New medal record set in Vin De France competition 2022

A new record has been set for the number of gold medals given out in the Best Value Vin De France Selection 2022 – a competition held annually by Anivin De France.

It was announced this morning that 133 medal-winning Vin De France (VDF) wines have been selected as ambassador wines for 2022 following this year’s tasting, where as many as 64 gained a gold, up from 52 in 2021.

For this year’s competition, 443 wines were entered from a total of 100 French wine companies, with 61 companies winning a medal.

The 133 winning wines were split into two categories: 64 gold medals (52 in 2021); and 69 silver medals (94 in 2021).

The total number of award-winning wines amounts to 30% of the samples entered, the limit set by the OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin), which is respected in the judging process.

The wines were chosen in Paris last Friday (11 February) at a blind tasting by 40 wine buyers and oenologists. It was moderated by members of the Oenologues de France. The panel included international buyers from Brazil, USA, UK, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands, France and Ukraine.

The medal winning wines can be tasted at Wine Paris on 14-16 February and will feature at Prowein (Germany) and APAS (Brazil) in May this year.

An email burst featuring the award winners will be sent to over 14,000 international buyers, and the results of the competition will be featured in the May edition of the drinks business and online at thedrinksbusiness.com

Last year 315 million bottles of VDF wines were sold, with 77% of these in export markets.

Some of the fast-growing markets include the USA, up 33% in volume from 2020; Sweden, where sales rose by 36%; and Ireland, which was up 22%.

A relatively new player on the Vin De France list is Brazil, where volumes increased by 136%, suggesting that the wines are well-suited to the South American market.

The UK continues to be a major export market, ranking second in volume, with some 140,789 Hl (15%) of Vin de France wine sold.

Total sales across all export markets for the same period equate to just under €242 million, which is up 13% compared to 2020.

Valerie Pajotin, who is director of Anivin De France, said after attending this year’s competition, “It was fantastic to be in the same room as our professional tasters again this year, and we thank all of those who travelled to Paris to join us; the positive feedback confirms that VDF continues to appeal to both traditional and new markets who appreciate the creativity, innovation and value for money which the wines in this category represent.”

A selection of comments from some of the judges can be seen below:

PHILIPPE NEWLIN, wine.com, USA: “VDF offers the opportunity to provide sharply priced varietal wines which can excite the younger consumers and show them the competitive side of France.  It is the category that can lead the charge with new consumers.”

ARI GORENSTEIN, Evino, Brazil: “VDF is an excellent way for consumers to start to understand French varietal styles.”

KLARA LYBY, Løgismose, Denmark: “VDF is a creative world of wines:  you expect a certain level of quality with them.”

BARBARA PHILIP, BCLDB, Canada: “VDF is an opportunity to build French equity through highlighting the grape variety.”