Sierre, September 2nd 2016. The Mondial des Pinots 2016 awards reflect the excellent quality of wines made from Pinot Noir and other Pinot grapes. The competition, which is for wines made only from grapes in the Pinot family, offers a good indication of how well these grow in greatly different regions around the world. In Switzerland, canton Graubünden and other cantons in German-speaking areas put in a particularly good showing. Two wines from canton Valais obtained the highest distinction, the Grand Or medal. Grand Or, gold medals and several special prizes will be handed out during the ceremony that takes place 2 September 2016 in Sierre, which serves as a prelude to the opening of the VINEA Swiss Wine Fair.

Near 1,350 wines, an increase of 175 compared to the previous year, were submitted to the judges of the 19th Mondial des Pinots (MDP), which is open to wines made from three grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The competition, a member of VINOFED and run under the patronage of the OIV, UIOE and USOE, thus registered record participation this year. The strength of the number of producers, 470 of them, is an indication of the credibility and attractiveness of this competition, organized by VINEA. “Pinot Noir is enjoying greater popularity among consumers, who are looking for wines that are lighter, delicious and elegant. The fact they are delicate doesn’t mean they can’t also have a lovely aromatic complexity, which is what we find in the best of them,” says Richard Pfister, judge, oenologist and perfumer.

A variety of expressions of the grape

This is a truly international competition, from the makeup of the panel of judges to the origins of the wines. Swiss Pinot wines made up the majority, but wines were also entered from Germany, France, Italy, Slovakia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries.

Pinot Noir expresses well the terroirs where it grows. The Swiss competition offers a unique opportunity to compare many different terroir expressions of Pinots from around the world.

A landscape that inspires

The judges, eminent international specialists, commenting on the competition and the wines, had these remarks: Chilean Pablo Ugarte Cruz-Coke, director of the Catador Wine Awards competition, drew attention to the landscape around them, which inspired the judges. “In Sierre, when we taste we are surrounded by these incredible Valais vineyards on the slopes, a landscape that is stimulates us when we are tasting wines. It creates a completely different atmosphere from what we have when we taste at competitions held in large cities.” Fabienne Cortadi, director of the Bordeaux competition Citadelles du Vin was pleasantly surprised by the intensity of some Pinot Noirs, a grape variety that for her, works best in cooler climates.

The awards

The highest honour, the Grand Or medal, was awarded to two wines from canton Valais, a Pinot Noir from Varone and a Pinot Gris from Salgesch/Salquenen. More than two-thirds of the medals (84) went to Pinot wines from Switzerland: 28 from Valais, 20 from Graubünden, 8 from Vaud, 6 from Neuchatel. The last of these regions had an excellent result in relation to the number of wines presented. The same was true for Graubünden and the rest of German-speaking Switzerland, with a total of 41 medals. At the international level, German Pinot wines won 15 medals, while France was awarded 7.

Special prizes

The Mondial des Pinots awards 9 “special prizes” (see attached list), among them the “Gran Maestro du Pinot Noir prize, given each year to the wine with the best overall result for three executive vintages. This year an Austrian producer won the prize. The Vinofed Prize goes to the Grand Or wine or gold medal wine that comes closest to a unanimous vote from the jury; this year it goes to a Neuchatel winery that is a regular winner at the competition.

A privilege for the public

The prize ceremony will take place Friday, 2 September, at Château Mercier in Sierre, immediately before the opening of the Vinea Swiss Wines Fair. For two days, 2 September (from 15:00-20:00) and 3 September (from 11:00 to 19:00), visitors will have a rare privilege, the option to taste freely the winning wines, at the stand for the Mondial des Pinots awards. Visitors will also be able to taste the award-winning Merlots from the Mondial des Merlots et assemblages, a competition for Merlots and blends that is also organized by VINEA.

Special prizes

Best wine of the competition
Offered by Felco Suisse
Pinot Noir Pfyfoltru 2015, AOC Valais, Soleil de Varone, Varen, Valais, Switzerland

Syngenta Gran Maestro du Pinot Noir prize
Offered by Syngenta Agro AG
Schlosshalbturn 2007, 2008, 2009, Neusiedler See, 
Weingut Schlosshalbturn GMBH, Halbturn, Austria

Best Swiss Pinot Noir
Offered by Normpack Suisse 
Pinot Noir Pfyfoltru 2015, AOC Valais, Soleil de Varone, Varen, Valais, Switzerland

Sparkling wine prize
Offered by the Union Suisse des Œnologues
Rosé Brut Italy non-vintage, Carpené Malvolti Spa Conegliano Veneto, Italy 

Rosé wine prize
Offered by Eticolle Sierre 
Trockenbeerenauslese 19.01  2015, AOC St-Gallen, Weinkellerei Haubensak, Altstätten, Saint Gallen, Switzerland

Pinot Gris prize
Offered by Serex Plastics Puidoux
Malvoisie flétrie Barrique 2014, AOC Valais, Gregor Kuonen, Salgesch/Salquenen, Valais, Switzerland

Pinot Blanc prize
Offered by Model Emballages 
Stadt Schaffhausen Heerenberg 2015, AOC Schaffhausen, Weinkeller sh, Schaffhausen, Switzerland

BIO prize (organic wines)
Offered by the Fédération Suisse des Vignerons
Blauburgunder Spätlese 2014, AOC Aargau, Ck-Weine, Schinznach-Dorf, Aargau, Switzerland

VINOFED prize 
Offered by VINEA Sierre
Pur Sang 2012, Neuchâtel AOC, Caves de Chambleau, Colombier, Neuchatel, Switzerland    

The complete list of award-winning wines from the 19th Mondial des Pinots competition is available online at www.mondial-des-pinots.com

For additional information

VINEA Association, Elisabeth Pasquier, Management office, Tel: +41 27 456 31 44, [email protected], www.vinea.ch