(WB) - The 2016 edition of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Plovdiv / Bulgaria (April 29 – May 1st) ended with a tremendous success of the host country. The quality revolution which wine experts saw coming up in the last five years was demonstrated in a very impressive way: Bulgarian producers for the first time ever won four Grand Gold medals (!), 47 Gold medals and 58 Silver medals. With a total of 109 medals out of 256 samples sent to the prestigious competition Bulgaria reached a benchmark of 42,6 percent. No other country could top this brilliant result.

With a total of 8.750 wines from 51 producer countries, amongst them newcomers like Israel, Serbia, Jordan, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Armenia, CMB 2016 set a new record. In Plovdiv, the ancient city of Philippopolis, more than 320 professionals from 54 countries all around the world gathered to taste and judge the samples blind. Despite traditional domination by wines from France, Spain, Italy and Portugal the uprising “new old world countries” in Eastern Europe are gaining ground with each edition of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which is taking place in another country every year.

Never before their participation was as strong as in Plovdiv, with almost 850 wines, and never before Eastern Europe showed up such strongly as in 2016 – result of huge investments in new vineyards, cellar technology and by far improved know-how. With Domaine Boyar’s Korten Natura Mavrud-Rubin 2014, Stallion Classic 2012 of Angelus Estate, Leva Chardonnay/Dimiat/Muscat 2015 from Vinex Slavyantsi and Salla Cabernet Franc 2013 Bulgaria won four Grand Gold medals in the same time, after having collected a first one in CMB 2015. Other Central and South Eastern European countries were following the path of success: Grand Gold also for Movino Rizling vlassky neskory sber 2015 (Slovakia), Soul Syrah 2012 from Kovacs Nimrod Winery (Hungary), Podrum Vinis 2012 (Serbia), Viile Budureasca Tamaioasa Romaneasca Premium 2015 (Romania) and Turasan Blush Rosé 2015 from Turkey. In total Slovakia got 26 medals, Turkey 22, Romania 20, Czech Republic 16, Moldova 11, Georgia and Lebanon 6, Croatia and Hungary 3, Israel and Macedonia 2 and Bosnia-Hercegovina one.