Which wine awards in 2023 were the most special for us? At Karpatská Perla, the year 2023 was once again marked by beautiful recognitions for our wines. The competitions we entered with our wines confirmed that wines from our own vineyards have great potential and can impress not only Slovak wine experts but also international judges.
So, which wines are we talking about? Among them are definitely Grüner Veltliner 2021 (sur lie) from the Noviny vineyard, Rhine Riesling 2021 (semi-sweet) from the Suchý vrch vineyard, Cuvée 4 Živly White 2021, Devín 2018 (raisin selection) from the Plázle vineyard and Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from the Suchý vrch vineyard.
Basically it turned out that the 2018 vintage, when we started harvesting three weeks earlier than usual, especially memorable the grape harvest of Irsai Oliver from the Šenkvice cooperative farm which was, due to the warm and sunny year, harvested already on August 13, 2018 - proved to be excellent for naturally sweet and red wines. The 2021 vintage particularly favored white wines, which gained a strong structure thanks to the unique granite and loess soils of our vineyards.
What awards did actually these wines win? The most awarded wine, Grüner Veltliner 2021 (sur lie) from the Noviny vineyard, won a gold medal at the Bacchus Madrid 2023, Les Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg 2023, and Sakura Award 2023 competitions. It also received the Prague Premium Gold at the Prague Wine Trophy 2023, the Best Grüner Veltliner award at the Danube Wine Challenge 2023, and was selected for the National Wine Salon of Slovakia 2023.
The semi-sweet Riesling 2021 from Suchý vrch vineyard won a gold medal at the Vínne Trhy Pezinok 2023 and the Zlatý pohár Česko Slovenska 2023 competition. It also received the Prague Regional Champion award at the Prague Wine Trophy 2023 and a silver medal at the Riesling Rytier Víno 2023 competition.
The white cuvée 4 ŽIVLY 2021 earned a gold medal at Bacchus Madrid 2023 and Zlatý pohár Česko Slovenska 2023, a silver medal at the Vinalies International Paris 2023, and the Prague Premium Gold award at the Prague Wine Trophy 2023.
The Devín 2018 (raisin selection) from the Plázle vineyard won a Grand Gold Medal at Vinalies International Paris 2023, a Gold Medal at Bacchus Madrid 2023, and was awarded Best Devín at the Danube Wine Challenge 2023. Additionally, it received the "Dorota Pospíšilová Special Prize", personally awarded by Mrs. Pospíšilová—the First Lady of Slovak Grape Breeding.
One of our finest red wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from the Suchý vrch vineyard, earned a Gold Medal at both the Danube Wine Challenge 2023 and the Zlatý pohár Česko Slovenska 2023. It was also named Prague Regional Champion at the Prague Wine Trophy 2023 and won a Silver Medal at the Vínne Trhy Pezinok 2023.
So now, which of these wines is your favourite?
