Italy has spent more than one million euros in public funds to host various editions of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB). A Winemag.it investigation reveals how four regions — Calabria, Campania, Sardinia and Sicily — financed five editions of the Belgian competition, with a sixth scheduled in Cirò in 2026, pushing total public spending beyond 1.35 million euros.
The model is always the same: the host territory covers logistics and hospitality for international judges, while CMB earns from entry fees. Vinopres, the company behind CMB, has seen its net profit jump from €46,369 in 2023 to €285,146 in 2024, and has expanded into branded CMB Wine Bars in Mexico City and Seoul.
In Italy, Sicily spent over €340,000 for the 2022 and 2025 editions, Sardinia around €300,000 in 2024, Campania €88,388 in 2022, and Calabria €300,000 for the 2022 Rosé Session. As the CMB multiplies its global “sessions,” one question remains: should public money fuel the growth of a private wine competition?