A Belgian sparking wine outclasses champagne
A sparkling wine from Hainaut has won an award for excellence at an international wine-tasting competition. A major first!
The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has been rewarding outstanding wines every year since 1994. During the 26th event, held in Switzerland from 2 to 5 May 2019, 342 international experts tasted around 9,000 samples from 50 different countries. This year, the International Revelation Sparkling Wine award was presented to a Belgian wine: the Cuvée Prestige 2014 Brut Blanc de Blancs from the Domaine du Chant d’Éole in Quévy-le-Grand (in the province of Hainaut). This sparkling wine beat the other 760 sparkling wines competing in this category, including 200 champagnes.
This Cuvée Prestige had already won a gold medal during the 2015 competition, even though the Domaine du Chant d’Éole has only been in existence since 2010. The sparkling wine is made of 98% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Blanc and produced in the traditional way: hand-picking and bottles aged for 48 months.
The 26th competition also awarded nine other medals to Belgian wines, including the sparkling varieties from the Château de Bioul, Ruffus, and wines from Liège. It is not just France and Italy that produce exceptional wines, as Belgium is also starting to step up into the big league. It’s a delight for wine enthusiasts, but in moderation.
