Our History

Wine, spirits, knowledge, community. Since 1969.

                              Our History

1969

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

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

1970

The first official competition takes place, with invitations sent to producers worldwide.

1975

1975

1975

First external annual President is appointed - Lord Montagu of Beaulieu

1978

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

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

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

1995

The IWSC hosts its first open tasting, showcasing an array of Gold-medal-winning wines.

1996

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

1999

The IWSC is bought by publishing company Highbury Harpers.

2007

2007

2007

The IWSC becomes part of the Conversion Group.

2010 - present

2010 - present

2010 - present

Competition entries now regularly exceed 12,000.

2018

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.