Palugyay Gewürztraminer Ice Wine 2018 is Slovakia’s National White Wine Champion
Palugyay Gewürztraminer Ice Wine 2018 has won the title of National White Wine Champion of the Slovak Republic. The title was awarded at Vinař roku České republiky 2026, which has separate categories for Slovak wines alongside its Czech categories.
The gala took place on 19 August at Žofín in Prague and was broadcast by Czech Television on Sunday.
About the competition
This was the 23rd edition of Vinař roku České republiky. Seventy wineries entered 666 wine samples. An international panel of recognised wine tasters assesses the entries. The final round is judged by the Tasting Club, whose members include Masters of Wine. Petr Marek chairs the organising committee, and the Czech Sommelier Association works with the competition.
How the champion is chosen
The competition has two rounds. In the first, the judges taste and score the samples. The five highest-scoring white wines and five highest-scoring red wines made from Slovak-grown grapes then compete for their respective titles in the final round. This final comparison is known as a taste-off.
What makes an ice wine
Ice wine is one of Slovakia's eight categories of wine with a special quality designation and is among the most demanding to produce. The law requires four conditions to be met together. The grapes must be harvested at minus seven degrees Celsius or below and remain frozen during harvesting and processing. The resulting must must have a sugar content of at least 27 degrees on the normalised must scale (°NM), and the finished wine must have an actual alcohol content of at least 6% by volume.
In practice, this means waiting. The grapes stay on the vine long after the rest of the vineyard has been harvested, waiting for frost that may not arrive at all in some years. The key is pressing the grapes while they are frozen. Water remains trapped in the berries as ice, releasing only the concentrated juice. This is why ice wine is always made in small quantities.
Why Tramín červený makes a white wine
The Slovak name can be misleading. “Červený”, meaning “red”, refers to the pinkish-red colour of the grape skins, not the wine in the glass. Known in English as Gewürztraminer, it is an aromatic white grape variety with a long tradition in Rača.
A vintage that keeps winning
This is not its first title. The 2018 vintage has continued to collect awards:
- Category V winner, National Wine Salon, 2022
- Grand Gold, Vinalies Internationales, France, 2023
- Grand Gold, Bacchus Madrid, Spain, 2023 and 2025
- Grand Gold, Prague Wine Trophy, Czechia, 2022 and 2023
- Gold, AWC Vienna, Austria, 2022, 2023 and 2025
- Gold, Sakura Japan Women's Wine Awards, Japan, 2023
- Gold, Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg, France, 2024
- Gold, Oenoforum, Czechia, 2026
Where to find it
Written by Villa Vino Rača
