A record-breaking number of entries in the Argentina Wine Awards has resulted in 30 gold medal and 18 trophies which have been selected by an international panel of wine experts at the judging session in Mendoza last week.

The event, the fourth to be held by the Wines of Argentina and COVIAR (the Argentine Wine Corporation), saw 12 Masters of Wine gather over three days to assess an unprecedented 650 samples from 138 wineries. They awarded 18 trophies, 30 gold medals as well as 182 silver and 260 bronze medals.

The panel this year reflected the growing global presence of Argentina's wines, with judges chosen not only for their deep knowledge of wine but also for their understanding of an extremely diverse set of international markets.

The Masters of Wine involved in the judging included: 
· Jo Ahearne MW (UK)

· Essi Avellan MW (Finland)

· Roger Bohmrich MW (USA)

· Rosemary George MW (UK)

· Peter McCombie MW (UK/New Zealander)

· Debra Meiburg MW (Hong Kong/American)

· Sheri Sauter Morano MW (USA)

· Sebastian Payne MW (UK)

· Barbara Philip MW (Canada)

· Frank Roeder MW (Germany)

· Madeleine Stenwreth MW (Sweden)

· Dirceu (Junior) Vianna MW (UK/Brazilian)

They were joined by nine Argentine winemakers: Edgardo del Pópolo (Dona Paula), Daniel Pi (Trapiche), Andrea Marchiori (Vina Cobos), Hervé Birnie-Scott (Chandon), Matías Riccitelli (Fabre Montmayou), Sebastián Zuccardi (Familia Zuccardi), Gustavo Bertagna (Dominio del Plata), Federico Galdeano (Trivento) and Santiago Mayorga (Mendel).

The judging was again managed by UK agency, Hunt & Coady, and included a double blind tasting format and 20-point scoring system. Wines were organized into flights defined by grape, variety and price.

Trophy and Gold winning wines can be found at the following link: http://www.winesofargentina.org/newsletters/attachments/trophies-y-oros-awa2010.pdf