Wines with ambition: Slovakia once again hosts the prestigious Danube Wine Challenge competition on TV JOJ
BELÁ / Wine, a symbol of nobility and, increasingly, a Slovak export hit! After a year-long hiatus, one of the world's most prestigious wine competitions, the Danube Wine Challenge, under the patronage of the OIV, the wine industry's equivalent of the UN, has returned to Slovakia.
Slovak wines are very well known
A record 737 wine samples from 12 countries are being evaluated at Chateau Belá. More than half are from Slovak cellars. For the fifth time, Slovakia is hosting one of the most prestigious international wine competitions under the patronage of the World Wine Federation. "There are only 13 such competitions in the world, and it is a great honor for us that this competition can take place in Slovakia," says Edita Ďurčová, general director of the Danube Wine Challenge.
Source: TV JOJ
Slovak wines are now known in more than 70 countries around the world. Over the past 30 years, their quality has skyrocketed. "It's going up like a rocket. Our problem is that we really don't invest enough money or energy into promoting it," adds Ďurčová.
In the beautiful surroundings of Chateau Belá, wines were evaluated by experts from around the world, from Canada to Australia. Some tasted more Slovak wines than some Slovaks. And their taste buds are working at full speed. "We have a lot of sun in Australia, which means our grapes are riper and have a more elegant style. Váh and Dunaj, your red varieties are very interesting to me," says Mike Mezey, a taster from Australia, Danube Wine Challenge.
"This competition gives us a very good reputation abroad, all over the world, so we are very happy that we can promote the region and the whole of Slovakia in this way. After each competition, we see an enormous increase in foreign tourists," explains Ján Kolkus, director of Chateau Belá.
Wine tourism today is not just about tasting—it's a whole experiential menu. "Combining wine with gastronomy, our monuments, and beautiful nature. That's exactly what I call the X factor," responds Ďurčová.
"Consumers have no other way of learning about the quality of wine. One thing is that they can taste it themselves or ask an expert. The expert's opinion is represented by the medal on the bottle," says Miroslav Fondrk, oenologist, president of the Winemakers' Guild, and judge at the Danube Wine Challenge.
"They know that if their wine gets a lot of points, they're doing it right, and if it gets fewer points, there's room for improvement," says Ivo Dvořák, sommelier and judge at the Danube Wine Challenge Czech Republic.
Miroslav Petrech, a legend of Slovak winemaking, oenologist at Chateau Belá, and judge at the Danube Wine Challenge, appreciates not only the increase in the quality of wines in our country: "The quality of consumers has increased by 100 percent. Young people are learning to taste and evaluate wines beautifully. That's very positive."
Source: TV JOJ
