ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / AMONG THE VINES – The 2013 Merlot wine world champion is from Switzerland – Chamoson in canton Valais – and the best Merlot at the international Mondial du Merlot competition is from canton Ticino. The Swiss made an impressive showing, with canton Ticino alone winning but Merlots from Italy and France also earned top honours with special prizes.

Gold medals went to these countries as well as to wines from Australia, New Zealand, Romania and Turkey, among the 320 wines from 161 producers in 17 countries.

Story continues below

The wines were judged in three categories: varietal (single grape) wines, blends with at least 51 percent Merlot and older vintages. The judges, from nine countries, awarded 34 gold medals and 66 silver medals. About 30 percent of the wines won medals, in line with OIV standards (note: I was one of the judges – see my comments on the judging process as well as my personal favourites among the winners).

Swiss wines were less than one-quarter of the total entered, in line with regulations for Paris-based OIV (Organisation Internationale des vignes et du vin) competitions for the host country. Little Switzerland has a relatively impressive number of high-quality Merlots, largely because a little over 100 years ago canton Ticino, devastated by vine diseases including phyloxera from the US, embraced the grape wholeheartedly. While France tended to use it in blends, Ticino mastered the art of varietal (single grape) Merlot wines.

Today more than 80 percent of the grapes grown in the canton are Merlot. The competition awarded 34 gold medals, with 16 of them going to Ticino wines.

The Mondial du Merlot is a relatively young wine competition, started six years ago in Ticino. It was taken over in 2011 year by Vinea, the association in Sierre that also organizes the much larger Mondial des Pinots and Switzerland’s national competition, the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse.

Ticino has about one-third the number of entries of its older cousin competition for Pinot Noir and the other Pinots, but this year’s competition should give it a serious boost, the high Swiss franc nothwithstanding: the winning wines are consistently elegant and interesting across a good spectrum of styles and terroirs.

In short, a gold or silver medal from the competition offers winemakers a very good marketing tool and consumers some serious buying guide help.

The competition was created to give good producers a boost by showcasing fine Merlots. Merlot is widely grown throughout the world, Francois Murisier, president of Vinea said at the awards ceremony, but so often used to plump out lesser blends that its fine side tends to be overlooked. When it is made from grapes grown in soil that is suitable, on terroirs that bring out its best, by oenologists who understand its potential, the result is stunning.

The winning wines

Top prizes awarded:

• best varietal Merlot of the competition: Tamborini winery, Lamone, canton Ticino: Comano 2011
• best Swiss Merlot, Tamborini winery, Lamone, canton Ticino: “Comano 2011”
• Syngenta Merlot world champion prize, awarded to the wine with the most points given by the judges for 3 consecutive vintages (oenologist’s style and mastery): Pierre-Maurice Carruzzo et fils in Chamoson, canton Valais, Switzerland
• Best foreign varietal Merlot: Domaine d’Arjolle, Pouzolles, France, “Synthèse 2011”
• Best blend: Domaine d’Arjolle, Pouzolles, France, Cabernet-Merlot 2011.
• Vinea prize for the Judges’ Favourite wine: Angelrath winery, Landeron, Switzerland, 2011 Merlot Barrique
• Older vintages: Ca Nova in Roddino, Italy.

Complete list of gold and silver medal winners