Bulgarian Wineries Win 73 Medals at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Spirits Selection 2025

Ivona Velichkova

A ceremony for the presentation of medals from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) and Spirits Selection 2025 takes place at Grand Hotel Sofia, October 13, 2025 (BTA Photo/Vladimir Shokov)

Sofia,

13.10.2025 20:31

(BTA)

Tags

BG WINE

A ceremony for the presentation of medals from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) and Spirits Selection 2025 took place on Monday at Grand Hotel Sofia. A total of 73 medals were awarded to 27 Bulgarian wineries across all editions of the prestigious global competition in 2025, the organizers said. The achievements included three Grand Gold medals, 26 Gold, and 44 Silver, earned in competition with thousands of producers from around the world.

The greatest success came from Bulgarian red wines, which won all three Grand Gold medals, along with 17 Gold and 13 Silver. Bulgarian Sauvignons, judged during the April edition of the competition held in Burgas, claimed an unprecedented 20 medals – three Gold and 17 Silver. Bulgarian rosé wines, evaluated in Romania, won three Gold and five Silver medals, while at the Spirits Selection in Mexico, Bulgarian rakias and brandies received three Gold and eight Silver distinctions.

Villa Yambol emerged as the most awarded producer, earning two Grand Gold, six Gold, and three Silver medals. Rumelia Winery received one Grand Gold. Another Bulgarian producer, Delion, which competed with rakia produced in Serbia but operates and pays taxes in Bulgaria, won one Grand Gold, one Gold, and one Silver medal in Mexico.

Medals at the competition are awarded based on a fixed points system. Founded 30 years ago by the Belgian media company Vinopres, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles has grown into the largest international wine competition in the world, with over 15,000 samples tasted each year.

Bulgaria’s Tourism Minister, Miroslav Borshosh, described 2025 as a milestone year for Bulgarian winemakers and wine tourism. “At the beginning, we only dreamed of presenting Bulgarian wine producers and wine tourism at such major global events, and just months later, we can proudly say we are doing it,” he said. Borshosh also noted that only days earlier, Plovdiv hosted the 9th UN Global Conference on Wine Tourism, which, in his words, “puts Bulgaria firmly on the global wine tourism map”.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Yanislav Yanchev said the quality of Bulgarian wine will continue to draw international attention. He added that promoting Bulgarian wines abroad helps raise the country’s profile not only as a tourism and wine tourism destination, but also as a respected producer on the world stage. “Just as we have supported the sector so far, we will continue to do so in the future,” he said.

CMB Director Quentin Havaux emphasized that the competition serves both consumers and producers, as it guarantees quality and credibility. He explained that all wines are blind-tasted by panels of five to six judges from around the world with diverse expertise. Each judge also provides a full description of the wine. Artificial intelligence is used to systematize the judges’ assessments and tasting notes, which are later utilized by producers and distributors. The main goal, Havaux said, is to simplify information for consumers and make it more accessible.

He added that CMB promotes awarded products worldwide, with dedicated bars for medal-winning wines already open in Seoul and Mexico, and more planned at European airports. The competition also maintains a major stand at Wine Paris, a rapidly growing professional trade fair, where all awarded producers are invited to participate.

BTA Deputy Director General Evgenia Drumeva, who presented one of the awards, recalled that BTA recently launched the New BG WINE Leads the Way series, featuring dozens of Bulgarian wineries. So far, more than 110 wineries across the country have been profiled. BTA also prepared a bilingual brochure (in Bulgarian and English) featuring these wineries, printed by the Tourism Ministry and distributed during the 9th UN Global Conference on Wine Tourism in Plovdiv.

/КТ, KK/