The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is an international wine competition which has taken place annually since its inception in 1994. The competition’s name is often shortened to Concours Mondial, particularly since it is now held in various European countries other than Belgium. This happened for the first time in 2006, when the host was Lisbon in Portugal. Maastricht, Bordeaux, Valencia, Sicily and Luxembourg have since provided host venues, and Guimaraes in Portugal's northern Minho region was chosen for the 2012 competition.
The very first Concours Mondial was in fact held in the historic city of Bruges, not in Brussels as might be expected given the competition's title. It was organized by Louis Havaux, founder of the Belgian publication Revue Belge des Vins, and attracted more than 850 entries from 29 countries. A self-styled 'World Wine Championship', the Concours Mondial now assesses almost 7000 wines from around the globe each year, and since 1999 has been complemented by the Brussels Spirits Awards.
For more information on the competition, visit www.concoursmondial.com.
