Some of the wine world’s greatest experts, including four Masters of Wine, one Master Sommelier, thirteen international wine academics as well as winemakers, wine merchants and sommeliers will gather this year at the Winelovers international wine competition to find the best wines from Central and Eastern Europe. Entries are now open, with the organisers of the second edition of Winelovers Wine Awards this year expecting a thousand different wines.
“We gained a wealth of experience in organising wine competitions, tastings and professional events as well as in wine-specific communication and in the wine trade in Hungary from 2010 on. We realised that the internationalisation of our wine competition, previously known as Winelovers 100, is a great opportunity, not only regarding the wines entered, but also regarding the jury, both for winemakers looking to break out of the region and also for wine merchants and experts from classic wine importing countries looking for something new and special,” says István Tábor, managing director and owner of Winelovers.
The Winelovers Wine Awards, being held for the second time this year, aims to become the most important wine competition in the Central and Eastern European region and one of the most important international events in the wine world.
“Throughout history, Hungary has always functioned as a bridge between the East and the West, and our winemaking traditions and skills are also well suited to playing a catalytic role in this field,” explains István Tábor, adding that the region’s wines still need export opportunities and marketing specifically supporting exports. Winelovers also helps them to do this, since, as well as extensive communication in Hungary, the wine competition is also linked to increasingly strong international publicity. Winning wines will be featured on the international Wine-Searcher website as well as on our English-language website and social media. They will also be communicated to the international press through press releases, including an edited, English-language digital publication for the most important players in the Western European wine market.
The competition, taking place in Budapest 7-9 July 2023, with around 1,000 different wines expected, will be judged by around 70 experts, in accordance with professional guidelines. The professional conditions and compliance with international standards will be ensured by jury president, international wine academic László Bálint. “The wines are basically judged according to international standards, but a special feature of the Winelovers Wine Awards is that it is judged from the perspective of the average wine consumer, thus it gives the consumer a real point of reference,” says László Bálint.
After the morning tastings, the jury will discover more about the region’s winemakers, wineries and wine regions through short study tours, wine dinners and informal walkaround tastings. Moreover, the wine-loving public will also have the opportunity to get involved, at the Winelovers-X – Experts, Exhibition, Exclusivity event on 8 July, with a walkaround tasting and masterclasses.
“Wine competitions are a great aid to the consumer – who is often confronted with so many wines to buy they find it difficult to choose. It gives the consumer guidance and confidence in their purchase if the medal winning wine has been scored highly by experts – says Rose Murray Brown, Master of Wine, judge at Winelovers 2022 and 2023. – The contests are particularly important in Central Eastern Europe as many of these wine countries are unknown to wine lovers as they are up-and coming. The contests help the consumers choose from a range of unknown names – and helps the producers promote their product as a quality wine.”
Entries are now open for the 2023 Winelovers Wine Awards, and producers can enter at a discounted rate until 30 April by submitting the necessary details on the competition website.
