The town of Aigle in Switzerland will become the world’s wine capital in 2019. The travelling Concours Mondial de Bruxelles will host its next event there. The choice was announced on the last day of the 2018 competition, when Dai Binbin, Chief of the Haidian district of Beijing, China, solemnly handed over the Concours Mondial wine glass to Frédéric Borloz, the Mayor of Aigle, Switzerland.
“After Beijing, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is returning to its European origins, choosing Switzerland, where vines have been grown since the Roman Empire. The country ranks 5th worldwide for per capita wine consumption”, commented Baudouin Havaux, Chairman of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. “Swiss wines are on the Concours Mondial’s top ten medal list”, he added.
“Organising a competition of such magnitude opens up a multitude of doors and provides invaluable visibility, all over the world. Aigle will be proud to host the Brussels World Competition and share the passion of making wine with professionals from around the globe“, commented the Mayor of Aigle Frédéric Borloz. 2019 will be an exceptional year for the Swiss wine industry, as the country will also host the General Meeting of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) and the Winegrowers’ Festival(Fête des Vignerons) in Vevey which has taken place once every 25 years since 1797.
Although Switzerland is not amongst the top ten global wine producers, in terms of consumption it surpasses countries like Chile, Greece, and Austria.
The organisers believe that Aigle, in the Swiss region of Vaud, is the perfect choice for hosting the next Concours Mondial. Aigle is magnificently located on the edge of the Rhone valley, surrounded by the impressive Swiss Alps. Close to Aigle, Lake Geneva and “Lavaux” vineyard – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – form one of the most beautiful landscapes in Switzerland. Vaud has 8 appellations (Appellation d’origine contrôlée). It produces a quarter of all Swiss wines, including the three most widely grown grapes in the country: Pinot Noir, Chasselas(indigenous), and Gamay. Next to Vaud is Valais– the biggest wine growing region in Switzerland. Currently, there are over 1,800 wine makers in Switzerland and 240+ grape varieties. The Concours Mondial tasters and journalists will visit different Swiss wine regions, including of course Vaud and Valais.
Swiss wine entries to Concours Mondial have posted an increase over the last 3 years. In 2017, the country gained 42 medals, including 3 Grand Golds. Most of the awarded wines are from the regions of Valais and Vaud.
Switzerland took part in Concours Mondial for the first time in 2006. Ever since, it has been among the top ten countries by number of entries.
The 2019 Concours Mondial will be held from May 2 to 5, 2019.
The tasting sessions will take place at The World Cycling Centre – a training facility which welcomes over 150 athletes from developing countries around the world every year.
To mark the occasion, the Swiss partners of the Concours treated the international panel of judges in Beijing to a special selection of wines and cheeses from various regions in Switzerland.Traditional musicians travelled all the way to China with their alp horns to produce a “live” show and demonstrate how proud Switzerland is to welcome the 2019 Concours Mondial.
The 2019 Concours Mondial will be organised with the support of the city of Aigle and Swiss Wine Promotion.
