The Best Wines of 2023 have already been revealed at the Awards Ceremony of the 10th Edition of the Wines of Portugal Challenge, an initiative organized by ViniPortugal. The Gala Dinner took place on May 12th at the Pinhel Logistics Center, where the best wines of the year were highlighted. Among the 1,385 wine references enrolled, the Grand Jury awarded 423 winners, including 35 Grand Gold medals, 101 Gold medals and 280 Silver medals.
The wines were thoroughly evaluated by 139 experts, including 21 international experts, who tasted each of the wines entered in technical sessions over three days (May 8, 9, and 10) and then by the Grand Jury on May 11 and 12. The verdict concluded that the most awarded region in this Edition was the Douro Region, winning 112 medals, followed by the Alentejo region with 88. The Best of the Year were elected by category, being them:
- Best of the Year - Quinta Nova Vinha Centenária Ref P29/P21, 2019 - Douro
- Best Fortified Wine of the Year - Henriques & Henriques Sercial, 2001, Madeira
- Best Red Varietal of the Year - Quinta do Crasto Touriga Franca, 2018, Douro
- Best White Varietal of the Year - Villa Oliveira Encruzado, 2020, Dão
- Best Red Wine (Blend) of the Year - Quinta Nova Vinha Centenária Ref P29/P21, 2019, Douro
- Best White Wine (Blend) of the Year - Quinta da Rede Grande Reserva, 2019 Douro
- Best Sparkling Wine of the Year - Casa de Santar Vinha dos Amores Espumante Touriga Nacional, 2016, Dão
The complete list of award winners can be seen on the site of the Portuguese Wine Competition at: https://concursovinhosdeportugal.pt/
"This year, the Wines of Portugal Challenge celebrates its tenth edition. It's already ten years promoting Portuguese wine production and rewarding the best national wines. This is an initiative that we consider important and where we want to highlight the unique quality of our wines and, at the same time, help the consumer to make a more informed choice at the time of purchase. As in previous editions, the Grand Jury made an impartial, careful and demanding evaluation of all the wines entered and it is always very positive to see that the final decision is not easy at all, which proves once again the excellence and superior quality of national wines", said Frederico Falcão, Chairman of ViniPortugal.
The wines awarded the Grand Gold and Gold medals in the Wines of Portugal Challenge will have their presence guaranteed by ViniPortugal in international reference events later this year, evidence that this contest is a great opportunity for international promotion by national producers.
The 10th Edition had a Regular Jury made up of 118 national and 21 international jurors from the sector, including oenologists, sommeliers, journalists, and wine educators. Among the international jurors were Bob Paulinski MW and John Lancaster from the USA; Ewa Starzycka, Wojciech Starzycki, and Adam Tomczak from Poland; Martin Mortensen from Sweden; Mike Turner from the UK; Michelle Carlín from Mexico; Thomas Vaterlaus from Switzerland; Yumi Tanabe from Japan; Joseph Cho from South Korea; Sebastião Vemba from Angola, and Michael Tremblay from Canada.
The Wines of Portugal Competition is one of the sector's barometer events since it recognizes the unique quality of national wines and promotes experiences and synergies between producers, national and international specialists during one week. At the same time, it reinforces the excellent position of the Portuguese production in the export markets.
