Slovak wines win gold in Paris wine competition

Slovak winemakers took home 12 gold and 29 silver medals at the prestigious Vinalies Internationales competition in Paris which took place from February 27 until March 3. Slovakia defeated other notable participants from the central European region, including the Czech Republic (winning 6 gold, 24 silver) and Hungary (9 gold, 11 silver). Slovak ethnologist and wine-taster involved Edita Ďurčová spoke to the daily Pravda, commenting that "Slovakia demonstrated in Paris that it has a wide range of wine", noting that two and three-year old wines, especially the sweet varieties, caught the judges' attention this year. This competition typically opens the season of major international wine competitions every year and remains unique because it compares the best wine selections from around the world with the best on offer from French winemakers. This year's competition saw 3,575 wines involved with 40 percent stemming from France.