(AFP) - France burnished its winemaking credentials on Friday winning the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) international wine contest in Slovakia, the first Central European country to host one of the world's top five wine competitions.

The host country's little-known wines took sixth place, continuing a streak of success in some of the world's most prestigious competitions.

Slovakia tied with their world-renowned French cousins based on the percentage of medals awarded, taking into account the number of wines submitted.

"France retained its leading position with 709 medals, followed closely by Spain (524 medals), Portugal (288 medals), Italy (276), Chile (109), Slovakia (60)," CMB said in a Friday press release.