Top image: Michel Blanc, director of the Federation des Producteurs de Châteauneuf-du-Pape (FEDCN)
The director of one of the world’s most renowned wine appellations will be joining the team of international judges adjudicating the 23rd Michelangelo International Wine & Spirit Awards in August this year. Michel Blanc, director of the Federation des Producteurs de Châteauneuf-du-Pape (FEDCN), is a welcome addition to this year’s panel of wine experts who will be judging Africa’s largest and most comprehensive drinks competition.
The Châteauneuf-du-Pape region in southern France is one of the most famous wine areas in the world and became the first wine-making AOC in France, attaining this status in 1936. The FEDP represents 180 producers of 3 200ha of vineyards including iconic names such as Pégaü, Clos du Caillou, Beaucastel, Rayas and Vieux Télégraphe.
Besides having an intimate knowledge of this renowned region and its wines, Blanc is an experienced wine judge who has served on panels for Mundus Vini, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Grenache du Monde.
Lorraine Immelman, founder and CEO of the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirit Awards, says that Blanc’s reputation and knowledge of Châteauneuf-du-Pape will be a welcome addition to this year’s judging procedure.
“Michel’s presence also comes at a particularly relevant time as many South African producers are making single varietal wines as well as blends using cultivars famous in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region,” she says. “Local winemakers are increasingly veering towards varieties such as Grenache Noir and Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Roussanne, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, Shiraz of course being one of the pillars of the local industry. It will be informative having the opinion of Michel’s standing judging these and other wines, once again underscoring the international credibility of our competition.”
Entries for this year’s Michelangelo open on 1 June. For further information see https://michelangeloawards.com
