Croatian wine producer Krauthaker has won two medals at the international Merlot competition Mondial du Merlot held in Lugano, Switzerland in November.
Krauthaker won gold medal for the Krauthaker Mercs 2009, and silver medal for the Krauthaker Merlot 2009. The competition saw 300 wines entered from 21 countries. The judges awarded one grand gold medal, 33 gold and 53 silver. The competition was organised by the Vinea Association Sierre and the awards ceremony was held on Wednesday 30 November at the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola in Lugano.
The prizes reward Merlots that come from several different production regions. Among the 33 gold medals, 21 were given to Swiss producers, 5 to Italy, 5 to France and 1 each to Australia and Croatia.
The only grand gold medal of the competition was awarded to Sandra, a winery from Campodipietra in the Veneto region, which also won the Prize for the Best Merlot of the competition and the Prize for the Best Blend. The Tamborini winery in Ticino won the Univerre Pro Uva prize for the best Swiss Merlot and the HubertusKeller winery won the Vinofed Prize for the gold medal winner whose score was the closest to unanimity by the judges.
The Older Vintages Prize went to Azienda Agricola Ceralti in Tuscany, while the best foreign Merlot went to Château Saint-Christophe in the St Emilion appellation area in France.
The judges, a group of eminent international wine specialists praised the diversity and quality of the wines that were entered in the competition.
“A lovely palette of wines from the Merlot grape were shown during the competition, and it’s always interesting to work with a group of judges from around the world and to share their assessments,” says Paolo Basso, world number two sommelier.
Throughout the years, the Krauthaker winery has won numerous awards at the international wine competitions and exhibitions. Its vineyards, where 38 different grape varieties grow, are located in Kutjevo winegrowing region in Slavonia.
A particular attention is paid to indigenous Welschriesling variety – Grasevina, which is frequently awarded gold medals at fairs and wine exhibitions. Apart from Grasevina, the winery nurtures superior wines of other grape varieties: Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Zelenac, Merlot and Pinot Noir, which have all received awards and accolades at wine competitions.