The MUNDUS VINI BIOFACH Grand International Organic Wine Award of MUNDUS VINI GmbH is an international competition held in Germany for organic wines from all wine-growing regions around the world. The aim of the competition is to promote wine quality and boost the sales of the wines and sparkling wines entered. An international jury delivers an independent, neutral and expert verdict on the wines, thereby guaranteeing that the competition is both fair and professional. This bestows a high level of recognition upon the medals awarded at MUNDUS VINI, the prizewinning wines and their producers.

 

All producers and marketers of still, sparkling, semisparkling wines and fortified wines from around the world are entitled to participate, provided their products have been approved for direct human consumption in accordance with Appendix 1 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 479/2008 of 29 April 2008 on the common organisation of the market in wine, Council Regulation (EC) 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007, Council Regulation (EC) 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic products in association with Council Regulation (EC) 889/2008 (implementation rules). Participants shall be responsible for the marketability of their wines, and it shall not be incumbent upon MUNDUS VINI GmbH to examine the marketability of the wines submitted or the respective countries of origin. The same product may be entered in the competition several times. When re-entering the wines, the lot numbers and/or official test numbers are the overriding criteria for the identity of the wines. Readily consumable products from all wine-growing regions around the world shall be admitted. Samples for tasting not submitted by the stipulated deadline may be excluded from the competition.

 

Products in the following categories will be admitted

2.1 Still wines of all quality grades, grape varieties or origins and tastes.

2.2 Sparkling wines of all quality grades, grape varieties or origins and tastes.

2.3 Semi-sparkling wines of all quality grades, grape varieties or origins and tastes.

2.4 Sweet wines

2.5 Fortified wines

 

3.1 General

3.1.1 Participation is limited to wines bottled or put into suitable barrels for consumption by the consumer. They must be filled in accordance with the regulation on finished packaging in the amended version of the notice of 8 March 1994 (Federal Law Gazette (BGBl.I) page 451) and/or Bag-in-Box or similar packaging in commercially available sales volumes.

3.1.2 Tank samples may also be displayed since 2014. For this purpose, please refer to our tank sample application and further information at www.mundusvini-biofach.com/participation

3.1.3 All participants may enter as many products as they wish. The wines must comply with the production and labelling provisions of the relevant third countries and/or EU regulations.

3.1.4 For each sample, six bottles must be entered in the competition. At the time of registration, at least 200 bottles must still be available from the participant; with high-quality sweet wines (Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese or Beerenauslese) the amount is at least 100 bottles.

3.1.5 Only duty paid and carriage paid samples may be sent to the address at MUNDUS VINI GmbH.

3.1.6 A duly completed product pass featuring all the required details must be available for each sample. If the participant does not provide all the details, MUNDUS VINI GmbH reserves the right not to award a prize to the wine. Furthermore, MUNDUS VINI GmbH is also entitled to examine wines to ascertain their identity; an invoice may be made out for the trade analysis. The details indicated on the product pass shall remain binding for all publications, documents and awards.

3.2 Submission of partially filled batches

The submission of partially filled batches and the use of awards and/or prizes are allowed under the following conditions:

3.2.1 Upon submission of the first partially filled batch of a wine and/or product, the identical amount available as well as the amount of the first partially filled batch submitted must be registered.

3.2.2 When submitting subsequent partially filled batches of a prize-winning initial batch, chemical analyses from a recognised testing institute of MUNDUS VINI GmbH must be provided. These must enable the wine to be clearly identified and confirm that the identity of the subsequent partially filled batches is the same as that of the prize-winning initial batch. To this end, four more bottles from each partially filled batch must be sent to MUNDUS VINI GmbH for further analytical and organoleptic testing. Here, a reference to the first submission must be made. Furthermore, if another lot number is used for the labelling, it must be indicated on the registration forms.

3.2.3 The use of awards for partially filled batches of identical samples is allowed up to the deadline of 1 June of the following year (filling deadline).

3.2.4 With regard to the analytical and organoleptic testing of partially filled batches, MUNDUS VINI GmbH reserves the right to commission a recognised testing institute to conduct the analytical and organoleptic identity testing. Here, the initial batch is analysed together with the new batch and, using the analyses, the identity of the wine is examined. MUNDUS VINI GmbH charges a fee for this service.

 

4.1 A submission fee is incurred for each sample submitted. The fee covers the costs for taking the samples, travel expenses and accommodation for the jury of international experts, organising the competition as well as the preparation of the awards and documents undertaken by MUNDUS VINI GmbH.

4.2 The submission fee amounts 170 Euro net each submitted sample.

4.3 If the same wine is submitted by several marketers, they are named together with the prize winner (producer/bottler). Submission fees paid several times cannot be refunded. Receipt of the full payment of the submission fees is a prerequisite for taking part in the competition. After making the payment, the participant is given a receipt for the submission fees paid.

4.4 The registration is committed - regardless of the effectively participation - to pay the indicated fee.

 

A highly qualified international jury comprising oenologists, wine-makers, professional wine traders, sommeliers and expert journalists taste the wines, sparkling wines and fortified wines in ‘blind’ tasting rounds. The wines are placed in order according to their product category, origin, quality grade and taste and judged according to the international 100-point scheme applied by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), which is also recognised by the International Association of Oenologists (UIOE). The wine tasting will take place in January. The number of products destined to receive prizes in the competition is limited to 40% of the samples submitted with the highest points tally reached in their relevant category.

 

The award grades are:

 

The best wine from the relevant product categories can also receive an additional award. If two best wines in the same category are level on points, MUNDUS VINI GmbH reserves the right to call in a master jury to taste the wines once again. In this way, only one wine per category can receive an award. The winner receives a document and a medal, prepared by MUNDUS VINI, can be included on the label. The MUNDUS VINI BIOFACH Grand International Organic Wine Awards are also entitled not to bestow an award in any given year.

 

The prize-winning products at the Grand International Organic Wine Awards will be announced during the annual international BIOFACH/Vivaness trade show. They will be published in, amongst others, MEININGERS WINE BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL, WEINWIRTSCHAFT, MEININGER’S WEINWELT, DER DEUTSCHE WEINBAU and MEININGERS SOMMELIER from the publishing house MEININGER VERLAG, Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Various internet portals, including

MEININGER ONLINE, will also run features that can be linked to the producers’ webpages. Information on wines that have not garnered the minimum number of points required for an award will not be published. The wines will also be presented in the MUNDUS VINI BIOFACH tasting area where staff will be serving the winning wines. To be included for the presentation in the MUNDUS VINI BIOFACH tasting area, 6 extra bottles of each winning wine must be supplied before the fair.

 

7.1 The winners may use the awards and logos from MUNDUS VINI GmbH for their labelling and advertising. Use of the medals and logos is governed by special terms and conditions: “Regulations governing the use of medals from MUNDUS VINI GmbH in advertising.” 

7.2 Likewise, the use of awards on bottle designs is governed by the “Regulations governing the use of medals and awards from MUNDUS VINI GmbH in advertising.

 

By submitting the samples, the participant accepts the participation conditions and decisions of MUNDUS VINI GmbH. The court of law in Neustadt an der Weinstraße shall be responsible for settling any legal issues that may arise.