September is the time when we harvest our grapes, but also when we receive the results of two major international wine competitions, the Mundus Vini Summer Tasting (Germany) and the AWC Vienna (Austria). The Goldberg Red has done brilliantly in both competitions this year, bringing home two gold medals, and once again reaffirming Baranja’s reputation as a superior red wine region.
In a highly competitive environment, pitted against more than 11,000 wine samples in this year’s AWC Vienna, La Belle Grand sparkling wine, our premium Merlot, and our premium Frankovka received gold medals as well. Collectively, Vina Belje was presented with five gold and seven silver medals in both competitions.
Marijan Knežević, Chief Oenologist at Vina Belje, stressed the importance of the new medals: “This is a huge international success for Vina Belje. These are important events and some of the most esteemed wine competitions in Europe in terms of the number of entered samples and high pass marks for the top medals. We are very proud that our white, red and sparkling wines alike achieved such high scores in these competitions. The gold medal presented to the Goldberg Red once again proves that Baranja’s vineyards are ideally suited for the cultivation of red grapes. Even though its composition includes the international varieties of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, frankovka imbues this unique wine with the distinctive terroir and warmth typical of Baranja. The intention behind this wine and the entire Goldberg range was to translate our knowhow and passion into wines with an unmistakable and unparalleled character, made from the best grapes picked in special vineyard areas.”
As of recently, the new Goldberg range, including the Goldberg White and Goldberg Red, is available at select wine boutiques, restaurants and hotels offering premium wines, and a limited amount will also be available at the Vina Belje web shop by the end of the year.