De organisatie van het Concours Mondial de Bruxelles lanceert samen met Bernard Magrez (eigenaar van enkele châteaux van naam in Bordeaux en wijngaarden in verschillende landen) en Winespace (een in Bordeaux gevestigde start-up die wijn, kunstmatige intelligentie en data combineert) een nieuwe wijn competitie.
Onder de naam ‘Blend Masters’ is dit een competitie speciaal voor ‘blended wines’, waarbij deelnemers met verschillende basiswijnen de ideale blend samenstellen. Het thema voor deze eerste editie is ‘Bordeaux 2050’. Lees verder in het Engelstalige persbericht hieronder.
Blend Masters
Bernard Magrez, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Winespace have launched ‘Blend Masters’, a competition for blended wines whose debut theme will be ‘Bordeaux 2050’. Julien Viaud from Laboratoire Rolland & Associés will be its patron.
On 13 April 2023, 5 professional winemakers (known as the ‘blenders’) will challenge each other during a blending competition where each of them will be required to put forward their vision of ‘Bordeaux 2050’ from a selection of wine samples. The event will take place at the Grande Maison Bernard Magrez.
Bordeaux tradition of blending
Bernard Magrez, the owner of 42 vineyards around the world, along with international wine competition organiser Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Winespace, a start-up specialising in wine data and artificial intelligence, are partnering to create a ground- breaking event honouring the Bordeaux tradition of blending whilst contributing to reflections on the future of wine. The event will be held over an evening where several blending experts will be tasked with creating a wine from the batches made available to them, within a limited time frame.
The carefully selected batches align with the theme ‘Bordeaux 2050’.
A panel of tasting experts (winemakers, sommeliers, journalists…) will assess each proposal by writing tasting notes. The notes will be analysed and summarised using the Artificial Intelligence resource ‘Tastee’ by Winespace to compile the aroma and flavour profile of each wine. The blender who produces the panel’s favourite wine will be declared the winner. The evening will end with a cocktail party.
Honouring the art of blending
The process of blending requires genuine expertise and is part of the history and identity of wine, particularly in Bordeaux. An essential link in the chain, it is often conducted behind closed doors, in the peaceful, subdued atmosphere of the barrel cellar. Blend Masters aims to bring this expertise into full view and showcase these blending experts.
For the 5 candidates, the competition is a whole new ball game. Accustomed to blending wines from the properties they consult with, in this instance they will have no information about the batches they are provided with. It is their task to give voice to their sensitivity and put forward their personal vision of wine based on the relevant theme, working against the clock. The timing will be unusually short for this type of exercise.
A laboratory for exploring the taste of tomorrow’s wine
The wine world is undergoing a sea-change wrought by global warming and changing consumer patterns and expectations. All of the foreseen, present-day upheavals require thought and new models need to be invented.
Blend Masters is not just a competition, its role is to provide a space to reflect and explore new processes. It is a way of allowing industry members to think outside the box of their day-to-day business by offering them an unrestrictive environment for thought around an impactful theme.
The evening will be punctuated by time out for conversations and discussions, particularly when the results are presented. Both the blenders and the panel will be invited to explain their approach and their perceptions.
A first edition focusing on Bordeaux
The initiative is promoted by stakeholders with a firm rooting in Gironde and it is therefore only natural that Bordeaux, the ultimate home of blending, should have been chosen as the ‘capital of blending’ for the first edition.
Themed ‘Bordeaux 2050’, the event will draw on research work by the scientific department of Vignobles Bernard Magrez, as part of the thesis on ‘La Tour Carnet 2050’.
Research work began in 2022 and its aim is to anticipate the impact of global warming on wines and to plan ahead for the potential varietal range in the Bordeaux wine region by 2050. It draws on a unique experimental vineyard block in Bordeaux, planted to 84 grape varieties where global warming is artificially simulated.
Julien Viaud, a partner consultant winemaker at Laboratoire Rolland & Associés, has been selected as the patron for this year’s event. He will chair the tasting panel and offer his experience and vision of blending.
Lastly, the evening will provide the opportunity for all the attending guests to taste the different wines produced by the research work and to express their viewpoints on the future identity of Bordeaux wines.
About Bernard Magrez
Bernard Magrez Grands Vignobles owns 4 Grands Crus Classés in Bordeaux: Château Pape Clément in Pessac, Château Fombrauge in Saint-Emilion, Château La Tour Carnet in the Médoc and Clos Haut Peyraguey in Sauternes.
Bernard Magrez also owns 42 vineyards in France and in 8 countries around the world.
Maison Bernard Magrez has been strongly committed to R&D since 2013, focusing on environmental protection, drones and robotics, and combatting frost and hail. In January 2020, it launched the first start- up incubator dedicated to wine and wine tourism.
About Concours Mondial de Bruxelles
The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is an event produced by VINOPRES S.A., which has played an active role in events, publishing, exhibitions, competitions and public relations for over 30 years. It boasts undisputed knowledge of the wine market and products revolving around three main divisions:
- Organisation of competitions and events: Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Spirits Selection, Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, México Selection, Saké
- Publication of the magazine VINO.BE and the Belgian Wine
- Execution of promotional campaigns for regions, in conjunction with wine marketing boards and producers’
About Winespace
Winespace is a Bordeaux start-up combining the wine sector, Artificial Intelligence and data.
Its guiding principle is to digitalise the skills of wine experts. The company develops innovative digital solutions for the wine industry, including consultancy resources, sales analyses, product data, market insight and sourcing resources, and boasts unique expertise in processing and analysing wine texts.
The development of Winespace has the backing of several regional support structures including Bordeaux Technowest and the Bernard Magrez Start-up Win incubator.
Practical information
By invitation only. Registration on www.blendmasters.fr
Date : 13 april 2023, 6-10pm.
Venue: La Grande Maison Bernard Magrez, 10 Rue Labottière, 33000 Bordeaux
Contact : contact@blendmasters.fr
Website : www.blendmasters.fr
contacts
Sébastien LABAT
Head of wine tourism & the incubator at Vignobles Bernard Magrez
+33 6 79 24 35 08
s.labat@pape-clement.com
Sylvain THIBAUD
Co-founder of Winespace
+33 6 89 24 81 28
sylvain.thibaud@winespace.fr
Quentin HAVAUX
Director of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles
+32 4 91 25 35 92
quentin.havaux@vinopres.com
Source: press release
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