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Summary for: Golden grapes: Moravian wines win big at San Francisco competitionCzechia’s reputation abroad may rest largely on beer, but Moravian winemakers have given wine drinkers another reason to look its way: 88 medals at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Five wines earned double gold medals, requiring scores of at least 96 out of 100, while another 13 received gold. The winning bottles range from an André ice wine to Müller Thurgau, Sauvignon and Pálava, highlighting the variety coming out of South Moravia.
The results were announced by the Czech Wine Fund, which financially supports producers’ participation in international competitions. Category winners and the competition’s highest overall honors have yet to be announced.
Five bottles put Moravia in the spotlight
Four producers accounted for Moravia’s five double gold medals, with Vinařství Burian in Bavory, near Mikulov, winning twice.
Its Sauvignon 2025 and Pálava 2025 both received the distinction. Both wines carry the Czech designation pozdní sběr, or late harvest.
The other double gold winners were:
- André ice wine 2025, from Šlechtitelská stanice vinařská Velké Pavlovice.
- Müller Thurgau 2025, from Vinařství Šmíd & Jakubec in Horní Dunajovice.
- Tramín červený 2024, from Vican Rodinné Vinařství in Mušlov, near Mikulov.
For Czech wine, the list offers a starting point beyond the most familiar international varieties. Alongside Sauvignon, the awards recognize Czech bottles labeled André, Pálava and Tramín červený, as well as a specialist ice wine.
Wine Fund director Zbyněk Vičar described the medal haul as an exceptional result for Moravian winemaking, emphasizing both the total number of awards and the five wines that reached the competition’s highest scoring bracket.
The announcement did not provide retail prices or information about the winning bottles’ current availability.
Judged blind, with bigger awards still ahead
Judging took place in late September and early October. Expert panels assessed the wines through blind tastings, without knowing their producer or origin.
That format focuses attention on what is in the glass, rather than a winery’s reputation or the familiarity of its home region.
The San Francisco International Wine Competition is organized by The Tasting Alliance and regularly attracts approximately 6,000 wines from around the world, according to the Wine Fund.
The 88 medals are therefore a substantial haul, although the announcement did not specify how many Moravian wines were entered. The total alone does not establish their success rate or ranking against other wine regions.
There may also be more recognition ahead. Organizers have so far released medal results, with category winners and the best-performing wines overall scheduled to be announced in November and December.
