Two gold medals at Berliner Wine Trophy 2026 – recognition for winemaking of Zakarpattia

In 2026, two Chateau Chizay wines received this professional recognition. It was also our first time entering wines for evaluation at the Berliner Wine Trophy.

Berliner Wine Trophy: where medals have to be earned

The Berliner Wine Trophy has a history of more than 20 years. Since 2004, the competition has been held under the patronage of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). Over the years, it has become one of the best-known and largest international wine competitions.

The scale of the 2026 edition is reflected in the numbers: more than 4,500 wines from 38 countries were evaluated this year by 135 international experts. But the number of wines and countries is not the only thing that gives a medal its weight.

The Berliner Wine Trophy follows OIV rules. The wines are evaluated by an international jury through blind tasting: the experts do not see the bottle or its label. They do not even know the wine’s region of origin.

This allows the judges to focus solely on what matters most — the wine itself, its quality and its characteristics. Another important principle is that no more than 30% of the wines entered can receive medals. So, to earn a Gold medal, a wine must undergo rigorous professional evaluation and demonstrate a level of quality worthy of recognition in a highly competitive field.

That is why the two Gold medals at Berliner Wine Trophy 2026 are such a valuable professional recognition for Chateau Chizay.

Troyanda Karpat: a tradition of Transcarpathia

The first Gold medal went to Troyanda Karpat 2021, a vintage dessert wine that has become one of the symbols of Transcarpathian winemaking. Today, it is also a must-have souvenir for visitors to Transcarpathia.

The wine is made from Traminer Rosé, following a recipe dating back to 1959.

After a long break in production, Chateau Chizay brought this legendary wine back to life and returned it to the modern wine map of Transcarpathia. To do so, we planted a dedicated Traminer Rosé vineyard and then waited for the right vintage.

So far, only three vintages of Troyanda Karpat have been released. And we are not stopping here.

The 2021 vintage was aged for more than 24 months in oak barrels. Its aroma reveals tea rose petals, dried fruit and vanilla, while the palate is rich and harmonious, with candied fruit, honeyed and even nutty nuances.

The Gold medal at Berliner Wine Trophy is another international recognition for this wine. Troyanda Karpat has already received high scores at professional competitions and has represented Ukrainian winemaking at **La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux**, the world’s leading wine culture centre. Today, it is one of Ukraine’s most awarded wines.

Yet every new award matters in its own way. It confirms that a wine with a strong history and distinctive Transcarpathian identity can appeal not only to Ukrainian consumers, but also to professional wine judges from around the world.

Furmint Late Harvest 2022: a wine born from risk

The second Gold medal went to Furmint Late Harvest 2022, a sweet late-harvest wine made from Furmint grapes.

Its story is special even for a winery that has been experimenting with Furmint for many years.

Today, Chateau Chizay has six wines in very different styles made from Furmint, while our Head Winemaker, Zoltan Udvargelyi, is already preparing another special expression of the variety – a sparkling wine.

So how was Furmint Late Harvest born?

In 2022, we decided to leave the grapes on the vine until October. It was a significant risk: unfavourable weather conditions could have resulted in losing the crop. But the wait paid off.

The grapes developed Botrytis cinerea, the so-called noble rot, which became an important part of the style of the future wine.

The result was a concentrated sweet wine with a rich aromatic and flavour profile: citrus, ripe quince, peach, pear, raisins and honey. At the same time, its pronounced acidity balances the sweetness and keeps the palate harmonious.

Furmint Late Harvest has already received international recognition. Now another Gold medal has been added to its list – Berliner Wine Trophy 2026.

Two wines – two different faces of Transcarpathian winemaking

It is particularly interesting that the international jury recognised two Chateau Chizay dessert wines this time — wines representing two equally compelling, yet very different winemaking stories.

Troyanda Karpat is a tradition that began in the last century, brought back to life and reinterpreted through modern winemaking.

Furmint Late Harvest is an example of bold experimentation, working with the characteristics of the grape and the natural conditions of the vineyard to allow the berries to remain on the vine far longer than usual.

The two wines are very different, but they tell the same story: Transcarpathia has its own wine character, history and potential — and all of them can make a strong impression on the international wine stage.

International awards as wine diplomacy

For Ukrainian winemaking today, being present in the international professional wine community is especially important.

Every medal creates an opportunity for Ukrainian wine to be talked about not only in Ukraine. It allows sommeliers, importers, wine experts and wine lovers in other countries to see that Ukraine is not only a country with a long winemaking history, but also a modern wine region producing wines that can compete internationally.

This is one of the missions we see for Chateau Chizay – to represent Transcarpathia and Ukrainian winemaking through quality wine.

International competitions give us a particularly convincing language for doing that.

Here, it is not advertising slogans that speak for us. It is the wine in the glass — and the evaluation of independent professional judges. So, these two Gold medals from Berliner Wine Trophy 2026 are another reason to be proud of Ukrainian wine.

And another opportunity to introduce the world to the taste of Transcarpathia.

Isn’t that what you call gold in a glass?

Discover the Gold Collection by Chateau Chizay

Choose your favourite wines from our Gold Collection – to enjoy yourself, give as a memorable gift, or keep for years as a true treasure.