58 Medals Awarded by TexSom International Wine Awards to Chilean Wineries

Chile Harvests 58 Medals at 2017 TEXSOM International Wine Awards

USA’s premier wine awards showcase Chile’s diversity

March 21, 2017, New York– Chile’s 2017 harvest is underway and the adage that what is planted now is reaped later couldn’t be more accurate. While wineries have been gathering a bounty of diverse world class wine grapes, from the heights of Chile’s Andean winegrowing limits to the cool Pacific coastline, their most recent bottlings yielded an impressive range of medals at the 2017 TEXSOM International Wine Awards.

TEXSOM International Wine Awards, a competition which has rapidly ascended to become a critical and highly regarded competition by US wine trade, announced winners on Friday, March 17th. Judges are among the most well-trained palates in the USA and include 71 top ranked Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, Certified Wine Educators, enologists, wine critics and writers, professors, beverage directors and retail buyers. All wines are judged blind. A testament to the competition’s influence can be seen in the sheer volume of participants: 3,581 wine were entered representing 29 countries.

TEXSOM Awarded Chilean wineries in 2017:

• Four gold medals, 26 silver medals and 28 bronze medals

• 48 award-winning wines were red

• Nine award-winning Chilean wines were white

• One award-winning wine was a rosé

• Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Red Blends took the lion’s share of awards, although they tell only part of the story of Chile’s success at this year’s competition

Alongside the sheer quantity of accolades awarded to Chilean wine this year sits another remarkable fact. The awards recognized diverse winemaking geography and producers, ranging from the Elqui Valley in Chile’s far north to the Itata Valley in the south. While Chile’s unique and ideal growing conditions allow for quality winemaking, regional diversity and sustainable practices, they are not free of climatic risks. Chile’s two most recent vintages have been marked by earthquakes, drought and wildfires. Chile’s performance at the TEXSOM Awards validates Chilean wineries’ commitment to quality and innovation despite great challenges.

“USA trade excitement for the ‘New Chile’ is quite evident in TexSom’s 2017 awards. Increasingly, top quality wines from a range of the geographic extremes are being celebrated – and sought out,” noted Marybeth Bentwood, Executive Director for Wines of Chile USA. “Artisanal production, from small and large producers alike, is being recognized as world class. Considering the natural adversity wineries surmounted in the past two years, these awards demonstrate quality and highlight spirit, resilience and hope.”

For more information, please see the TEXSOM International Wine Awards.