PIWI International Wine Challenge 2025: top quality and more submissions

With over 200 wines submitted from nine countries, the PIWI International Wine Challenge took place for the second time on 31 July at the Czech National Wine Centre in Valtice. The event once again became a highlight in the calendar of fungus-resistant grape varieties (PIWI) and impressively emphasised their growing importance for the wine world.

Participating wines

Grape varieties

Countries of origin

Countries of origin of the participating winemakers (outer circle) and the wines submitted (inner circle)

Results

The expert jury, consisting of five tasting committees, was made up of renowned wine experts from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Spain. The wines were judged according to the internationally recognised 100-point system of the OIV using tried-and-tested tasting software from the Valtice Wine Centre.

25 tasters put the submitted wines through their paces and selected 127 award-winning wines.

The result:

  • 9 wines (4.6%) received "TOP GOLD" (95+ points)
  • 25 wines (12.6%) received "GOLD" (from 92 points)
  • 93 wines (47.4%) received "SILVER" (from 89 points)

Three wines achieved the top score of 95.33 points:

  • Orange Wine 2023 from the Schmid-Oberrautner Winery (South Tyrol/Italy)
  • Rinot 2022 from the Vinselect Michlovský winery (Czech Republic)
  • Rössler Barrique 2022 from the Amon Winery (Austria)

Other wines awarded TOP GOLD included:

  • Sauvignac 2024, Winery Schützenhof-Blass, Germany
  • Souvignier gris 2023, Kollerhof, Austria
  • Danube Riesling 2023, Milan Vašíček, Czech Republic
  • Regent, Vinařství Prygl, Czech Republic
  • Rinot 2023, Vinselect Michlovský, Czech Republic
  • Souvignier gris Orange, Weinhof Winter, Germany

You can find the complete results in these PDFs:

Christian Waltl, Managing Director of PIWI International, was delighted:

"The tasting once again showed what PIWI wines are capable of. In the National Wine Centre in Valtice, we have found a congenial partner with whom we also want to work together in the long term."

Wolfgang Renner, head of PIWI Austria and head of one of the five tasting commissions, drew a positive conclusion:

"The standard of the PIWI wines was once again very high this year. The increased number of submissions makes us optimistic about the future. The PIWI International Wine Challenge has established itself as one of the most important tastings for PIWI wines in Europe."

The official presentation of the winning wines and the awarding of the certificates will take place at the PIWI World Summit in Berlin from 8-9 November 2025.