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Wine and Spirits Awards
Since 1994, the Vinistra Association has been organizing the Wine and Spirits Awards, which takes place in Poreč at the beginning of April. The judges are international oenologists, sommeliers and other wine professionals. After the awards ceremony, the winemakers are awarded medals, which precedes the largest wine event, Vinistra, where the awarded wines can be tasted.
Strengthening the Quality of Istrian Wines
The constant increase in the number of samples of indigenous grape varieties submitted for judging at this competiton, the ever-higher quality level of most wine samples at the judging and a few new names awarded every year by the judges confirm that Istria is constantly improving when it comes to the quality of wine and deserves its title as a top wine and enogastronomy destination.
For award-winning wines, there is the option to purchase official judging stamps from the Vinistra Association to decorate the bottle.
Champion
The award given to the wines with the most points in the fresh and mature category of Malvasia Istriana, Teran and Refošk, Muškat momjanski and Žlahtina varieties
Platinum medal
Wines with > 95 points win the highest possible, platinum medal. The award represents a stylized goat, a symbol of the Istrian region.
80 - 84
85 - 89
90 - 94
> 95
Champion
President of the judging panels
Caroline Gilby
Master of wine (1992)
One of only 418 people in the world with this title. Caroline holds a PhD in plant biology and has been a Master of Wine since 1992.
DWWA Regional Chair for the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, and Croatia & Slovenia
She is one of the leading experts judging wines at Decanter World Wine Awards and other competitions worldwide. And has a passion for the wines of the Balkans and Central and Eastern Europe
British wine writer, award winning author, speaker and wine consultant
Among others, she currently contributes to Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, The Oxford Companion to Wine, and the World Atlas of Wine, Sotheby's Wine Encyclopaedia, and writes for Decanter, Jancisrobinson.com, Vino i Fino and Vinum.IN. She is author of 'The wines of Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova' and is working on "Serbian Wines - a new chapter. Caroline is also co-organiser of "The Ultimate Central & Eastern Wine Fair" in London.
Awarded author, speaker and wine consultant
With a passion for the wines of the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe
Secretary of the judging panels
Kristijan Damjanić
Professor of professional studies at the Polytechnic of Poreč.
He received his Phd at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb on the topic "Changes in phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of the skin and seeds of grape berries cv. Teran (Vitis vinifera L.) during ripening".
Since 2009, he has been the secretary of the judging panels at Vinistra's competition. He has been actively participating as an associate of the association since then.
President of the Agrorovinj Association from Rovinj. The association is engaged in representing and protecting the rights of farmers in the area.
Panel leader
Elizabeth Gabay
Wine expert and one of the leading authorities on rosé wines.
She has been part of the wine world since 1986, when she founded Elizabeth Gabay & Partners, and since 2002 she has been based in southeastern France.
Master of Wine in 1998.
Elizabeth specializes in the wines of Southern France, Central Europe, and rosé styles, writing regularly for leading wine media such as Decanter Sevenfifty.com; Weinseller (Swiss magazine); Sommelier India and others.
Author of Rosé: Understanding the Pink Wine Revolution; Rosés of Southern France and in 2026 The Wines of Provence (last two books co-written with Ben Bernheim)
Together with her son Ben Bernheim, she writes, gives talks and masterclasses, consults for wineries and importers across Europe and the USA and organises wine events in the UK and runs the educational platform pink.wine
Panel leader
Harald Scholl
Editor-in-Chief, VINUM Weinguide & VINUM Wine Magazine Germany
Harald Scholl is a highly respected wine journalist, editor, and international panel leader known for his precision in sensory evaluation and his leadership in large-scale blind tastings. As Editor-in-Chief of the VINUM Weinguide Germany, he oversees one of Europe’s most influential annual tastings, guiding thousands of evaluations and ensuring the highest professional standards.
He is responsible for directing VINUM’s major wine competitions—including the Riesling Champion, Deutscher Rotweinpreis, Silvaner Preis, World of Rosé, and the Sekt Award—where he leads expert juries, calibrates tasting protocols, and manages the assessment of extensive and diverse wine categories.
Harald is frequently invited to serve as a panel leader (table captain) at international wine competitions, including in Croatia, valued for his structured approach to blind tasting, his ability to harmonize jury dynamics, and his deep knowledge of European wine regions and styles.
His work combines editorial authority, sensory expertise, and a clear commitment to advancing a fair, transparent, and globally connected wine culture.
Panel leader
Zsuzsa Toronyi
International wine marketing expert and co-founder of the Central European Wine Institute in Budapest, which offers WSET wine education programs, where she worked for nearly eight years as Marketing Director and wine educator.
She completed a Master’s degree in Enology at Corvinus University in Budapest.
Today she focuses on promoting Central and Eastern European wines in the UK market and actively serves as a judge at regional and international wine competitions.
She has been a judge at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards since 2021.
She actively serves as a judge at regional and international wine competitions
Panel leader
Igor Luković
Wine critic, writer, and journalist from Serbia, Active in the wine industry since 2003.
Editor-in-Chief of Vino & Fino and Outstanding Serbia
He is one of the founders of the Wine Identity initiative, and President of the jury at the Balkan International Wine Competition. He also coordinates wine judging for the Open Balkan Wine Trophy.
A long-standing judge at international wine competitions, including the Decanter WWA, IWC London, and The Balkans IWC, Igor is actively involved in wine education, training, and consultancy.
Panel leader
Marijan Bubola
Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč
Scientific research and professional work focused on viticulture, with a special emphasis on the impact of cultivation interventions on the quality of grapes and wine, grapevine physiology and the adaptation of viticulture production to climate change. He is actively involved in the development of specifications for protected designations of origin for wine, as well as in the selection, preservation and valorization of indigenous varieties.
He actively cooperates with numerous domestic and foreign institutions
He collaborates with the Vinistra association on projects aimed at preserving the Istrian winegrowing identity and improving the production of high-quality wines, with an emphasis on indigenous varieties. He is the project leader for the clonal selection of the Teran variety.
He is a corresponding member of the Italian Academy of Vine and Wine (Accademia Italiana della Vite e del Vino) and the representative of the Republic of Croatia in the Expert Group for Viticulture Technologies and Vine Protection (PROTEC) at the International Organization of Viticulture and Enology (OIV). He received his PhD from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb.
Panel leader
Sandi Paris
Winner of the Croatian Sommelier Championship four times and a participant in many world competitions. An experienced sommelier with extensive knowledge of wines.
He has been professionally involved in wine since 1995. He has been working as a consultant at Valamar Riviera d.d. as the head sommelier and beverage specialist since 2015.
Member of the executive board of the Croatian Sommelier Club and one of the wine and sommelier judges at various national and international competitions.
The owner of the wine bar "Cinderella" in Pula, he combines practical management with a passion for wine.
Competition chairperson for spirits
Zoran Lukić
Owner and director of Scorpio d.o.o. company and head of the bar consulting department.
Master's degree from the Faculty of Management in Tourism and Hospitality.
President and founder of the Croatian Waiters and Bartenders Association - the largest association in the region for the education of hospitality staff.
Specialist for bars in the hotel chain Valamar Riviera d.d.
Chief advisor for drinks, cocktails, and bars in high-category hotels in Croatia and Austria.
80 - 84
85 - 89
90 - 94
> 95
Hall of fame
Vinistra Wine & Spirits Awards and The World of Malvasia from 2001 to 2025
| Number | Winary name | Chamption title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kozlović vina | 8 |
| 2 | Vina Cattunar | 7 |
| Benvenuti vina | 7 | |
| 4 | Dešković | 5 |
| Kabola | 5 | |
| Vinakoper (SLO) | 5 | |
| 7 | Tomaz | 4 |
| Dobravac | 4 | |
| Fakin | 4 | |
| Terzolo | 4 | |
| Steras (SLO) | 4 | |
| 12 | Franc Arman | 3 |
| Coronica | 3 | |
| Jogan (SLO) | 3 |
Participate next year
We invite you to try your hand among the best Istrian wines in a professionally organized and uncertain competition with tough rivals.
