Celebrating Local Winemaking Talent: Abkhazia's Wine National Competition Returns

SUKHUM / AQW'A ― The first-ever Abkhazian Wine National Competition took place last year, with the aim of supporting local private producers and enhancing the quality of wine produced in Abkhazia. This year, the second edition of the competition is being held on April 26 and 27 at the Wines and Waters of Abkhazia enterprise.

With 95 wine samples submitted from 47 winemakers, 24 samples from 15 farms have advanced to the competitive tasting round. The tasting committee evaluates wines on factors such as transparency, colour, purity, intensity, quality, aftertaste, and harmony. Competition commission chairman and doctor of technical sciences, Georgy Argentina, states that wines scoring more than 82 points merit a "gold" designation.

Argentina underscores the importance of the anonymous tasting process, with wines being "masked" to avoid bias. Tasters are directed to silently assess the wines without discussing the flavours with others. He believes this approach is crucial for preventing label influence on tasters and reducing subjectivity.

Nikolai Achba, General Director of the Wines and Waters of Abkhazia company, observes that the competition has exposed both conscientious winemakers who produce quality wines and those who lack proper understanding of wine. Achba emphasises that the primary goal of the competition is to popularise winemaking in Abkhazia, while a secondary objective is to educate people about modern wine and establish a standard for Abkhazian winemaking, whether it involves homemade wine or winery production.

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The Abkhazian Wine National Competition's award ceremony is scheduled for April 28 at the Guma platform, featuring winners across various categories:

• Grand Prix for the Best Abkhazian Wine 2023
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals for Best Abkhazian White Wine 2023
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals for Best Abkhazian Red Wine 2023
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals for Best Abkhazian Wine from Isabella Variety 2023
• Special Prize from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Abkhazia
• Special Prize from competition partner, A-mobile
• Special Prize from the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, N.V. Achba

The first Abkhazian Wine National Competition took place in April 2022. During that event, organisers selected 100 wine samples from various regions of Abkhazia, with 62 being eliminated after laboratory tests. The competition was divided into several categories, including white wines, red wines, Isabella wines, a special prize from the Ministry of Agriculture, a special prize from the Achba family, and a special prize for the best semi-sweet wine. Young winemaker Said Zvanbaya was awarded the Grand Prix at the inaugural competition.