Italian grape Ruché gets first international award at IWSC

Native Piedmontese variety Ruché has picked up its first international accolade with producer Montalbera winning the International Indigenous Grape Varieties Trophy.

The IWSC has described this year as its ‘most exciting competition to date’ following the success of Russian and Japanese wines and new entries from Azerbaijan and Egypt.

Spain topped the medal charts for this year’s northern hemisphere awards with 37 best in class medals, but was pushed ‘all the way’ by France and Italy.

Producer Montalbera won the International Indigenous Grape Varieties Trophy for its Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato Laccento 2015, which was described by judges as ‘warm, scented and seductive’.

Created 15 years ago, the International Indigenous Grape Varieties Trophy is awarded to lesser-known grape varieties that are grown in one country only.

Ruché, a black grape native to the Piedmont region in northern Italy, was given its own appellation in 2011.

IWSC tasting manager Pip Mortimer commented on Montalbera’s example: “This excellent wine is warm, scented and seductive to the nose, with sweet nuances of raspberry coulis, and a dash of cloves. It is wonderfully harmonious, intense and genteel, soft and silky, delicate and very refined”.

Italy’s medal count was up by 6% on last year with a total of 988 gold, silver and bronze awards.

Wines from Azerbaijan and Egypt received medals for the first time, while Russia increased its award total by 150%, Moldova by 47%, Japan by 55% and Georgia by 47%.

Portugal received its largest ever IWSC medal haul for its still wines, with its total number of medals having quadrupled in the last three years.

Richard Stoppard, chief operating officer of IWSC, commented: “We continue to see true excellence coming from established markets such as Italy and France, and it is thrilling to be able to celebrate yet another impressive set of results from both countries.”

“IWSC 2017 is truly proving to be our most exciting competition to date. IWSC medals are awarded by our independent judges purely on merit after going through the most rigorous blind tastings, so it is incredibly pleasing to see how the standards for wine production in the Northern Hemisphere continues to go from strength to strength from wine producing countries both new and old,” he added.