Delicata Wins Silver Medal in Paris
Delicata’s flagship premium red wine, 2009 Gran Cavalier Late Harvest Barrel Matured Syrah D.O.K. Superior Malta, has been awarded a Silver medal at the prestigious international wine competition Vinalies Internationales held in Paris last month.
Vinalies Internationales is an international wine competition organized by the Union des Oenologues de France. Vinalies Internationales goal is to emphasize the maturation capability of the wines and to honour those wines that attain a high quality level close to the optimal tasting expression of their appellation of origin.
The medals awarded are limited to only 30 % of all participating wines according to the OIV rules. Participants allowed to enter the contest are: wine growers, wine grower co-operatives, unions of co-operatives, groups of producers, wine merchants who mature wines and negociants.
Held by the Union des Oenologues de France, the 2011 competition brought together almost 3,500 wines from the majority of the world’s wine regions. The task given to each panel of judges, which is composed of seven professionals (the rules are set down by the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, the Union Internationale des Oenologues, and the Federation Mondiale des Grands Concours Internationaux de Vins et Spiritueux) is to give each sample a score and a tasting note. After the individual blind tasting, the President of the panel records the notes in real time (using a computerised system) and, if necessary, there is a debate to come to a general consensus. Each panel must include two French judges and three judges from other countries, whilst the allotted President of each panel must be a French oenologist. Wines are grouped according to their origin and type. The assessments of the wines are descriptive and include comments on the wines visual aspect, olfactory aspect, palate impression, overall impression and characteristics. The Union des Oenologues de France designates the different panels of judges.
The Silver medal winning Gran Cavalier is made from 100% late picked Maltese Syrah grapes from the 2009 harvest which was then softened and matured for ten months in 225 litre French oak barrels which are stored in the Delicata cellars at their winery on Paola waterfront.
