Why take part?

The International Wine Challenge (IWC) - Credibility. Visibility. Opportunity.

Winning is just the beginning. Participating in the IWC is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase your wines globally. With a legacy spanning over 40 years, at its core, the IWC helps producers to gain credibility, grow visibility and provides the opportunity to sell more wine.

It’s not just about winning — it’s about what winning unlocks.

Tranche 1 was originally launched many years ago with producers from the Southern hemisphere in mind. The idea was that judging in November would allow producers from those regions to enter their wines at a time for optimum freshness so they could showcase new vintages at their best.
However, there is also a clear benefit for Northern Hemisphere winemakers too especially for their red wines and for this reason, Tranche 1 is open to all.

The Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners from Tranche 1 will be announced by November 18th to allow for good time to promote results ahead of Christmas and in time for first quarter new listing reviews.

The top winning wines from Tranche 1 will then go forward and be judged alongside the top wines from the April judging in order to award the very best winning Trophies for the 2026 International Wine Challenge.

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5 reasons to enter the IWC

Feedback for all wines: All wines entered into the IWC will receive judge's feedback, irrespective of medal status.
Global Recognition: Boost sales and visibility worldwide with the world’s most trusted medal through a global PR campaign.
Extensive Reach: Connect with 2 billion* consumers and retailers. *Wine portfolio reach Jan-Sep 2023 – source Cision.
100% Blind Tasting: Judging ensures a level playing field for all wines.
Expert Judges from around the world As opposed to judges from specific regions.

What sets the IWC apart?

Setting the Global Standard for Excellence

Entering the competition allows you to benchmark your wines against the best in the world, ensuring you remain at the forefront of the industry. The IWC judging process assesses every wine ‘blind’ and judges each for its faithfulness to style, region and vintage, with no pricing or producer information provided.

This process enables winemakers to benchmark the performance of their wines alongside others of a similar style and see where they
sit on the global stage.

“We have worked tirelessly on vineyard improvements…so winning two IWC trophies is wonderful recognition for all the work that has been done by the vineyard and winemaking team.”

Martin Shaw Co-Founder, Tolpuddle Vineyard

Rigorous Assessment by Industry Experts

An IWC medal-winning wine is tasted by a minimum of 8 judges before being awarded. The rigorous process is respected by international wine retailers and buyers and opens the door for international trade communication.

83% of the IWC entrants believe that entering the IWC has positively impacted/will positively impact their winery's reputation and sales.*

Gathering the World's Wine Experts

The IWC brings together the wine world's most important and influential figures, with more than 500 experts from over 38 countries. The IWC judging teams include experts and influencers from the international wine industry, commercial decision makers, buyers and Masters of Wine (MWs) working in unison to find the highest quality wines each year from the 52 wine-producing countries represented in the competition.

Broad Exposure and Global Reach

The IWC is not just a competition; it's a platform for your brand to shine.

In 2023, our portfolio of wine events achieved a global reach in excess of 2 billion people through online, newspaper, and magazine channels.(source: Cision)

New for 2024: The IWC results will be shared on the renowned wine search engine wine-searcher.com, which represents 240 million searches by consumers each year.

“This award means a great amount for me and also the team. There's a whole village that it takes to make these wines. And it's awesome that someone from New Zealand has won this trophy.”

Natalie Christensen, IWC White Winemaker of the Year 2023

Proven Impact: Tangible Benefits

Winning an IWC medal comes with tangible benefits. Our high-shine foil bottle stickers, provided to medal-winning producers, are proven to increase sales by 24% and influence customer purchasing decisions.

"By winning the IWC awards multiple times, it actually gave us recognition on a global scale. Now, we are fortunate enough to be exporting to America, Australia,
the UK, Canada, and Singapore."

Rosie Dunphy, Owner, Coal Pit Wines, New Zealand