Slovenian Wines Earn Two Platinum Medals at US Competition

Slovenian winemakers and beekeepers have achieved notable success at the Great American International Wine Competition in the United States, securing a total of two platinum medals, six gold, 16 silver, and six bronze awards for their wines and meads.

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This is the most important wine evaluation in New York and on the entire American East Coast.

The prestigious platinum medals were awarded to Mare Santo Rose sparkling wine, produced by Mare Santo Wines, and Modra Frankinja 1909 Prestige from the Kmetijska zadruga Metlika. These accolades come from a competition that featured over 650 wines from 126 producers worldwide, judged by an international panel of sommeliers, enologists, critics, and industry experts.

Marin Berovič, the selector for Slovenian wines at the American competitions, described the event as the most important wine evaluation on the East Coast of the US. He emphasized that in an increasingly competitive American market, these achievements add significant value to the efforts of Slovenian producers. Andrejka Gažovič, a wine evaluator at the competition, noted the particular challenge for winemakers from smaller countries like Slovenia to gain international recognition, stressing the need for their wines to stand out in quality or varietal distinctiveness.

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For winemakers from smaller countries like Slovenia, placing wines on the international market is an even more difficult task.

The competition is organized by the American foundation Raise a Glass Foundation, a non-profit entity supporting charitable organizations globally. The foundation utilizes donated wines for fundraising auctions and events. Slovenia was represented by 18 winemakers and beekeepers with 34 entries, resulting in 31 awarded wines. Ivo Boscarol, director and co-owner of Mare Santo Wines, highlighted the platinum medal for Mare Santo Rose as crucial validation for their sparkling wines, which are aged at sea. He expressed confidence in the global potential of these wines, with 120,000 bottles currently aging underwater.

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As soon as I discovered Mare Santo sparkling wines, I knew this was a top Slovenian product that the country could be known for worldwide.