The first-ever international competition of Blaufränkisch wines culminated at Kraví Hora. The champion is Blaufränkisch from the local winery

The project, which was initiated by the VOC Blue Mountains with the support of the National Wine Centre and the Wine Fund, attracted a record 306 samples from 13 countries. Our winemakers confirm the excellent quality of wines even in the international competition of this already world-renowned variety. The event took place on the day that now falls on International Blaufränkisch Day.



The absolute winner and holder of the title of Champion was the Kraví hora Family Winery with its Frankovka 2024. "The winning Frankovka comes from our family-run Quarter, where we work with twenty-five-year-old vines. It is a wine that combines everything this location has to offer - it is beautifully fruity, with a typical sweet finish and a subtle spiciness in the aftertaste. Although this is the 2024 vintage, it is already showing its enormous potential. It's the sum of great weather, unique terroir, aging and our family approach," said Lukáš Sadílek, the winery's thirty-two-year-old owner.

The Blaufränkisch International Competition was divided into several categories that showed the incredible diversity of this variety. In the category of white wines from blue grapes, the winner was the White Frankovka 2024 in cabinet version from the Víno J. Stávek winery, which also won the award for the best collection of wines in the competition.The award for rosé wines goes to Vinný sklep U Štipčáků for Frankovka Rosé 2019.



Foreign participants take away titles from Bořetice in the categories of classic still and sparkling wines. The champion of the red wines was the Hungarian winery Jackfall KFT / Jackfall Bormanufaktúra with Kékfrankos Prémium 2020. Hungary's triumph was confirmed by the winery Kúria Sopron, which presented the best Franc in the sparkling wine category. In the category of cuvées with a Blaufränkisch component, the top prize went to St Martin's Winery for its Great Red Hen 2022.

The Francs were judged by seven expert panels with a strong international presence, including the UK's Master of Wine, Caroline Gilby, who was delighted to be able to take part in the judging. "Blaufränkisch is a variety that is very close to my heart. I firmly believe it has a great future in today's modern wine world because of its freshness and elegance. This competition represents a key opportunity to build the story of Franconia and show its ability to reflect its place of origin. I was surprised that International Blaufränkisch Day didn't already exist - when Pinot Noir has its day, or a whole month of Furmint, Blaufränkisch definitely deserves it," said Caroline Gilby MW.



The organisers themselves rate the course of the competition and the participation of 306 competition samples from 13 countries above expectations. In addition to traditional superpowers such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany, wines from Serbia, Croatia, Spain and Italy, as well as Australia and Poland were also presented in Bořetice. "I am very pleased that a number of foreign experts, such as Caroline Gilby, took part in the evaluation," said the president of the competition and national sommelier Klára Kollárová, adding: "We are already working on expanding our cooperation with Austrian and German winemakers for future editions."

Jan Grolich, the Governor of the South Moravian Region, took over the patronage of the first ever competition, and the Minister of Agriculture Martin Šebestyán took over the patronage of the International Frankincense Day.

List of awarded wines

Absolute Champion BIC 2026

Kraví hora Family Winery, Frankovka 2024, Moravian Land Wine (batch FR/24)

Winning collection

Víno J. Stávek

Champion of white wines from blue grapes (Blanc de Noirs)

Víno J. Stávek, White Frankovka 2024, Cabinet wine (batch724)

Champion of rosé wines

Vinný sklep U Štipčáků, Frankovka Rosé 2019, Moravian Land Wine (batch FRB-19)

Champion of red wines

Jackfall KFT / Jackfall Bormanufaktúra, Kékfrankos Prémium 2020

Champion of sparkling wines

Kúria Sopron, Rosé Brut, MJPQ

Champion cuvée with Blaufränkisch

Vinařství u svatého Martina, Velká červená Slípka 2022, Moravian Land Wine (batch 22/12)

Media contacts
Lukáš Stávek, Secretary of the VOC Blue Mountains
+420 603 534 595, e-mail: lukas@vocmodrehory.cz

Kateřina Martykánová, PR manager
+420 602 576 870, e-mail: press@vinarskecentrum.cz