Shiraz World Tasting

The first edition of the Syrah du Monde^® international wine competition, organised by Forum Œnologie, has just come to an end. Over the course of two days, international experts tasted more than 320 Syrah/Shiraz wines from all over the world. Diversity and quality are the watchwords for the 2007 winners, which should come as no surprise for a grape variety currently enjoying rapid growth. Strict quality standards and optimal tasting conditions enabled the international judges to award 108 medals that are recognised as a reliable criterion for selection.

On 31 May and 1 June 2007, in Ampuis, France, an international wine competition - Syrah du Monde^® - recognised the world’s best Syrah/Shiraz wines for the first time, awarding reliable and thus representative medals. This competition is founded on a single conviction: distinctive marks of quality are the key to the differentiation and thus to the promotion of medal-winning wines in a highly competitive and often confusing marketplace. Medal-winning wineries can use their medals in marketing their wines.

Syrah du Monde^® 2007 brought together 325 wines from 17 countries, making this competition into one of the world’s top events for Syrah/Shiraz wines. This marvellous success illustrates the impressive growth that this Rhône varietal has enjoyed since the 1970s.

Syrah du Monde^® has carved out a place of its own amongst wine competitions, thanks to its international flavour and its rigorous methods. During the two days of tasting under optimal conditions, the international expert judges awarded 108 medals in accordance with international wine competition regulations and in strict compliance with Quality Assurance requirements.

Syrah du Monde^® has progressively distinguished itself from other international competitions thanks to quality standards that are much stricter than the norm and by remaining faithful to its founding principles: diversity, quality and high standards.

Participation rate: For this first edition in 2007, participation was excellent, showing that there is real interest in international, quality-based competitions: 17 countries and 325 wines.

Geographical diversity: With representation from 17 countries, Syrah du Monde^® offers a variety of Syrah/Shiraz wines rarely equalled in competitions of this level. Right from the start, this makes it one of the most significant and legitimate qualitative confrontations for recognising the world’s best Syrah/Shiraz wines.

Participation was particularly strong from Australia, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Chile and Switzerland. From France, Languedoc-Roussillon and the southern Rhône Valley had significant representations.

Medal-Winning Countries

We can note the strong showing from France with 13 gold medals, 28 silver medals and 5 bronze medals. Four French wines made the Top Ten, including the first three spots. Languedoc-Roussillon and the southern Rhône Valley took home a number of prestigious medals. Several sparkling wines were noteworthy.

In Europe, Switzerland, Italy and Spain distinguished themselves with several medals.

Outside Europe, Chile, Argentina, Australia and South Africa all stood out.

Diversity of Sensorial Expression

Each of the wines that distinguished themselves at Syrah du Monde^® did so because of their own intrinsic quality, not in comparison with the other wines. A favourable score was given to wines with good Syrah varietal character, and well-balanced oak was considered to be a plus. However, oakiness was marked down if it covered up varietal aromas and flavours.

During this initial competition, several gold and silver medals were awarded to wines with well-balanced alcohol and with aroma intensity and depth covering a wide range from exotic to traditional. In the mouth, harmonious tannins and fine expressions of ageing were favourably evaluated.

Several marks of quality were awarded to younger wines and to rosé wines whose aroma complexity and soft tannins won over the judges.

Sparkling wines and late-harvest or ice wines also received favourable notice.

This event was therefore a unique opportunity to bring together and discover Syrah/Shiraz wines in all their forms: red, rosé, still, sparkling, dry or sweet.

Technical Enrichment: Use of a New Professional Tasting Instrument Thanks to Applied Research

In addition to organising a flawless competition, this event also aims at improving the reliability of measuring instruments. Thanks to applied research, a professional tasting glass has been developed for the evaluation of sparkling Chardonnay wines. Tested by the judges at Effervescents du Monde^® , this new tool is an INAO-type tasting glass that contains a precise number of nucleation sites. Named Fleur d’Effervescence^®, this glass is meant to optimise the tasting of sparkling wines: to calibrate their degree of effervescence, to control the formation of bubbles and to enable ideal expression of the foam amongst other factors.