The 4th international confrontation of the world’s best sparkling wines, Effervescents du Monde®, organised by Forum Oenologie, was held on 9 and 10 November 2006 at the Lycée Le Castel culinary school in Dijon (France).
This event is unique in terms of its scope, its method and therefore its ambition:
International in scope:
* 24 countries
* 351 wines
* 60 international expert judges, including 50% from outside France
A strict method:
* Compliance with the international wine competition rules and strict application of the ISO 9002 Quality Assurance standard.
* Guaranteed implementation of scoring criteria for international competitions.
* Rigorous selection of the panel of expert judges, based on experience, diversity of backgrounds, professionalism, determination of their sensorial profile and training in tasting methodology.
* Annual assessment and grading of each taster.
* Faultless, quality-driven organisation: limitation of the number of wines per judge, ideal tasting conditions (sensory isolation, proper tasting rhythm, etc.) and secure computer processing of results.
* Differentiated analysis of the foam (visual) and the effervescence (tactile) of wines.
Ambition:
* To award reliable and thus representative medals each year, reflecting the founding motto of the Effervescents du Monde® competition: diversity, quality and high standards
After two days of work, the judges awarded a total of 117 medals, which represents a third of the wines entered. Since the number of medals was limited by the official provisions for international competitions, no bronze medals were awarded, even though numerous wines were worthy of such a distinction.
Medal Breakdown
Grand Gold Medals — 0 • Gold Medals — 24 • Silver Medals — 93 • Bronze Medals –0
Top 10 Sparkling Wines from Effervescents du Monde® 2006
Gold Medal — FRANCE — Champagne Jacquart Brut Blanc de Blanc 1999 — JACQUART & ASSOCIÉS
FRANCE — Champagne Brut 1995 — CHAMPAGNE BARON FUENTE
ITALY — Trento d’Oc Altemasi Riserva Graal 1997 — CAVIT
AUSTRALIA — Yaldara Extra Brut — DIRECT WINE
FRANCE — Champagne Brut Or — GIMONNET
FRANCE — Champagne de Castelnau Brut — COOPÉRATIVE RÉGIONALE DES VINS DE CHAMPAGNE - CRVC
SWITZERLAND — Cordon Or Brut — MAULER et CIE
BRAZIL — Miolo Brut 2004 — VINICOLA MIOLO
SPAIN — Cava Argent Brut 2003 — GRAMONA
FRANCE — Crémant d’alsace Puits du Moine Brut — COOPÉRATIVE VINICOLE de ORSCHWILLER
FRANCE — Saumur 1811 Rosé Brut — ACKERMAN REMY PANNIER
Trends in 2006
Growth
The 2006 edition has proved a success, with increased participation, signalling the growing interest in international quality-based competitions: 24 countries and 351 wines.
Geographical Diversity
Broad representation from all of the French regions that produce sparkling wines (AOC) and from the main sparkling wine houses. 50% of the wines entered were from France, with equal numbers coming from Champagne and from outside Champagne.
We can also note good representation from Germany, Australia, Spain and Italy as well as the arrival of two new countries: Romania and Croatia. Within France, the Alsace and Loire Valley regions also saw a significant increase in their participation.
Diversity of Sensorial Expression
The competition was an opportunity for some real discovery, thanks to the tasting of rosé and red sparkling wines made by the traditional method, wines made by the ancestral method, and wines made with aromatic varietals. Low-alcohol sparkling wines also drew attention. According to the expert judges, the wines tasted displayed an extraordinary variety as well as great richness, showing both complexity and finesse.
Rosé sparkling wines (both AOC and VMC) were present in much greater numbers this year, and these wines won some well-earned medals.
Technical Enrichment: The Birth of a New Professional Tasting Instrument Thanks to Applied Research
Since the creation of this event, the organisers of Effervescents du Monde® have sought to promote and enhance the quality of sparkling wines from all over the world by annually awarding medals that are reliable and thus representative.
In addition to organising a flawless competition, this mission has also been pursued through an active contribution to improving the reliability of measuring instruments. In this context, on 9 November, more than 45 expert tasters assessed the performance of a new professional tasting instrument that is the fruit of applied research: an INAO-type tasting glass that contains a precise number of nucleation sites.
The objective of this glass is to optimise the tasting of sparkling wines: to calibrate their degree of effervescence, to control the formation of bubbles and to enable ideal expression of the foam.
This competition was held in the tasting room at the Imaginarium in Nuits-Saint-Georges, the first facility entirely dedicated to sparkling wines. This recently inaugurated room was designed in accordance with the recommendations of the “Institut du Goût”, which is headed by Jacques Puisais and by Professor MacLeod, neurophysiologist and specialist in the physiology of taste.
The 5th Effervescents du Monde® confrontation will be held on 8 and 9 November 2007 in Dijon.
For further information and detailed results for each country: www.effervescents-du-monde.com
The Effervescents du Monde® competition is organised by the Association Forum Œnologie, with participation from the Revue des Œnologues in partnership with theLycée Le Castel culinary school (Dijon), which acts as the sensory performance assessment centre for the expert judges, and hosts the competition.
During the tasting, the wines are served with active participation from students in the Wine Steward class. The Services Actions Qualité company handles computer processing of all data and results from the competition.
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