The 24th edition of this unique international competition of blends and branded wines was held by the Club of Ostrava’s Amateur Wine Evaluators, K.A.H.A.N, in conjunction with the Castle Zábřeh Hotel in Ostrava and the National Wine Centre. The event took place without the support of the Wine Fund of the Czech Republic. The initiator and spiritual father of this – the only wine contest taking place in the Moravian-Silesian district – was the guru of Czech and Moravian vini-viticulture, the late Professor Vilém Kraus.
Czech and Moravian wine producers and foreign-wine importers entered into this year’s edition a total of 114 wines in six competition categories: 24 dry white wines (category A1), 27 semi-dry and semi-sweet white wines (A2), 39 red wines (B), 6 rosé wines (C), 14 sparkling wines (D) and 4 sweet and liqueur wines (E). A total of nine countries sent their samples to this competition: Czech Republic (90 wines), Slovakia (9), France (6), Poland (3), Portugal (2), South Africa (1), Spain (1), Hungary (1) and Bulgaria (1), Wines which fulfilled the conditions of the competition statutes were assessed in the tasting room of National Wine Centre in Valtice on 13th April using the 100-point evaluation system under the patronage of the National Wine Centre. A hundred-point system was used in accordance with the criteria as defined by the National Standards for Certifying wine competitions of the Czech Republic. Wines receiving 92 points or over were in receipt of a double gold medal, wines achieving between 88 and 91.99 points were awarded a gold medal, wines achieving between 86 and 87.99 points were awarded a silver medal. It was decided by the organizers not to award any bronze medals.
A trio of specialised committees under the direction of Fedor Malík, Josef Balík and Jiří Dunovský awarded 4 double gold medals, 42 gold and 35 silver medals. Local Moravian wines were honoured with 2 double gold, 30 gold and 31 silver medals. Most successful among the foreign participants were wines emanating from Slovakia (6 gold, 2 silver), France (4 gold), Portugal (1 gold, 1 silver), Hungary (1 double gold) and Bulgaria (1 double gold), followed by Spain (1 gold) and South Africa (1 silver).
The title of Champion in the category of dry white wines was awarded to coupage of Sylvaner and Grüner Veltliner EGO No. 76 2024 (Zámecké vinařství Bzenec, Czech Republic). The red-wine champion was assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Melnik 55, Merlot and Petit Verdot Orbelus Prima Special Selection 2013 (Biovinarna Orbelus, Bulgaria; imported by Prowine). The title of National Winner for the best-rated red wine of local provenance went to Cuvée VB Barrique 2022 (Vladimír Tetur, Czech Republic), produced from Zweigelt and Pinot noir. The winner in the merged category of semi-dry and semi-sweet white wines and the sweet and liqueur wines was blend of Furmint and Hárslevelü Royal Tokaji Szamorodni 2018 (Royal Tokaji, Hungary; imported by Pinot). The victor in the Rosé and/or Blanc de Noirs category was Princess Jane 2025 (Polívka Winery, Czech Republic) made from Merlot and Cabernet Cortis. Sparkling-wine category was dominated by Cava Josep Ventosa Brut Premium NV (Josep Ventosa, Spain; imported by Winaři store), coupage of Xarel-lo, Macabeo, Chardonnay and Parellada. The domestic winery Zámecké vinařství Bzenec has received an award for the Best Overall Collection of Wines.
Champion titles were also handed out in the frame of Cuvée Ostrava Wine Exhibition at Castle Zábřeh Hotel on 30th April by the Committee of the Lay Public. These results permit wine producers and importers to compare the opinions of the specialists with those of wine aficionados. With the Jaroslav Kozel Award, in the shape of an original work by glassmaker Ricardo Hoineff, the organisers are paying tribute to the late wine lover from South Moravia without whom the Cuvée Ostrava Wine Competition would never even have seen the light of day. The Champions as chosen by the lay public were Bellus Bio 2022 (Vinařství Válka, Czech Republic) made of Chardonnay, Aurelius, Traminer and Pinot blanc, as well as Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Château Marjosse 2022 (Pierre Lurton, France; imported by 7deci.com – L9 s.r.o.). National winner was assamblage Merlot / Syrah / Alibernet 2023 (Štěpán Maňák, Czech Republic). The winners in the individual categories were in accordance with specialised jury Princess Jane 2025 (Polívka Winery, Czech Republic) and Cava Josep Ventosa Brut Premium NV (Josep Ventosa, Spain; imported by Winaři store). In view of the huge number of entries with a higher residual sugar content in the submissions by local wine producers, the Ostrava wine aficionados have arrived at the conclusion not to judge the categories of off-dry and semi-sweet whites, sweet and liquer wines. The award for the Best Collection of Wines according to the lay public went to the importer Winaři store. Duncan Savage Red 2023 (Savage Wines, South Africa; imported by Pinot s.r.o.) on the base of Syrah was then honored by the Jaroslav Kozel Award.
The results from this – the one and only international wine competition taking place in Northern Moravia – were made public on the same day at the Cuvée Ostrava Wine Exhibition in Zábřeh Castle. Professor Fedor Malík inaugurated the accompanying programme with his traditional tutored tasting of “Slovak wines at 5 o‘clock“. Thereafter the wine exhibition will be freely accessible to the general public, while visitors could sample not only the wines from the competition, but also varietal wines from those Moravian winemakers and importers of foreign wines who were present. The accompanying programme culminated with a presentation by Tomáš Dominec titled “Wines of France Vol. 9.”
The presumptuous aim of the organisers of the Cuvée Ostrava competition is to witness a renaissance of the good name of blends or brands and their return to the forefront of the products on offer from Czech and Moravian winemakers, as is customary in other major wine-producing countries. In the words of the spiritual father of the competition Professor Vilém Kraus: “There’s no Cuvée like a Cuvée” meaning that each and every blend is different.
Cuvée 2026 – Press release (PDF)
