The 7 Best of the Year of Wines of Portugal Challenge, which represent the best among the 333 award-winning wines, were attributed to Douro, Vinho Verde and Bairrada wine regions. Quinta do Portal Reserve red (2011), from the Douro wine region, was considered the "Best Wine of the Year". Porto and Douro wine region was distinguished with 4 of the most important awards, with the following wines: Vallegre DOC Reserve 2014, the "Best White", Messias 1967, the "Best Fortified”, and Kopke 40 Years Tawny, the "Best Fortified Blend". From Bairrada wine region, the wine Messias Clássico Garrafeira 2010 was considered the "Best Varietal Red” and Hibernus Grande Cuvée 2011, the "Best Sparkling Wine of the Year". The wine Quinta de Linhares Azal 2015, from Vinho Verde wine region, was considered "Best Varietal White ". More than 145 enologists and sommeliers from Portugal’s wine regions and specialists in different wine markets blind tasted 1350 Portuguese wines from 383 winemakers. Porto and Douro wine region accomplished 18 of the 29 Grand Golds. The Wines of Portugal Challenge awarded all the Portuguese wine regions with 333 medals, in total were distributed 29 Gold Medals, 58 Golds and 246 Silvers. The prestigious international experts Julia Harding, the Americans Joshua Greene and Evan Goldstein, the Brazilian Dirceu Junior and German Dear Maurer, attended the ceremony as well as all the jury that for several days has selected the best wines between 1350 presented in the 2016 Wines of Portugal Challenge. "The quality of this year was very good," says Jorge Monteiro, ViniPortugal CEO, which since 2013 ensures the realization of Wines of Portugal Challenge and whose mission is "to promote the image of Portugal as high quality winemaker, valuing the brand "Wines of Portugal". See the full list of winner here. Best of the Year Grand Gold Medals