Published on 17 August 2026
PIWI International Wine Challenge 2026
Report by Jiří Sedlo
At the „PIWI International Wine Challenge 2026“ competition, which took place on 29 June in Valtice, Moravia, 359 wine samples (an increase of 64 % compared with the previous year) made from PIWI grape varieties by 128 European winemakers (an increase of 75 entries compared to the previous year). They were judged by an international panel of experts comprising representatives from the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, China and Slovakia. This fifth edition of the international competition, which succeeded the International PIWI Wine Award, took place for the third time at the National Viticulture Centre in Valtice under the patronage of PIWI International.
As Figure 1 As shown, wines from ten European countries took part, with the largest number coming from Germany (105), followed by Austria (69), the Czech Republic (68), Switzerland (48), Italy (42), Belgium (13), Poland (7), Denmark (4), Croatia (2) and Sweden (1). The wines were assessed using the tried-and-tested ELWIS software from the National Viticulture Centre in Valtice.
Fig. 1: Distribution of participating winegrowers by country (outer circle) and the wine samples they submitted (inner circle)
The competition featured a wide range of more than forty PIWI varieties, which were mainly bred in Germany (15), Austria (8), the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Italy (5 each), France (3) and Russia (1). The most commonly represented varieties are listed in Figure 2 It is evident that some PIWI varieties were represented by just one sample or as a cuvée – for example, Baco noir, Cabertin, Divico, Merlot Kanthus, Merlot Khorus, Pinot Iskra, Sauvignon Kretos, Sauvignon Nepis, Savilon, Seyval blanc and Vidal blanc.
Fig. 2: Proportion of samples assessed by grape variety
It is highly likely that conclusions can also be drawn from this competition regarding the prevalence and development of the cultivation of the individual PIWI grape varieties in Europe. In general, the results suggest that PIWI varieties are currently used primarily for more aromatic white wines of the Sauvignon and Muscat type, whilst the rarer red wine varieties continue to be Cabernet-type varieties or those related to Pinot Noir. Among single-varietal white wines, aromatic varieties accounted for 80 %. In practice, a wide variety of PIWI varieties are used, ranging from those bred as long as a hundred years ago to the very latest. This is, of course, also reflected in the quality of the wine. Sensory analysis shows that wines made from grape varieties bred over the last fifty years are indistinguishable from wines made from classic grape varieties of the type Vitis vinifera distinguish between them; these include not only aromatic varieties, but also neutral varieties similar to Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and similar varieties.
If we can draw any conclusions about PIWI varietal wines on the European market from this international competition, Souvigner gris has come out on top for the third year running, followed by Solaris. Trailing far behind are the varieties Hibernal, Muscaris, Donauriesling, Johanniter, Sauvignac, Cabernet blanc, Cabernet Cortis and Blütenmuskateller. Other varieties have not exceeded a 3 % share in the competition over the last three years.
The highest score this year – 95.67 points and a Grand Gold medal – was achieved by the Souvignier gris, a German wine from the 2025 vintage produced by Michael Winkler from Göttingen in Lower Saxony. This wine also won in category A1 (dry white wines up to 12 % vol.) and was the only wine from this winemaker to be entered into the competition. All winners of the Grand Gold Medals are listed in Table 1 and the winners of the individual categories in Table 2 listed.
Table 1: Grand Gold Medals awarded
Table 2: Winners in each category
A total of 260 wines were awarded medals, of which 14 samples received a Grand Gold Medal (4 %), 94 wines received a Gold Medal (26 %) and 152 wines received a Silver Medal (42 %). The oldest wine was from 2017; the 2018 and 2019 vintages were each represented by three entries, whilst the 2021 vintage was represented by just two; 7 % of the entries were from the 2022 vintage, 10 % samples were from the 2023 vintage, 14 % from the 2024 vintage and the majority – namely 61 % – from the 2025 vintage.
The full results are available to download here:
Fig. 3: Overview of the juries
Fig. 4: Jury No. 1
Fig. 5: Jury No. 2
