1969
1969
The International Wine and Spirits Competition is created by Anton Massel. A trial tasting is held in a London wine bar, by the Club Oenologique wine appreciation circle.
1969 - early 2000s
1969 - early 2000s
IWSC based at Ockley Barn in Surrey, where pheasants roamed the lawns and stray cats kept the rabbits in check.
1970
1970
The first official competition takes place, with invitations sent to producers worldwide.
1975
1975
First external annual President is appointed - Lord Montagu of Beaulieu
1978
1978
The International Wine and Sprits Competition is officially registered as a Limited company (until this point, the IWSC was trading under ‘Club Oenologique Ltd’).
Sir Humphrey Edwards becomes the first Chairman of the IWSC.
1987
1987
The IWSC organised the First International Wine & Spirit Congress at the Tara Hotel, London, with speakers including Robert Mondavi and Dr. Alan Rutherford. Unfortunately, the night before, Britain had the hurricane of the century, ‘The Great storm of 1987’, which brought the country into chaos and stopped people from attending the event.
1994
1994
The IWSC’s silver jubilee coincided with the 500th anniversary of Scotch whisky. To celebrate, the IWSC invited seven major companies to create limited edition blends.
1995
1995
The IWSC hosts its first open tasting, showcasing an array of Gold-medal-winning wines.
1996
1996
The Communicator of the Year award is initiated to celebrate individuals who have made a difference to the industry, with the first recipient being Jancis Robinson MW.
1999
1999
The IWSC is bought by publishing company Highbury Harpers.
2007
2007
The IWSC becomes part of the Conversion Group.
2010 - present
2010 - present
Competition entries now regularly exceed 12,000.
2018
2018
The launch of the IWSC’s consumer magazine and website, Club Oenologique, named after the competition’s original title.
In October 2018, the IWSC set up a non-profit organisation, the IWSC Foundation, to support education in the drinks industry.