With the publication of the results of the 33rd Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Red and White Wine Session, one of the world’s most influential wine competitions has officially come to a close. This year’s edition was held in Yerevan, Armenia, where more than 7,500 wines from around the world were evaluated over three days by approximately 350 wine professionals from over 50 countries, including sommeliers, wine journalists, buyers, oenologists and other experts from across the wine industry.

A total of 122 Grand Gold Medals and 908 Gold Medals were awarded globally, representing the highest distinctions of the competition.

Among the countries of Southeast Europe whose wines shone with Grand Gold and Gold Medals this year, Greece and Bulgaria emerged as the region’s leading performers, further confirming the growing international recognition of their wines.

Greece collected a total of 17 top awards, including two Grand Gold Medals. The country’s standout success was Diaporos Kir-Yianni 2020, which not only received a Grand Gold Medal but was also named Greece Revelation, the highest distinction awarded to a Greek wine at this year’s competition. The second Grand Gold Medal for Greece went to Amethystos Cava 2021 from Costa Lazaridi.

Bulgaria followed closely with 14 top awards, including two Grand Gold Medals. The country’s best-performing wines were Exclusive Lot Merlot 100% Barrel 2022 from Zlaten Rozhen and Middle Forest Syrah 2019 from Manastira Winery, reaffirming Bulgaria’s reputation as one of the region’s most important producers of premium red wines.

North Macedonia secured two Gold Medals through Tikveš Winery’s Bela Voda Red 2022 and Domaine Lepovo Grand Cuvée 2023, while Montenegro earned a Gold Medal for Cuvée Terroir Stari Podrum 2020 from 13. Jul Plantaže. Croatia was represented among this year’s top award winners by Kutjevo Graševina 2025, which also received a Gold Medal.

Red Wines Continue to Drive the Region
An analysis of the awarded wines reveals that Southeast Europe continues to achieve the majority of its international success through red wines. Nearly two-thirds of all Grand Gold and Gold Medals awarded to the countries observed were won by red wines, reinforcing the region’s reputation as a source of characterful, structured and highly gastronomic reds.

Among international varieties, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc stood out most prominently. Merlot and Syrah alone delivered both Grand Gold Medals for Bulgaria, while Sauvignon Blanc once again proved to be one of the region’s most successful white varieties.

Yet perhaps the most interesting story lies within the indigenous grapes.

Greek Xinomavro achieved one of the competition’s most remarkable individual successes through Diaporos 2020, while Agiorgitiko and Malagousia further confirmed their role as flagbearers of contemporary Greek wine identity. In Bulgaria, Mavrud once again featured among the country’s most successful wines, continuing its rise as a symbol of the nation’s wine heritage.

Vranac also deserves special attention. Although it did not secure a Grand Gold Medal this year, its presence among the highest-awarded wines through entries from North Macedonia and Montenegro confirms its status as one of Southeast Europe’s most important grape varieties. Few varieties connect the region’s diverse terroirs, wine cultures and gastronomic traditions as successfully while maintaining such a distinctive sense of place and identity.

More Than Medals
The results of this year’s Concours Mondial de Bruxelles suggest that the wine story of Southeast Europe is becoming less dependent on international varieties alone and increasingly defined by its own unique identities.

From the Aegean Sea and the mountain vineyards of Greece, across Thrace and the valleys of the Struma and Vardar rivers, to the limestone slopes of Crmnica and the coastal vineyards and rolling wine hills of Croatia, a region unfolds that is united by a Mediterranean spirit, a rich gastronomic culture, and grape varieties whose identity is inseparable from the places where they originate.

For that reason, perhaps the most important message of CMB 2026 is not simply the number of medals won, but the growing visibility of varieties such as Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Malagousia, Mavrud, Graševina and Vranac among the competition’s top performers. Each tells a story about the place it comes from, and together they are shaping an increasingly distinctive and internationally relevant identity for Southeast Europe on the global wine stage.

While international varieties continue to account for the largest share of medals, it is the indigenous and regionally distinctive grapes that create what is most valuable in today’s wine world: authenticity, a true sense of place, and a story that no other region can tell in quite the same way

View all CMB 2026 results