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During the wee hours of the morning on May 6 Taiwan time, the director of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles — one of the world’s largest wine and spirit tasting competitions – announced that Greater Kaohsiung will host the competition in 2013, the first time it is to be held outside of Europe.

Tsai Fu-chin, director of Greater Kaohsiung’s Agriculture Bureau, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s (NPUST) College of Agriculture President Wu Ming-chang and professor Lai Yi-ling, and National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism’s (NKUHT) professor Chen Chien-hao all traveled together to the District of Porto in Portugal to contend with more than 20 nations to win the right to host the Concours Mondial next year. Their success makes this the first time the competition is to be held in Asia.

Tsai says the Concours Mondial is the most important wine tasting competition in the world and that it attracts nearly 10,000 product entries every year. The Agriculture Bureau says the reason Kaohsiung stands out among the others is because much of the city’s agricultural produce, such as “jade purse” lychees, “golden jewel” pineapples, honey, and green plums, has gradually gained international notoriety.

Chen, who will serve as the head juror at next year’s Concours Mondial, says the competition that began in Brussels 19 years ago had as many as 8,300 product entries this year, making for an extraordinarily grand occasion.

(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)