SLOVAK wines won plaudits at this year's Vinitaly international wine competition, held in the Italian city of Verona. Two wines won gold medals; a third won silver, the Sme daily reported. Almost 3,600 wines from 32 countries were competing for 88 medals.
The silver medal was awarded to a semi-sweet Cabernet Sauvignon rosé 2007 from the Topoľčianky viticultural plant. The gold also went to the Nitra Region: it was given to the Víno Nitra company for its white sect brut Pálffy 1999.
Although most of the medals stayed in Italy, the Slovak wines' success meant Slovakia was among 12 countries which won prizes.
The medal-tally meant it almost matched its western neighbour, the Czech Republic, and was also competing with winegrowing "superpowers" like Chile, Australia, and Spain.
Central and Northern Europe was most successful in white wines, while in naturally sweet wines Canada dominated.
