The 26th edition of Spirits Selection by CMB begins in China
With entry numbers reaching a record high this year—for the second year in a row—the 26th Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles begins in Renhuai, China, the birthplace of sauce aroma baijiu. Over four days of competition, 2,754 spirits will be blind-tasted by 154 professional judges from 38 nationalities.
Official pictures of the competition
For its 26th edition, the competition is traveling to China. “We are delighted and proud to be holding our 26th Spirits Selection by CMB in Renhuai,” says Baudouin Havaux, chairman of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. “The competition aims to be a bellwether for market trends, and China is an important spirits producer country. We are also delighted to return to China to host the competition, a few years after organizing it in Lyliang, Shanxi Province.”
“The new increase in the number of entries is a very pleasant surprise; we are so proud!” admits Ulric Nijs, the competition’s Director.
“Firstly, considering the global geopolitical and economic situation is still in the grips of crisis, and also because I was only recently appointed as head of Spirits Selection by CMB. This is proof that with our ambassadors, our substantial groundwork has paid off and continues to convince producers of the professionalism and positive contribution of Spirits Selection by CMB to their marketing. I am also proud to announce that we are broadening the range of products competing, after new producer countries that did not participate in the previous competition have now placed their trust in us. These are primarily Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Cape Verde, and Ukraine. It was also important to lend greater clarity and differentiation to the spirits categories competing, so we have increased their number by most notably adding Mahua and Fenni from India as well as Cocuy from Venezuela, which were particularly active this year.”
China, as the host country, has galvanized its industry into action and ranks first for the number of entries this year. Next come France and its overseas departments, Italy, Brazil, and Mexico. A total of 2,754 entries from 62 countries, covering 58 different categories, will be blind-tasted by our 154 professional judges from September 2 to 5, 2024.
Tasting process
An intensive training program was held this summer for the Chinese judges taking part in Spirits Selection by CMB 2024, aimed at honing their knowledge of spirits from across the globe. A few days ago, a Baijiu Academy was also introduced to turn our international judges into genuine experts and ambassadors of the iconic Chinese spirit.
About the 2024 host, Renhuai
The city of Renhuai is located in the north-west of the province of Guizhou in China and boasts a long-standing, rich history and culture. The city’s foundation dates back over 900 years, during the third year of the Daguan period under the Northern Song Dynasty (around 1109 AD). Its name translates poetically to “benevolence for the world and reconciliation for border dwellers”.
In 2004, Renhuai was designated ‘Baijiu City of China’ and in 2021 was recognised as the main producer region of sauce aroma baijiu. In 2022, its economic production reached 170.67 billion yuan (21.86 billion euros), ranking 12th among the 100 leading counties and cities in China. As the birthplace of the famous sauce aroma baijiu in China, Renhuai has a well-established history of wines and spirits, some of which date back as far as 3,000 years. Under the Han dynasty, it garnered a reputation for the excellence of its local spirit infused with goji berries (Lycium chinense), described by the Emperor of the Wu period as “mild, pure and beautiful”.
Renhuai is the leading producer region for sauce aroma baijiu in China, and therefore the world. The number of production facilities is impressive at over 1,000, all of them located within a region totalling some 1,800 km2. Needless to say, this industry plays a very significant role in the area’s economic development. The region has recently invested heavily in protecting and codifying baijiu in a bid to extend its local reach, and more importantly its international footprint. The aim is also to promote its products as the only ones of their kind in order to secure a geographical indication (GI) for their sauce aroma baijius that are globally recognised. New specifications were also introduced in 2024 to ensure the highest level of production regulations.
About the competition
Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is an international, touring competition where spirits from across the globe are entered by producers to be blind tasted by a panel of experts. Our experienced judges come from around the world to taste the competing spirits with a single goal in mind, and that is to select products showing irreproachable quality with no bias stemming from a label or a category’s prestige. With just 30% of entries awarded a medal, Spirits Selection is one of the most rigorous events of this kind.
Press contact :
Benoît Carion
benoit.carion@vinopres.com
