World-leading white wine from Somló at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wine competition

The 32nd Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wine competition was held in Yinchuan, in the heart of the Chinese Ningxia wine region, at the beginning of June. Over three days, 7,165 wines from 49 countries were blind-tasted by 375 international experts from 56 nations. The unparalleled diversity of professional profiles confirms the CMB’s status as one of the most significant wine competitions in the world.

The best white wine entry was the Hungarian Kancellár SomlAI Cuvée 2021, a blend from the Kancellár Estates, from the Somló region, which won the International White Wine Revelation (highest scoring white wine of the competition) award as the absolute winner. The jury describes it as a tempting bouquet of bright citrus, delicate flowers and delicate herbal notes.

Lime and grapefruit dominate, complemented by notes of acacia, jasmine and olive. On the palate, pronounced minerality and delicate acidity are combined with elegant softness, creating a balanced wine with a long finish. The award-winning 2021 vintage cuvée is based on Furmint, which is blended with Hárslevelű, sheep’s tail and a hint of Cserszeg spice. However, its speciality lies not only in the ingredients, but also in the way the wine’s recipe was created. The “AI” (Artificial Intelligence), which is also included in the wine’s name, is not just a marketing ploy: the blending ratios were indeed suggested by artificial intelligence after the winemaker entered the necessary data. And what was the result? According to the professional jury, it dazzles tasters with vibrant acids, a long finish and honey notes.

The wine’s style is perfect for both fusion and Asian cuisine – its fantastic acidity makes it work well with spicy, powerful flavors, be it Japanese, Chinese, Korean or even a hearty, spicy Hungarian meat dish.