Seventh international organic wine award: 1063 submitted biologically-cultivated wines from 23 countries. Maximum score for China, Italy, Spain and Germany
PAR®-Jury awards with 49 Top Gold, 346 Gold and 457 Silver
Frasdorf, the 20th of June 2016 – the seventh international organic wine award, which took place from the 10th till 13th of June, reached a new record for the number of participants and showed an unprecedented spectrum of grape varieties, styles and origins. Initiated and organized by the WINE System AG, the tasting of 1063 submitted organic wines has been run by teams consisting of three quality inspectors, analyzing ingredients and assessing them in a sensory way in accordance with PAR standards. In addition to successful newcomers, China amongst them, Mexico and the USA enhanced the tasting, conducted by nine PAR teams under the leadership of sensory expert Martin Darting, for the first time this year. Germany with 465 items, Austria and Italy with 127 items each were particularly well represented wine countries. In total 49 submitted wines have been awarded with Top Gold (96 -100 points), 346 wines became Gold (90 – 95 points), 457 submissions reached Silver (83-89 points) and 152 were honored with a Compliment (75-82 points). You can access the complete ranking including PAR documentation forms under www.bioweinpreis.de
International variety is in the fore
China, as a newcomer in the world of wine, made a huge splash during the four-day tasting. 4 of the 49 Top Gold awarded wines came from the People’s Republic, which was represented by 7 vineyards and 17 submissions for the first time. Vineyard Chateau Ningxia Saint Louis Ding reached 99 PAR points with its oxidatively produced 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Red Wine. Reductively barrel and steel tank matured 2010 D’Erasmo, submitted by Italian vineyard Nifo Sarrapochiello Lorenzo followed closely with 98 points. Oxidatively produced 2014 pinot noir (Spätburgunder) Edition Papillon coming from Bioland vineyard Schwarztrauber based in the Palatinate region, Germany, achieved 97 PAR points and proved clearly, what this variety is made of. Talking about white wine we have to mention the leading Spanish vineyard Vinedos Ruiz Jimenez S.L. with its barrel matured 2014 Osoti Tempranillo Blanco awarded with 98 points as well as 2015 Rosengarten Traisental DAC reductively matured in steel tank at organic winery Fischer from Austria. League of with 97 points awarded wines was represented by increasingly appearing PIWI variety Souvignier Gris, in this particular case the 2015 Souvignier Gris Spätlese from Winzerverein Reichenau - Bodensee which has been reductively matured in stainless steel and barrel and the 2015 Handwerk Weiss as a result of the oxidative maturation in stainless steel and barrel at the vineyard Roland & Karin Lenz from Switzerland. 2015 Regent from vineyard Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard – a semi-dry reductively fermented PIWI-Rosè from the Southeast of Great Britain – was the only Top Gold (97 points) awarded rosè wine. Italy was the country where the only one Top Gold award winner in the category “sparkling wine” came from. 2015 Fior D’Arancio consisting of 100 percent Moscatel achieved 97 points. Three good old favorites of previous international organic wine awards got 99 points in the category of “desert wines”: Italian Fattoria La Vialla with its barrel matured 2012 Vin Santo del Chianti DOC, Spanish Bodegas Robles with its 2015 Piedra Luenga Bio PX aged in steel tank and Franconian (Germany) Weingut am Stein with 2015 Randersackerer Riesling Auslese produced in steel tank as well.
Traditional way of doing and modern stylistics
Growth of traditionally working winemakers, which brings less fruity but more complex wines due to the application of more air contact, spontaneous fermentation and minimalism in the wine cellar, was a clear tendency during the four days of tasting. Also this year, PAR tasting after the stylistics has proven its worth. It enables an individual analysis of wine style and takes the respective artisan processes into account. The example of China reflects the strength of this method: tasters were faced with clearly oxidatively fermented but in no way oxidized wines. Its taste picture contrasts strongly with any European standards however it exactly corresponds with the country of origin. Independently from tasters’ personal preferences and keeping in mind the fact that almost entire China’s wine produce remains on the domestic market, often vastly dense and complex wines have been assessed with respect to the workmanship and neat work in the vineyard and cellar. Excellent training enables PAR experts to recognize microbiological contamination, fruity acid or content of acetaldehyde, depending on the intensity these might be identified as workmanlike faults and respectively assigned to the stylistics. Speaking about modern styles, winemakers also work with focus upon high intensity at the peak, however avoiding over extracted wines. This is more popular to make extract dense wines with low alcohol, which excite with most sophisticated, enduring and dynamically appearing fruit aromas.
Strong New Generation
Noteworthily is the strong young international league of winemakers with its unconventional methods of maturing wine and styles as a counterpart to the established organic vineyards like, for instance, Steve Lubiana from Tasmania (Australia) who has won a fame for being an innovative young producer with huge potential. He works strictly according to biodynamic guidelines and produces small quantities by using artisan methods. Similarly, many small producers, who are not reliant on marketing impact of medals, have submitted their wines for the competition. They are interested especially in the assessment of PAR tasters and application of this analysis to the quality management as an added value, a feature which brought PAR awards worldwide recognition.
Well-established PIWIs
Fungus-resistant vines, briefly called PIWIs, are very well established nowadays. As a head of tasting Martin Darting sees this grape variety as a logical extension of organic winegrowing, especially considering current weather conditions and growing pressure caused by downy mildew in the vineyards as a result of it: “it is impossible to imagine organic winegrowing without PIWIs. While others have to think about the relaxation of the Plant Health Directive, PIWI winegrowers can be quite laid-back in terms of reliable fungal resistance of their vines. In addition to saving of time and money, it affords relief in the vineyard ecosystem – an aspect which will gain importance under condition of changing climate.”
International organic wine award is one of the biggest organic contests worldwide.
You will find complete ranking and further information under www.bioweinpreis.de.
Further Information:
Assessment with PAR: Thanks to the transparency of the internationally recognized sensory testing system PAR, each submitted organic wine becomes a comprehensible and objective documentation of its sensory and oenological characteristics, which are always assessed with regard to respective authenticity and style. The PAR training enables the qualified jury consisting of oenologists, sommeliers and wine experts (certified by the German IHK) to assess each wine neutrally, excluding personal preferences or preconceived opinions regarding “good taste”. In the context of modern oenology, new international wine styles experience appreciation and acceptance also in PAR assessment. Besides attracting attention brought by this award, many producers appreciate the revealing analyses underlying the PAR assessment. They show exactly which criteria have led to respective results and provide valuable documentation for the quality management. This system ensures an objective assessment with 100-point-pattern based on comprehensible documentation.
WINE System AG, based in Frasdorf, under the guidance of CEO Gisela Wuestinger consults wine growers and retailers since 1999 and offers comprehensive e-commerce and web-design services. Moreover, the company has developed a profound database which is very well accepted in the industry. WINE System AG is co-developer of the international rating system PAR applicable for wine, bread, cheese, olive oil and organizes tastings during the annual PAR Organic Wine Award, International PIWI Wine Award, PAR Wine Award Greece and PAR Wine Award International. www.winesystem.de
