The event will be held over an evening where several blending experts will be tasked with
creating a wine from the batches made available to them, within a limited time frame. The
carefully selected batches align with the theme ‘Bordeaux 2050’. The event is ostensibly to create a ground-breaking event honouring the Bordeaux tradition of blending whilst contributing to reflections on the future of wine with climate change being the focus.

A panel of tasting experts (invited winemakers, sommeliers and journalists) will assess and write tasting notes for each such blend. The notes will be analyzed and summarized using the Artificial Intelligence resource by Winespace that will compile the complete aroma and flavour profile of each wine. The blender who produces the panel’s favourite wine will be declared the winner.

Honouring the Art of Blending in Bordeaux

Blending is an art  requiring  genuine expertise and  is part of the history and  identity of wine, particularly in Bordeaux. It is often conducted behind closed doors, in the peaceful, subdued atmosphere of the barrel cellar by a team of blenders.

Also Read : Pedro-the Pied Piper mesmerizes at Haro Station Wine Experience Blend Masters aims to bring  this  expertise into  full view  and  showcase these blending experts.

For the 5 candidates, the competition will be unique and perhaps unprecedented. They are generally tuned to blending wines  from  the properties they consult with. But here they will have no information about the batches they are provided with. It is their job to give voice to their  sensitivity and  put forward their  personal vision of wine based on the relevant theme, working within a timeframe which will be such to put mental pressure on them all.

Focusing on Bordeaux and Global Warming

The initiative is promoted by stakeholders with a firm rooting in Gironde. It is only natural that Bordeaux, the ultimate home of blending, should have been chosen as the ‘capital of blending’ for the first edition.

Themed ‘Bordeaux 2050’, the event will draw on research work by the scientific department of Vignobles Bernard Magrez, as part of the thesis on ‘La Tour  Carnet 2050’.

Research work began in 2022 with an aim to anticipate the impact of global  warming on wines  and  to plan  ahead for the potential varietal range in the Bordeaux wine  region by 2050. It draws on a unique experimental vineyard block in Bordeaux, planted with 84 grape varieties where global warming is artificially  simulated.

A Laboratory to explore the taste of future wines

The wine world is undergoing a sea-change due to global warming, climate change and changing
consumer behavior wherein expectations and new models need to be evolved.
Blend Masters is more than a competition. Its role is to provide a space to reflect and explore
new processes. It is a way of allowing industry members to think outside the box of their
day-to-day business by offering them an unrestrictive environment for thought around an
impactful theme.

The evening will be punctuated by time out for conversations and discussions, particularly
when the results are presented. Both the blenders and the panel will be invited to explain
their approach and their perceptions

Julien  Viaud, a partner consultant winemaker at Laboratoire Rolland & Associés, has  been selected as  the patron for this  year’s event. He will chair the tasting panel and offer  his experience and  vision of blending. Julien is one of the 3 senior employees of Michel (consultant to Grover Vineyards in India) and Dany Rolland who had started a tasting lab in 1973 and in 2020, gave away the majority stakes to these 3 gentlemen who now run the lab under the current name

The evening will provide an opportunity for all the attending guests to taste different wines produced by the research work and to express their viewpoints on the future identity of Bordeaux wines.

Owned by Vinopres S.A. Belgium, Concours Mondial  de  Bruxelles primarily organizes international competitions like Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB), Spirits Selection, Concours Mondial  du Sauvignon, México Selection, Saké Selection for over 30 years. It also plays an active role in publishing the  magazine VINO.BE and  the  Belgian Wine  Guide and arranges exhibitions and promotional campaigns for various regions, including China.

Bernard  Magrez is the billionaire real estate tycoon and wine producer of Bordeaux having 42 vineyards in France and 8 countries including Japan, including 4 Grand Cru Classe wineries– Château Pape Clément in Pessac, Château Fombrauge in Saint-Emilion, Château La Tour Carnet in the Médoc and Clos Haut Peyraguey in Sauternes. He also owns 42 vineyards in France and in 8 countries around the world including Japan. Maison Bernard Magrez  has been strongly committed to R&D since 2013, focusing on environmental protection, drones and robotics, and combatting frost and hail.He is also behind the start-up  In January 2020, Winespace. it launched the first start-
up incubator dedicated to wine and wine tourism.

Also Read : Star Profile: Bernard Magrez of Bordeaux

Winespace is a Bordeaux start-up combining the wine sector, Artificial Intelligence and data. Its objective is to digitalise the  skills of wine  experts. It develops innovative digital solutions for the  wine  industry. The  development of  Winespace has  the   backing of  several  regional support structures  including Bernard  Magrez Start-up Wine incubator.

For details, visit: http://www.winespace.fr/
quentin.havaux@vinopres.com

Subhash Arora