The Merlot 2018 from the Štěpán Maňák winery became the champion of the 28th international wine competition GRAND PRIX VINEX
The expert evaluation of this year‘s 28th edition of the international wine competition GRAND PRIX VINEX took place on the 28th and 29th April 2021 in the National Wine Centre in Valtice. The Merlot 2018, produced by the Štěpán Maňák winery, seated in Žádovice village in the Kyjov region, became the champion.
This year the competition was attended by a record number of 1053 samples from 176 entrants emanating from 12 wine-producing countries. Naturally most of the entrants were from the Czech Republic (779), followed by Slovakia (147), Hungary (45), Austria (28), Germany (22) and Italy (16). Also wines from France (4), Republic of South Africa (4), USA (3), Macedonia (3), Argentina (1) and Moldova (1) were also present.
Just like last year, the winemaker Štěpán Maňák did the best. He thus defended last year’s victory, when his Sauvignon 2019, late harvest became the champion, and this year he succeeded for a change with the red wine Merlot Barrique 2018, in the quality selection of grapes. The wine comes from the Morava Wine Region, the Slovácká Subregion, the village of Hýsly, and the the Hýselská hora vineyard. “This Merlot has a dark ruby color, the aroma is fruity, with the touch of vanilla. The taste is full, velvety and with chocolate tones. The wine matured for 12 months in French oak barrels“, describes the winning wine the owner of the winery, Štěpán Maňák.
Furthermore, the category winners were also assessed, followed by the best collection, the best-rated wine from a member of the Czech Grape and Wine Producers Association and the national winners coming from those countries that had entered at least 10 wines.
WINNERS OF GRAND PRIX VINEX 2021
CHAMPION
Trophy of the Regional County President of the South Moravian Region
No. 787 – Merlot barrique, 2018, výběr z hroznů, Štěpán Maňák, Žádovice, CZE
BEST COLLECTION
Trophy of the Director of BVV Trade Fairs Brno
Jaroslav Buriánek, Valtice, CZE
BEST WINE OF A MEMBER OF THE CZECH GRAPE AND WINE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION
Trophy of the Czech Grape and Wine Producers Association
No. 805 – Rulandské modré, 2007, jakostní víno odrůdové, Vinařství Trpělka a Oulehla – Ing. Luboš Oulehla, Dolní Kounice, CZE
CATEGORY WINNERS
Category A1 – Dry white wines
No. 132 – Rulandské šedé, výběr z hroznů, 2019 – Vican rodinné vinařství / Farma Pálava, s.r.o., Brno, CZE
Category A2 – Semi-dry white wines
No. 377 – Ryzlink rýnský, 2018, výběr z hroznů, Vinné sklepy Skalák / Ing. Leona Šebestová, Dubňany, CZE
Category A3 – Semi-sweet white wines
No. 563 – Rulandské šedé, 2020, pozdní sběr, ANNOVINO VINAŘSTVÍ LEDNICE s.r.o., Lednice, CZE
Category B1 – Dry rosé wines (incl. blanc de noirs)
No. 718 – Cabernet Sauvignon rosé, 2020, akostné odrodové víno, Ján Janušík, Limbach, SVK
Category B2 – Other rosé wines (incl. blanc de noirs)
No. 745 – Cabernet Sauvignon rosé, 2019, akostné odrodové víno, Ján Janušík, Limbach, SVK
Category C1 – Dry red wines
No. 787 – Merlot barrique, 2018, výběr z hroznů, Štěpán Maňák, Žádovice, CZE
Category C2 – Other red wines
No. 945 – Burlesque Zinfandel, 2018, Boutinot Wines, USA, imported by ADVEAL s.r.o., Praha
Category D – Naturally sweet wines
No. 982 – Tokajský výběr 5 putňový, 2013, Anna Nagyová – ZLATÝ STRAPEC, Viničky, SVK
Category E1 – Semi-sparkling wines
No. 996 – Rosecco Frizzante, 2020, Perlwein Landwein, Weingut Schulz, Dobermannsdorf, AUT
Category E2 – Sparkling wines
No. 1013 – Grandioso extra brut reserva, 2016, jakostní šumivé víno s.o., CHÂTEAU VALTICE – Vinné sklepy Valtice, a.s., Valtice, CZE
NATIONAL WINNERS
National Winner – Czech Republic
No. 787 – Merlot barrique, 2018, výběr z hroznů, Štěpán Maňák, Žádovice, CZE
National Winner – Slovakia
No. 925 – Rudava, 2019, výber z hrozna, Shebo Winery, a. s., Modra, SVK
National Winner – Hungary
No. 905 – “Oroszlán” Cuvée, 2017, PDO-Szekszárd, Szeleshát Borászat, Bátaszék-Lajvér, HUN
National Winner – Austria
No. 996 – Rosecco Frizzante, 2020, Perlwein Landwein, Weingut Schulz, Dobermannsdorf, AUT
National Winner – Germany
No. 973 – Johanniter -Arzheimer Seligmacher-, 2020, Auslese, Weingut Werner Anselmann & Gebrüder Anselmann GmbH, Edesheim, DEU
National Winner – Italy
No. 916 – Segreante Syrah, 2016, DOC, Tenuta Gorghi Tondi winery, imported by Agentura Butterfly s.r.o., Hradec Králové
Detailed results will be available on the competition website.
“In this year’s competition, we were pleasantly surprised and especially pleased by the record attendance, which is more than 300 registered wines larger than last year, also a record one. GRAND PRIX VINEX has thus become the largest international competition in terms of the number of evaluated samples, but also the number of wineries, in the Czech Republic,” said Pavel Krška, competition director, adding: “The long-term aim of the competition is to be a standard of quality and professionalism at least in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the competition has even stricter limits for reaching individual awards than the recommended according to national standards for wine competitions.”
Medals are granted according to the achieved score. The silver medal was won by wines with min. 84 points, gold medal with min. 87 points and grand gold medal with min. 90 points. The wines were evaluated by juries of highly qualified tasters with the aid of the ELWIS computer evaluating system, developed by the National Wine Centre. Strict hygienic measures were a matter of course, including testing of all participants in the evaluation.
The most represented variety among white wines was Riesling (81), among red ones Blaufränkisch (37) and Cabernet Sauvignon (36). The largest number of wines reached the years 2020 (531), 2019 (282) and 2018 (129). However, rare vintage wines from the years 2005, 2007 and 2010 were also registered (all one sample each).
The Champion, Best Collection, Category Winners and the winner of the Trophy of the Czech Grape and Wine Producers Association gain original trophies designed by Jiří Matela, a student of the world-famous designer Bořek Šípek. The producer of the wine with the title of “Champion” receives a professional refrigerated vinotheque from the competition’s partner, the company THERMOTECHNIKA BOHEMIA, and the producer of the best rated collection wins a high-pressure cleaner from the KÄRCHER firm.
GRAND PRIX VINEX is a traditional international wine competition which the National Wine Centre organises in conjunction with the joint-stock company Brno Trade Fair and the Czech Grape and Wine Producers Association, and with the support of the Wine Fund. The aim of this contest is to judge and appreciate at a high professional level the finest European and world wines that are available on the central-European market every year. The patronage of the 28th edition of the international wine competition GRAND PRIX VINEX was taken over by the Minister of Agriculture, Miroslav Toman, the Governor of the South Moravia Region, Jan Grolich, and the Mayor of the City of Brno, Markéta Vaňková.
The professional evaluation part of the competition is traditionally followed by a public tasting of competition wines at the Brno Trade Fair Exhibition. This year, due to the epidemic situation, this possibility has not been confirmed yet.
More about the competition at www.grand-prix-vinex.cz.
For further information:
Ing. Pavel Krška, Národní vinařské centrum, o.p.s. (competition director)
E-mail: pavel.krska@vinarskecentrum.cz
Tel: +420 519 352 072, +420 721 414 575
Jiří Bažant, Omnimedia s.r.o.
E-mail: j.bazant@omnimedia.cz
Tel: +420 221 419 220, +420 606 282 673
