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Since 1994, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has been bringing journalists, oenologists, sommeliers, and influential representatives together to judge and award medals to some of the finest wines and spirits being produced today. In the end, this international wine competition helps consumers focus in on award-winning selections that have been tasted and approved by an elite group of experts.
How it all works:
Each morning at 8:30 am, the judges get together in their pre-selected groups of five to six tasters. Since this competition is not solely wine, they reserve one group for fortified wines, and three others are dedicated for the liquors, spirits, brandies and fruit wines.
Before each tasting, there is a palate calibration to help harmonize and gauge the ratings of the 220 tasters. Each group receives a flight of 4 – 6 samples to be tasted, with a maximum of 50 samples per morning. Other than identifying the age of the product, bottles are cloaked to hide the shape, size, and label to hinder any pre-conceived notions a judge might have. Samples are then poured into crystal glasses (2000 glasses were used and had to be hand-washed three times a day) at their correct temperature. They are tasted, rated, and given points for the visual aspect (clarity, color, and, when necessary, effervescence). Next comes olfactory qualities (intensity, openness, and quality), followed by the taste (intensity, openness, quality, and finish). Once this is complete, the judges’ evaluation cards are handed in for scanning and statistical analysis.
What they receive:
A Great Gold Medal is awarded for points 96 to 100%
A Gold Medal is awarded for points 87 – 95.9%
A Silver Medal is awarded for points 82.5 to 86.9%
There are also winning categories for the best white wine, the best red wine, the best sparkling wine, and the best sweet wine.
Once I was home and read the results, I was pleased to learn that several American companies took the time and effort to make sure their wines had a presence at this prestigious event. I am also pleased to announce that out of the 5,735 wines (20 of which were from the United States), two American wineries earned medals.
The Trinchero Family Estates earned two Golds for their 2004 Cabernet Sauvignons and the Ernest & Julio Gallo Estate earned two Silver Medals… one for their 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon and the other for their 2006 Syrah Rose.
Let’s raise our glasses to all of the winners, the wonders of wine, and to the hopes that more American wineries present their liquid treasures in the 2008 competition.
Video diary of the trip to Maastricht
Maastricht - Netherlands, April 29th, 2007
By Linda Calder
The morning started out like no other. I awoke from a sleep that was full of dreams, but my body that was wrought with fatigue from the two previous sleepless nights had not moved from its original point of impact. When the alarm went off, I tried to rise as I do every morning, but this morning was different. My head and body ached from fatigue and dehydration, but I had to get up to accompany my travel buddy (MTB), to our very first European breakfast. After breakfast, she would be leaving the hotel to be a judge for the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which is an international wine and spirits competition.
We both got ready like synchronized swimmers. We put on our makeup… curled our hair… and checked our handbags to make sure we had everything needed for the rest of the day. As we left our room, I did one last bag check for my room key. I knew I would be back after breakfast to catch up on a few more hours of much needed sleep.
This morning, we were a bit more refreshed and at ease with the now familiar faces from the evening before. As we approached the buffet breakfast, I smiled and sighed with a bit of relief. Just a month prior to this trip, I was on an island vacation which served unrecognizable food in their silver chaffing dishes. This buffet, however, greeted me with scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruits, and croissants. Once our plates were full, we seated ourselves in the dining hall in the middle of the room. This allowed us the opportunity to watch and listen to the other wine judges and we felt a bit more like a part the group than we did the previous evening. For dinner the night before, we had to sit at a table at the back of the room which left us feeling a bit disconnected from the other attendees. After dinner, we went outside to enjoy the warm evening and a post-dinner drink. We ended up sitting at a long table that was configured of many smaller bistro tables pushed together which kept growing like a caterpillar as more and more judges came outside to join the group. We were both surrounded by people speaking many different languages. Luckily for us, most of them spoke English as well, and they included us in their friendly conversations; this made us feel welcome, even though we were like guests at a high school reunion.
Now back to our morning... MTB announced it was time to go to the expo hall. I couldn't help but feel that I was walking her to her first day of kindergarten. After just a short walk past the now disconnected bistro tables, we entered the main building of the expo hall through the heavy glass doors. It was now time to say goodbye to MTB since I didn't have an official badge and blue ribbon around my neck proclaiming that I was a judge. But I wanted to see more. I felt like I was sneaking into a secret CIA meeting, and I wished I had a badge and blue ribbon to make this entrance into the room a little more official. Assuming everyone in front of us was going to the same place, we followed along while we discussed how much further I was going to be able to tag along to see what was in store for MTB's tasting adventure.
To my relief, there were no "CIA agents" with blue jackets, reflective sunglasses, and walkie-talkies guarding the judging area. I think I can go in a bit further, so I take a step through the door, waiting to be apprehended. Wow! It was not at all as I had expected. There before me, were tables set in small groupings. Most of the groupings had four tables facing forward and one lead table facing back at them. Each table had a white table cloth, multiple tasting glasses, a bucket to spit or pour the wine into, a bottle of water, and a flag representing the country the judge represented. We walked around focusing in on any American flags that we could find to help us locate MTB's table. We finally found it at the back of the room. MTB took her place at the table, and I started to take pictures like the "proud mom" that I was. It was then that we were greeted by two other judges who were from the United States. The three of them started talking about what will be happening during the judging. This was it… I knew I could finally make my exit before I was asked to leave. She had made some new friends, and I could leave without feeling as if I was abandoning her on her first day of school. Now, I would just have to wait several hours to see how her first day went.
Four hours later and here they come… the judges were filing out through the glass doors and passing my bistro table while discussing which wines got their high scores. I watched this slow procession for thirty minutes wondering why MTB was still inside. No worries here... I am enjoying the sun while sipping my second glass of champagne. Soon one of the American judges whom she had just befriended appeared and assured me all was well, and she was doing fine. Another hour and another champagne later (thank goodness for room tabs), the empty tables around me were now full with people talking about their morning, but my eavesdropping skills had been deactivated since they were no longer speaking in English. I knew I should have packed my book “Multiple Foreign Languages for Dummies”. Ok… another sip of champagne and a little more European sun warming my face, and I am good for as long as it takes. Then she appeared! I could tell that she was smiling, but her hand was covering her mouth. “What the H… E… Double Hockey sticks was she doing?” When I asked her, she dropped her hand, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. This truly made my morning! The amount of red wine she had tasted caused her teeth and tongue to turn a rich shade of plum. She had wondered why others were brushing their teeth until she looked into a mirror!
Note to self… remind MTB to pack a toothbrush and toothpaste for the next day. Better yet... don't remind her and pack my camera so that I won’t miss a blackmail photo opportunity.
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A wonderful wine tasting trip to the Netherlands
