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The results of MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2025 have been officially announced, showcasing outstanding wines from around the world, while jury members shared their impressions of the competition.
In late February — early March, the prestigious MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2025 brought together top international wine professionals, showcasing exceptional wines from around the world. Nearly 250 wine experts from 55 countries gathered for a six-day tasting at the traditional Saalbau in Neustadt-an-der-Weinstraße, located in the heart of Germany’s Palatinate region, the country’s second-largest wine-growing area.
Drinks+ Communication Media Group was honored to once again participate in this renowned competition, continuing our long-standing tradition of being invited as international judges. We are immensely proud of this collaboration and our contribution to the global wine community.
This year at Mundus Vini, the presence of the younger generation of journalists, winemakers, and wine marketing professionals was more noticeable than ever. Their fresh outlook and innovative approach are gradually reshaping the way wines are assessed, taking into account new global challenges and market trends.
The growing involvement of young professionals not only enriches the competition with diverse perspectives but also reflects the ongoing evolution of the wine industry. As consumer preferences shift and sustainability becomes a key focus, having new voices in the jury helps ensure that wines are evaluated not just for their traditional qualities but also for their relevance in an ever-changing market.
This transformation opens up new opportunities for winemakers, allowing them to adapt to modern trends while maintaining the authenticity and heritage of their wines. In the last couple of years, Mundus Vini has been making a stronger focus on engaging wine influencers as jury members and panel presidents — Dr. Matthew Horkey, a famous US wine expert and digital creator, founder of the amazingly popular YouTube wine blog, and the WTA judge for Wine Travel Awards 2024-2025 campaign, is one of them, sharing his impressions of the reputable contest: “I look forward to attending Mundus Vini every single year. What makes it stand out from a lot of other competitions is the true family-like atmosphere. With just over 100 judges per session there is enough diversity to meet new interesting people, yet it’s small enough to feel like you know everyone. One of the most important impressions this year is that the organizers are doing their best to bring more women and younger people into the fray. I applaud MV in their efforts! The quality of wines presented in Mundus Vini is also very high. I judge around 6 to 8 wine competitions a year, and two of my highest scoring wines ever were at Mundus Vini — including an aged Madera and a Tawny port from 1976”.
Simone Roveda DipWSET, Wine consultant & Digital Strategist, Founder @ Winery Lovers and a WTA nominee, told us about his impressions of joining the MUNDUS VINI family: “MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2025, my first time here. I had the pleasure and honour of taking part in the recent competition held in the picturesque Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany. Over six exhilarating days, I dived into the evaluation of around 200 great wines across two dynamic juries. The quality of the wines ranged from good to very good, making every tasting a thrilling adventure.
But what truly made this experience unforgettable were the amazing people I met along the way. The inspiring conversations and lively exchanges added so much depth to the event. And a huge shoutout to the incredible MUNDUS VINI team—their hard work and dedication brought this whole experience to life. It truly felt like one big, vibrant family!”
In terms of results, the award-winning wines hail from 37 countries, including emerging regions like Poland and the Netherlands. Overall, the competition awarded 2,089 Gold medals, 1,632 Silver medals, and 73 Grand Gold medals. A total of 3,321 still wines, 400 sparkling wines, 35 lightly sparkling wines, and 38 fortified wines were evaluated, with prices ranging from €2.99 to €50.
The largest category by price range included wines priced between €5 and €9.99, highlighting the strong presence of high-quality yet affordable wines in the competition. The most successful wine-producing countries this year include Italy with 930 awards, Spain with 754, Portugal with 359, France with 303, and Germany with 223 awards. Moldova also made an impressive showing, securing 3 Grand Gold, 96 Gold, and 66 Silver medals.
“This year’s spring tasting once again set new standards for wine quality. The fresh wines from the 2024 vintage, along with reds and whites from older years, truly impressed our international jury of experts,” said Christian Wolf, Degustation Director for Mundus Vini. “We are eagerly anticipating ProWein in mid-March, where we’ll present the ‘Best of Show’ awards. The MUNDUS VINI board will personally hand out the certificates to the top winemakers attending.”
All competition results can be found here.
We are also excited to share our impressions of the event, along with insights into the wines we had the opportunity to taste during the competition.
Olga Pinevich-Todoriuk, Editor-in-Chief of Drinks+ Magazine: “This time, my tasting panel consisted entirely of female experts, led by Bernard Karl, Technical Director of Domaines Vinsmoselle. Our team was exceptionally united – we worked in harmony, shared similar evaluations, and, importantly, encountered almost no wines with defects. I would particularly like to highlight the elegant Merlots from Moldova, which stood out for their finesse, as well as the powerful, tannic wines made from the Vranec grape variety from North Macedonia. Additionally, we had the pleasure of tasting remarkable Silvaner wines from Germany, known for their characteristic crisp acidity, and fresh, vibrant sparkling wines, all of which were featured in our panel. Additionally, we had the opportunity to taste our Ukrainian Odesa Black, which will be discussed in more detail below.”
Iryna Diachenkova, the co-founder of Drinks+ Media Group and Wine Travel Awards: “For me, Mundus Vini has always been synonymous with precise organization, an incredibly diverse range of wine samples of consistently high quality, and well-curated judging panels. These panels typically include representatives from the countries whose wines dominate the tasting flights, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation. Moreover, the competition fosters a warm and welcoming atmosphere, not in a way that relaxes judges too much, but rather in a manner that creates the perfect environment for professional tasting, networking, and friendly communication during the additional programs. This unique atmosphere is, first and foremost, the result of the efforts of the Mundus Vini organizing team. I cannot miss the opportunity to once again, on behalf of all Ukrainian judges and winemakers, express our deep gratitude to the Mundus Vini Organizing Committee for their continuous support of Ukraine. We were particularly touched by an act of solidarity initiated by Robert Joseph, a longstanding judge at Wine Travel Awards, a great friend of our Drinks+ Media Group, and a Board Member of Mundus Vini. In his usual creative way, Robert suggested taking a traditional group photo of his tasting panel, and all the judges from different countries held the Ukrainian flag instead of their national flags. Thank you, dear friends! Our judging panel had only one wine from Ukraine on the tasting list. It was a dry pet-nat from Zakarpattia, with residual sugar up to 15 g/L, leading a short flight of six sparkling wines, all made from Muscat varieties, most of which had sugar levels ranging from 40 to 80 g/L. I personally rated this worthy sample at 87 points, and the panel’s average score of 85 meant it was eligible for a silver medal. However, only 40% of wines receive medals, making competition in the silver category extremely tough, and usually, medals go to wines with even higher scores. Nevertheless, I am confident that this producer has a promising future ahead. Each of our three tasting days began with Greek wines. The modern, elegant, mineral Assyrtiko wines from Santorini (2023–2024) all received high scores, with five out of twelve wines earning gold medals. Among the fourteen fresh, high-acidity Malagousia wines from the 2024 vintage, mostly produced in Peloponnese and Drama, six wines were awarded gold medals. The Greek Sauvignon Blancs were slightly less successful, but still, two out of six samples earned gold medals. Greece has long held a special place in my heart. Our team organized Northern Greek wine tastings in Ukraine well before they started receiving recognition from the world’s top wine critics. I have had the privilege of visiting wineries in Santorini, Macedonia, Thrace, Drama, Euboea, and Nemea, where I now live. This deep connection makes me incredibly proud to see Greek wines receiving well-deserved recognition at such a prestigious competition.”
Altogether, this year’s MV Spring Tasting welcomed a record number of 6 judges from Ukraine, integrating them perfectly into the diverse international panel fabric of the competition.Their expertise and passion were a testament to the growing recognition of Ukrainian talent in the global wine industry.
Victoria Makarova, Wines of Ukraine representative and our regular author, comments: “It was my 3d time at the Mundus Vini Spring Tasting, and I must admit it is amazing to feel the warm welcome and support for us Ukrainians both from the organizers and from the whole MV family. I’ve had the pleasure of judging with a German-speaking panel, and it was a good challenge, boosting my German skills and widening my knowledge of the German wines. With the panel President from Sweden, and colleagues from Austria, Germany and Chile (living in Germany), we made a dream-team, efficient and fun.
No Grand Gold in this session for us, but we’ve enjoyed lovely Grüner Veltliners, mostly Austrian, very decent German Rieslings (still wines and sekts), as well as amazing Tempanilo from Navarra. Sauvignon Blancs and Cabernet Sauvignon blends from Moldova were very impressive, demonstrating exceptional terroir features. A flight of reds from the local German varieties — Dornfelder, Lemberger, Trollinger, Schwarzriesling and Acolon — was an interesting experience, too. And, traditionally, the most exclusive tastings happen during Mundus Vini afterparties.
My new discoveries: amazing reds (Baga 2023, Jaen 2021) by Elias Macovela, a prominent young winemaker from the Dao region in Portugal; sophisticated, elegant Nativo Reserva (a blend of Alvarinho and Avesso) and a fresh, mineral Alvarinho Flor de Linho from the Vinho Verde DOC by Antonio Sousa, the winemaker and owner of 3 Rostos Winery; a lovely Weiss Cuvée from Sebastian John, a brilliant young winemaker and the son of Frank John, of the well-known Weingut Frank John in Pfalz. Suffice it to say, all three winemakers were the judges in the MV Spring Session 2025!“
Kateryna Yushchenko, DipWSET, founder of Ukrainian Wine & Spirit School and international wine judge, the Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2025, describes her first time at Mundus Vini as a very positive experience: “After years of participating in international wine competitions, I can confidently say Mundus Vini stands apart in its methodical approach and dedication to fairness. The panel composition immediately impressed me, each panel featuring professionals from multiple countries, bringing diverse perspectives that prevent regional biases from influencing the results. My panel included judges from Germany, Italy, France, Northern Macedonia, Switzerland, Lebanon, and the USA, creating balanced evaluations that no single wine culture could dominate. The efficiency of the organisation deserves special mention. The flow of wines, clear scoring guidelines, and time management allowed us to give proper attention to each sample without fatigue compromising our judgments.
Perhaps most valuable was the immediate feedback system. After completing each flight, judges received visualisation diagrams showing our scores against the panel average — a transparency measure I’ve rarely seen elsewhere. This real-time feedback loop improved consistency and highlighted when personal preferences might affect my evaluation. The quality of wines presented was exceptional across categories. The blind-tasting protocol was rigorous. Beyond concealing labels, the thoughtful flight organisation prevented pattern recognition that might hint at origins or producers. This commitment to objectivity elevated the entire process.
I would say the combination of transparency, international perspective, and methodological rigour sets Mundus Vini apart. While other competitors may excel in individual areas, few effectively combine all these elements.”
This year marked a significant milestone for Ukraine at MUNDUS VINI, with 9 wineries participating in the tasting competition.
Ukrainian wines performed remarkably well, earning an impressive set of 11 medals. The majority of the awards included prestigious Grand Gold and Gold medals, with many accolades going to wines made from Ukraine’s flagship grape variety, Odesa Black. This remarkable success highlights the quality and potential of Ukrainian winemaking on the international stage.
So, Ukrainian wines achieved a record number of the highest awards at MUNDUS VINI for the flagship Ukrainian red grape variety, Odesa Black. Wines made from Odesa Black won all possible top-level medals. Our partner and Wine Travel Awards nominee, Big Wines, celebrated yet another triumph with Odesa Black: 6 medals in total, including 1 Grand Gold Medal, 4 Gold Medals, and 1 Silver Medal, as well as the most honourable award in the contest — The Best of Show Ukraine for Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black Ivan Marchuk Limited Edition 2022!
High praise also went to the wines from 46 Parallel, which became part of the Big Wines, a subsidiary of the international holding Vinos de La Luz in Ukraine.
Additionally, Villa Tinta earned a Gold Medal for their Odesa Black, while Chateau Chizay were awarded Gold for Furmint Late Harvest.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners!
Below is the list of the awarded Ukrainian wines:
Grand Gold and Best of Show Ukraine 2022 Big Wines Big Art Odesa Black Ivan Marchuk Limited Edition
It so happened that the wines made from the Odesa Black grape variety were evaluated by a tasting panel that included Olga Pinevich-Todoriuk, Editor-in-Chief of Drinks+ Magazine. Following the outstanding results achieved by these wines, we naturally asked our panel members for their thoughts on this flagship variety and the overall level of the MUNDUS VINI tasting competition. Their insights provided valuable perspectives on the exceptional quality of Ukrainian wines and the professionalism of the competition’s organization.
Michaela Gabriel, Johanniterkeller, Switzerland: “Last week I had the pleasure of tasting and evaluating some wines from Ukraine at the MundusVini wine awards. I was impressed by the outstanding quality of these wines. I was particularly excited about the Odesa Black grape variety, which was previously unknown to me. The wines we tasted received consistently high ratings from the entire jury, which clearly shows the potential of Ukrainian wine production”.
Eleni Blouchou, Bonello Athens, head of Marketing Communication, Greece: “The 36th Mundus Vini Spring Tasting was once again a fascinating event, featuring a highly representative selection of wines from around the world. Our glasses were filled with both well-known varieties and a remarkable number of new ones, most of which stood out for their above-average quality and lack of noticeable flaws. Among them, Ukrainian wines made from the Odesa Black variety were particularly impressive, earning exceptionally high scores and highlighting the immense potential of the country’s winemaking industry”.
Katerina Kostovska, Co-Founder Wine Escape, Republic of North Macedonia: “Mundus Vini shows diversity of varieties and styles of wines from around the world. This year for the first time we had over 250 non-alcoholic wines being judged along with specific local varieties from different countries including Odesa Black. The wines made of it exhibit pronounced red fruits with subtle floral aromatics, full bodied wines with silky but high tannin texture, acidity to cut through and elevate the fruit on palette and long finish of lingering elegance”.
More information about the participation of Ukrainian wines in MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2025 will be available in our next article.
We have some good news for the visitors of ProWein 2025, who will have the opportunity to taste wines from 46 Parallel, Big Wines, Beykush, Kolonist and Villa Tinta during a joint event by the Wine Travel Awards and the international wine company Vinos de La Luz, together with leading Ukrainian winemakers. The event will feature a discussion on how the domestic wine industry is developing amid on-going russian aggression and showcase the finest wines made from native and local Ukrainian grape varieties. The event is titled “Paradoxes of Ukraine: Winemaking and Tourism in Wartime.”
Wines of Ukraine will showcase 12 wineries at the national booth at ProWein this year. Don‘t miss the chance to taste wines and spirits from all around Ukraine!
Messe Dusseldorf, Hall 9, A89, Wines of Ukraine.
MUNDUS VINI Spring Tasting 2025 was not only about wine competitions and tastings – it also featured a vibrant program of activities organized by the event’s team. One of the highlights of this year’s event was a visit to the picturesque town of Bad Dürkheim, home to the iconic World’s Largest Wine Barrel.
This unique attraction, locally known as the “Dürkheimer Riesenfass,” is not just an enormous barrel but also a fully functioning restaurant with a rich history. During our tasting days, we had the extraordinary experience of enjoying dinner inside this legendary venue. The atmosphere was filled with charm and history, creating the perfect setting to savor delicious food and exceptional wines. Guests were treated to a remarkable selection of German Rieslings, showcasing the diversity and quality of this classic variety. Paired with a gourmet dinner, the evening became an unforgettable experience for all attendees.
Beyond the competition, MUNDUS VINI continually enriches its program with cultural and culinary experiences like this, providing wine professionals with not only a platform to evaluate wines but also opportunities to explore and connect with the heart of Germany’s wine culture.
We are grateful to the organizers for such thoughtful programming and look forward to future experiences that combine world-class wine tasting with unique cultural discoveries.
Cheers!
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Photo: AD LUMINA, Matthew Horkey
13.03.2025
10.03.2025
