Castel Juval Unterortl wins Italy’s National Riesling Contest for the 2nd consecutive year
Alto Adige Val Venosta DOC Riesling Unterortl took 1st place at the 20th National Riesling Contest, ahead of 42 other wines from 6 Italian regions.
The national ranking
Alto Adige Val Venosta DOC Riesling Unterortl from Castel Juval Unterortl was named Italy’s best Riesling for the 2nd consecutive year at the 20th National Riesling Contest. It finished ahead of 42 other entries from 6 Italian wine regions. Alto Adige DOC Riesling from Cantina Laimburg and Langhe DOC Riesling from Massolino - Vigna Rionda shared 2nd place.1
The wines of Abbazia di Novacella and Falkenstein shared 4th place. Lehengut ranked 6th, Jermann 7th and Tenuta Strasserhof-Hannes Baumgartner 8th, while Pratello di Bertola Vincenzo and Francesco Moser were joint winners in 9th place. Each of the 6 participating regions secured at least 1 wine in the Top 10.1
Judging and awards in Merano
The prizes were presented during the Merano WineFestival, an event founded by Helmuth Köcher, known as “The WineHunter,” and scheduled to continue in Merano until November 10. Magdalena Pratzner, president of the Riesling Days and National Competition in Naturno, said the 20th edition continued to attract strong producer interest and that the contest had become a reference point for Italy’s wine sector.1
A 20-member expert jury comprising oenologists, sommeliers and critics tasted all 43 competing wines. Pratzner said participation by multiple winegrowing areas allows producers to compare Rieslings from different terroirs, exchange experience with colleagues in other regions and establish relationships for the future.1
Regional winners
The competition also follows its tradition of recognizing regional winners, provided that a region is represented by at least 4 wines. The regional titles went to Castel Juval Unterortl for Alto Adige, Massolino - Vigna Rionda for Piedmont, Francesco Moser for Trentino and Pratello di Bertola Vincenzo for Lombardy.1
Italian Riesling vineyards
The Naturno contest presents an overview of Italian Riesling production, which covers approximately 1,460 hectares of vineyards. Lombardy has the largest stated area with 300 hectares, followed by Alto Adige with 110 hectares and Trentino with 46 hectares.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
