Wine judging process

Judging process

Achieving an IWSC award isn't easy, but that's what makes the medal so respected

We run a tightly structured, rigorous wine tasting process. The format of our judging sessions allows for group discussion, which also ensures maximum exposure to key decision-makers, who receive full details of the wines they have tasted after the session is complete.

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Our points of difference

1. In order to promote your wines to the right audience, we ask for full details of the distribution channels of all wines entered into the IWSC, along with their end market – on-trade, off-trade or multinational

2. Wines are pre-poured in numbered glasses to guarantee anonymity

3. Wines are assessed blind by industry leaders, including critics and commercial decision-makers within the on-trade and off-trade

4. Our expert sommeliers assess ~65 wines per day. This allows time for panel discussions and avoids palate fatigue

5. After each tasting session, rated wines are showcased to all judges, giving your wines extra exposure

6. You will receive details of the experts who assessed and tasted your wine after the tasting

Our experts

IWSC judges are experts and influencers from across the global wine trade. Wines are judged by the buyers, for the buyers.

Our independent Wine Judging Committee meets once a quarter to maintain the upmost integrity, accuracy and impartiality during the judging process.

Meet our experts

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Why are there different deadlines?

The different deadlines for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are chosen to reflect differences in wine harvests around the world, in order to present the most relevant products to our panels.

View deadlines

Why do we need three samples?

We want to ensure that if a wine is faulty or damaged we can serve a fresh sample to avoid any of your wines getting an unfair score. In addition, if your wine is put forward for a trophy, we will use one of the extra bottles in these judging sessions. We also often promote top-rated wines at trade and consumer events throughout the year.

Wine scoring system

Gold	Silver	Bronze
95-100	90-94	85-89
A superb wine with great personality, character and complexity, but that is also true to its origins. An example that stands out among its peers as a supreme drinking experience.	An accomplished wine with considerable personality. A classic example of its style or variety.	A perfectly well-made wine which provides an enjoyable drinking experience.