system to award medals the tablet system is being updated to offer qualitative analysis such as flavors and aromas for future competitions. 

In addition, the CMB is investing in a network of wine bars around the world. CMB Wine Bars will allow medal-winning wines to be sold and marketed directly to consumers to convince them of the excellence of wines bearing a medal from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The first opened last year in the center of Mexico City and has already found great success. The second CMB Wine Bar will open in Cotonou, Benin later this year, pointing to the importance of the rapidly expanding West African market. A restaurant devoted to wines that have been awarded medals by the CMB will be added in Portugal in 2023. Several Asian-based projects are currently on hold due to the pandemic.