The results of the 8^th edition of the Muscats du Monde^® international wine competition, has been just announced. Over the course of two days, international experts tasted 197 Muscats wines from all over the world. The 2008 awards list from Muscat du Monde^® is an opportunity to discover the incomparable palette of aromas that Muscat wines can display. Strict quality standards and optimal tasting conditions enabled the international judges to award 66 medals that are recognised as a reliable criterion for selection.

The 8^th international confrontation of the world’s best Muscats wines, Muscats du Monde^®, organised by Forum Œnologie, was held from 18 and 19 of July  2008 in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the city of Frontignan-la-Peyrade (France).

Since eight years, its international wine competition recognised the world’s best Muscats wines, awarding reliable and thus representative medals. Muscats du Monde^® is founded on a single conviction: distinctive marks of quality are the key to the differentiation and thus to the promotion of medal-winning wines in a highly competitive and often confusing marketplace. Medalwinning wineries can use their medals in marketing their wines.

Muscats du Monde_^® 2008 still and sparkling Muscats wines from 24 countries, making this competition into one of the world’s top events for Muscats wines. Since its creation, this competition has been a wonderful occasion to taste traditional Muscat wine (VDN: vin doux naturel) and to follow the development of a wide variety of new wines, highlighting the complexity and aromatic richness of Muscat varieties.

Muscats du Monde^® has carved out a place of its own amongst wine competitions, thanks to its international flavour and its rigorous methods. During the two days of tasting under optimal conditions, the international expert judges awarded 66 medals (19 Gold and 47 Silver Medals) in accordance with international wine competition regulations and in strict compliance with Quality Assurance requirements.

Muscats du Monde^® has progressively distinguished itself from other international competitions thanks to quality standards that are much stricter than the norm and by remaining faithful to its founding principles: diversity, quality and high standards.

Medals distribution Gold Medals 19 Silver Medals 47 Bronze Medals 0

Awarded Medals count by countries

Top 10 Best Muscats du Monde® 2008
Gold medals
Country	Product	Winery
Portugal	Moscatel de Setubal - Bacalhoa - Setubal Doc 1998	Bacalhoa-Vinhos de Portugal
Portugal	Bacalhoa - Moscatel Roxo - Setubal Doc 1998	Bacalhoa-Vinhos de Portugal
Spain	Navarra d.o. - Senorio de Sarria Moscatel 2007	Bodega de Sarria
France	Muscat de Beaumes de Venise "Bois doré" 2004	Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise - Balma Venitia
South Africa	Monis Muscadel 2001	Distell - Monis
Australia	Morris Cellar Reserve Muscat	Morris Wines
France	Muscat de Mireval - Domaine du Mas Neuf 2007	Scea du Mas Neuf des Aresquiers
Portugal	Moscatel de Favaios - Douro Doc 1980	Adega Cooperativa de Favaios
Switzerland	Muscat de Clavoz - Ville de Sion 2006	Cave la Tine
Czech Republic	Muskat Zluty - Zemske Vino 2007	Znovin Znojmo

• Geographical diversity: with 24 countries Muscats du Monde^® is the strongest Muscats wine concentration ever realized. It is thus the most significant and legitimate qualitative confrontation for the distinction of best Muscats of the world.
  
  
• All of the Muscat-producing regions in France were well-represented: Alsace, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon and the Rhône Valley. Other well-represented countries included Spain, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and even such faraway countries as South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. The participation of countries such as Macedonia, Romania, Tunisia, Slovenia and Czech Republic was also notable. A new country join the competition: the new Zealand.
  
  
• A very international Award list
  The Top 10 of best Muscats of the World 2008 is very international. Seven countries distinguished themselves among the best and Portugal gains 3 very beautiful medals. Thus beside Portugal we find at the top of the award list: Spain, South Africa, Australia, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
  
  Languedoc-Roussillon and Rhône Valley took home a number of prestigious medals. In Europe, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Greece and Lebanon distinguished themselves with several medals. Outside Europe, South Africa and Australia all stood out.
  
  
• Sparkling Muscats wines awarded
  Year after year and systematically, we observe an increasingly marked presence of good quality sparkling Muscats wines. Thus 2008 awards are well present : 5 gold and 13 silver medals reward sparkling wines. Very beautiful gold medals award quality of sparkling wines from Brazil, Italy and Switzerland. Spain, France, Cyprus and New Zealand were also particularly well noticed.
  
  
  
• Diversity of Sensorial Expression
  Each of the wines that distinguished themselves at Muscat du monde^® did so because of their own intrinsic quality, not in comparison with the other wines. This event is therefore a unique opportunity to bring together and discover a wide variety of Muscats wines in all their forms: dry, sweet, still, sparkling, with and with pink to dark red shades. According to the expert judges, this extraordinarily rich group of wines demonstrated a level of sensory complexity rarely encountered with other wines.
  
  Several marks of quality Gold and Silver were awarded to botrytised, late harvest and special selection. A wide variety of dry, off-dry, sweet, still, sparkling, young, age-worthy wines received favourable notice.
  
  Several gold medals were awarded to dry wines, which were characterised by an elegant acid balance and by floral, muscat aromas. The sparkling wines were noted for their elegance and lightness (low alcohol). For the sweet wines (vins doux naturels and vins de liqueur), the expert judges had a wide choice of high-quality wines from which to pick the best.

Muscats du Monde^® is organised by the Association Forum Œnologie with participation from the Revue des Œnologues and in partnership with:

• The city of Frontignan-la-Peyrade
• The Services Actions Qualité company for competition-related computing services.

An organisation with highly reputed partners :
	City of Frontignan la Peyrade
	La Revue des Œnologues - International technical Magazine about Wine and Vine - Technical and Communication partner.
	TNT Express - Official partner for international deliveries.
	SAQ - Services Actions Qualité - Expert Translation Services for the Wine and Grape Industries - Technical partner.