Organized since 1954 by the Comité des Vins et Salons de Mâcon (Burgundy), the Concours des Grands Vins de France has become a must for the tasting and rating of quality wines. In 1989, the Concours was recorded in the Guinness Book of records as the biggest wine tasting event in the world, with 10520 samples. Since then, the level of 11000 samples tasted has been crossed. http://www.concours-salons-vins-macon.com/ )
The Académie du Cep had for a long time been in contact with Bernard DELHAYE, the president of the Concours des Grands Vins de France. They had organized together last 12 March a tasting of wines originating from most of the French wine regions at the Ecole Hôtelière de Genève. On this occasion, Bernard DELHAYE had been inducted Ecuyer d’Honneur of the Académie du Cep. More than just their geographic proximity, it is the shared love of vine and wine which presides over the relation between the two organizations. A delegation from the Académie went to Saône-et-Loire to take part in the Concours des Grands Vins de France of Mâcon on 18 and 19 April 2015.
The previous day, a delegation from the St Vincent Brotherhood of the Mâcon Vinsters, chaired by Bernard BENAS, inducted as Knight Jacques JEANNERAT, the newly elected Grand Maître of the Académie du Cep for his first visit abroad ( see Académie du Cep ). Jacques LEGROS, guest of honour of the Concours des Grands Vins de France and news anchor at TF1 (one of the major French TV channels), as well as Didier DUQUESNOY, cellar master at Frontignan (Hérault France), were also inducted.
The next day 18 April as early as 08 :00, the delegation of the Académie du Cep joined the some 2000 tasters of the 2015 edition of the Concours des Grands Vins de France to rate more than 9000 wines in barely three hours.
The Concours des Grands Vins de France de Mâcon
2015 in figures
9 207 wines tasted
2 160 tasters
803 gold medals
614 silver medals
1 207 bronze medals
(source : Frédéric FINOT Académie du Cep see www.acaducep.ch )
