From the very morning, there is a kind of special excitement in the air. We have already done a great job as the jury of this year's Balkan International Wine competition (BIWC), which is being held in Skopje for the first time. It's been hard work, but at the same time exciting and full of pleasant surprises... But the tasting is not over yet. Konstantinos Lazarakis MW is already in the hall of the Holiday Inn hotel with the technical team and they are preparing samples for today's tasting.

Our jury panel already acts as a well-coordinated team. After we finish the regular part of the judging, we have a lunch break, and then the most exciting part of the competition starts when the jury will determine the winners of the big trophies and the best wines of the competition.

By the time we finished lunch, the technical team had already set up a selection of the best rated wines from all categories. In front of us are the best wines of the Balkans... In silence, focused, we are attempting to pick the absolute winner of this year's BIWC and the wine that will best represent the quality and potential of Balkan winemaking. All wines are exceptional so nuances will prevail once the aggregated scores of the jury members are processed. My only regret is that we will find out the identity of the winner no sooner than June 18th, at the Balkan Wine Festival in Sofia...

In the evening, Chateau Kamnik hosted a gala dinner. It was an opportunity to officially close the competition, to thank the hosts (Wines of Macedonia) for the impeccable organization and the opportunity to visit Macedonian wineries and to reveal names of the winners in the Best of Show category (the best wine from each of the Balkan countries).

The plateau in front of Chateau Kamnik winery, the red carpet through the vineyards, the panoramic view of Skopje and the sunset among the vineyards... In the course of evening, the organizers announced several important pieces of information...

It's time to find out the winners in the Best of Show category. The following winners have been announced:

Best of Show Albania - Merlot 2018 - Belba Winery

Best of Show Bosnia and Herzegovina - Collection Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2018 - Fazan Winery

Best of Show Croatia - Prisbus Reserva 2018 - Baraka Winery

Best of Show Greece - Afoura Santorini Assyrtiko 2019 - Anhydrous

Best of Show Kosovo and Metohija - Grand Rahova Reserve 2019 - Labi Wines

Best of Show Montenegro - Stari Podrum Vranac 2013 - Plantations

Best of Show North Macedonia - Signature Merlot 2017 Grand Reserva - Chateau Kamnik

Best of Show Romania - Issa Sauvignon Blanc 2020 - Crama La Salina

Best of Show Serbia - Dina Grašac Sparkling wine 2018 - Vinum Winery

Best of Show Slovenia - Brut Seven Numbers - Puklavec & Friends

Best of Show Turkey - Asticus Mons Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 - Chamlija

Galina Niforou, Director of BIWCF, also addressed the audience emotionally: "I will cherish warmth and professionalism of our partners from Wines of Macedonia. The accompanying program was very intense and interesting. We had the pleasure to visit 8 best wineries in the country. Our colleagues and friends from North Macedonia showed the international jury members the importance of Balkan hospitality, warmth and cordiality. Wine is a bridge that unites nations and we could all feel it in Skopje. ".

The special award for "Wine Personality of the Balkans" was given to Paul Robert Blom, who has been actively promoting Balkan wines since 1964. The laureate did not hide his joy that he received this award for 50 years of work during which he worked hard on sale and promotion of Balkan wines.

Another exceptional news that was announced at the gala dinner (and which certainly delighted the wine scene in Serbia) is the change at the head of the competition. Since the founding of the BIWC competition, the function of the competition president has been performed by Konstantin Lazarakis MW from Greece. In the following period, the competition will develop and grow further under the leadership of the new president of the competition - Igor Luković from Serbia.

And for the very end, there remains announcement of the host country for the BIWC competition next year. Greece and its capital Athens will be the capital of Balkan wines in 2022.

Traditionally, BIWC judges lower the curtain on this year's celebration and competition and make a toast after 3 intense days with - beer... And still we have to wait for the complete final results from the BIWC 2021 competition which will be announced at the Balkan Wine Festival in Sofia on June 18th, 2021. 

 

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