COMPETITION RULES 2024

Article 1: Objectives of the competition

The aims of the Challenge International du Vin, international wine and spirits competition, are as follows: to promote, communicate and present the best wines to buyers and consumer in all countries (including France) by operations aimed at the trade and the general public, in order to improve their promotion and marketing.

Article 2: Products admissible in the competition

The competition is open to all wines, special wines, dessert wines and spirits made according applicable legislation:
• in the country of origin, for countries outside the European Union,
• in Europe, for wines from EU member states,
• in France, for French wines.
All these products must be labelled with an indication of the country of origin where the grapes were harvested and vinified.

Article 3: Registration procedures

All participants must submit a duly-completed registration form corresponding to the product presented and make the relevant payment by cheque or bank transfer (postal registration) or by cheque, credit card or bank transfer (online registration) to the CHALLENGE INTERNATIONAL DU VIN before the deadline indicate on the competition website.
The COMPANY NAME or the NAME indicated in the ‘ENTRANT IDENTIFICATION’ section, as well as the ‘PRODUCT DETAILS’ section will be used on the DIPLOMA, the LIST OF AWARD WINNERS, and all CORRESPONDENCE. Incomplete forms will not be registered and the wines will not be presented to the tasting.
No fees will be reimbursed in that case.

Registration fees are as follows:
€ 93 exclusive of VAT for 1 registered item.
€ 83 exclusive of VAT by item for 2 registered items.
€ 73 exclusive of VAT by item for 3 or more registered items.

These fees must be paid on registration. If the registration fees have not been paid, the wines or spirits will not be presented in the competition. In compliance with European legislation, the organisers of an international event held in France are obliged to add 20 % tax (French VAT) to fees paid by all French participants, as well as those from the European Community who do not submit a VAT number. An invoice is sent to each participant by return.
In case of cancellation, the organisers retain all fees paid on registration, irrespective of the reasons for cancellation by a participant or by the organisers, except in the case stipulated in the last paragraph of Article 12.

Article 4: Samples

Samples presented for the competition must be taken from a homogeneous batch intended for consumption. The samples will be sent by the entrants who pledge on the honor of the representativeness of the presented batch. The minimum volume of the batch presented shall be at least 1,000 litres. Samples from smaller batches may be admitted to the competition, provided the total volume is no less than 100 litres.
For each entry, participants must send before the deadline indicate on the competition website (except when participants are using the platform service):
4 BOTTLES, of 0.75 litre or 6 BOTTLES for containers less than or equal to 0.50 litre, bu register sample
• Except for spirits: 2 BOTTLES whatever the container volume.
These bottles must wear their legal commercial label bearing the name or mark claimed on the registration form.

Samples must be accompanied by:
Official analysis results less than one year old, identifying the samples and giving values for the following analytical parameters:
• actual and potential aclohol content by volume at 20°C, expressed in % vol,
• sugars (glucose + fructose), expressed in g/l,
• total acidity, expressed in meq/l,
• volatile acidity, expressed in meq/l,
• total dioxide of sulphur or total sulphur dioxide, expressed in mg/l,
• sparkling wines: excess pressure due to carbon dioxide, expressed in bars,
• semi sparkling wines: CO2, expressed in g/L.
– The statement of entitlement for wines entitled to a protected appellation of origin or geographical indication or the certification request for French products not entitled to a geographical indication presented with an indication of their vintage or grape variety or an official document proving the origin of non-French products.
Relevant certification for wines produced from organicallygrown grapes.
– A consignment note: participants must ship their samples DDP (Incoterms 2020 Delivered Duty Paid, CRD for France, with shipping costs, customs’ duties and taxes paid by the sender).
Samples must be shipped to the following address:
Challenge International du Vin – 217 Avenue Léo Lagrange – 33710 Bourg – France. Fill in the sender’s name  and details on the box(es).

Any samples received after the due dates, that do not correspond to the registration form or are not registered in advance (art. 3) will not be presented for tasting but remain the property of the Challenge International du Vin.

Article 5: Sample classification

Samples admitted to the competition are placed in a special container during tasting to hide the shape of the bottle and ensure their anonymity. The original corks are changed before the competition. The samples are classified, divided into groups by product type, and presented for tasting according to their vintage, sugar content and the aromatic intensity of the grape variety.
If fewer than three samples are registered in a particular category, they will not be included in the competition. The registration fees will be reimbursed in that case.

Article 6: Sample quality control

As the competition organisers need to ensure that the award-winning samples are representative of the whole batch, they may organise a prior inspection, appointing their own approved technical experts to take samples of the batches entered in the competition, anywhere in France or around the world. These samples may be analysed for comparison with the initial samples submitted.

Article 7: Tasting panels

Each wine or spirits is tasted by a panel of 4 tasters, at least two-thirds of whom are qualified wine tasters. All the judges have technical expertise in tasting. The judges are selected from a list of wine professionals. Competent tasters with sufficient experience who do not work in the wine industry may also be admitted.
The competition organisers collect sworn statements from panel members, disclosing any direct or indirect links with firms, establishments, professional organisations, or associations whose activities, products, or interests may concern wines presented in the competition.
The Challenge International du Vin will take action against any wine tasters who disrupt the competition. The Challenge International du Vin will not, in any case, be held liable for any consequences resulting from this disruption.
Each panel is supervised by a «tasting» commissioner, who monitors and checks compliance with the tasting rules and ensures the event is conducted properly, assists the judges in their work, and checks that the tasting sheets handed in are properly completed.

Article 8: Special prizes

Special prizes are awarded every year for categories chosen by the Challenge International du Vin: type of product, country, appellation, etc. These Prizes are awarded to wines that obtain the best score in their category in the first or second tasting session, provided that over 10 samples have been entered in the category concerned.

Article 9: Awards

The organisers award Gold and Silver medals to the samples that obtain the best scores. Medals may not be awarded to more than one third of the samples presented in the competition. Awards are only granted if at least 3 different competitors have entered the competition or category concerned. The winners reserve the right to publish the results for their wines.

Article 10: Notification of awards

Each participant will be informed of the competition results by E-mail. It will specify the name of the competition, the category the wine was competing in, the type of award, the identity of the wine, the stated volume and the name and address of the owner. Winners are given personal access to the competition website to obtain an oenographic (graphic image of the tasting notes).
The Challenge International du Vin issues a diploma to each winner and a medal to each special prize winner. So that winners can display their awards on their bottles, the Organisers offer the following products for sale to winners:
– adhesive MEDALS,
– RIGHTS (to reproduce a medal).
Winners who wish to reproduce medals won at the Challenge International du Vin on their labels, must apply for these rights. The awards obtained can only be displayed by these means. All unauthorised copies are strictly prohibited and punishable by law. The number of adhesive medals supplied or rights granted for an award-winning product shall not exceed the number of bottles declared on the registration form.

Article 11: Legal and contractual provisions

The Challenge International du Vin organisers reserve the right to have award-winning samples analysed by an approved laboratory and take any subsequent steps they may deem necessary.
Operators who entered an award-winning wine / spirits in the competition and the organisers are each obliged to retain a sample of the wine / spirits in their possession, accompanied by its REGISTRATION FORM and analysis results.
These samples shall be made available to inspectors for one year starting from the competition date.
After that date, the bottles may be used for promotional or training purposes. Samples that have not won awards are immediately available for use by the Challenge International du Vin.
The REGISTRATION FORM and analysis results shall be made available to inspectors for five years starting from the competition date.
Entrants are legally liable for all information entered on the registration form. The Challenge International du Vin may check its accuracy by all legal means, particularly concerning the conformity of the product found on the market with the control sample held by the Challenge International du Vin.
The Bordeaux Court of First Instance (France) has sole jurisdiction in case of any challenge or dispute with the Challenge International du Vin, irrespective of the nationality of the opposing parties. Only the French texts of documents issued by the competition have any official validity.
The Inspection Commission, consisting of at least 3 members, together with the CDV (Concours Des Vins) association, are solely responsible for ensuring compliance with the competition rules and submit the following to the DREETS de Nouvelle-Aquitaine:
• 2 months before the competition is held: a statement specifying the date and location of the competition, as well as the competition rules.
• Within 2 months after the competition, at the latest: minutes signed by the Head of the Inspection Commission, confirming that the competition was held according to the regulations and including, in particular:
◊ The number of products presented in the competition, overall and by category.
◊ The number of award-winning products, overall and by category.
◊ The list of award-winning products and the details identifying each award-winning product and its owner.
◊ The percentage of award-winning products in relation to the number of wines presented.
◊ The number of awards and a breakdown by type.

Article 12: Cases of force majeure

The organisers cannot, in any case, be held liable if an external event prevents the competition from being held under normal conditions.

The viticultural competition (outside of spirits) is officially approved (decree of February 13rd, 2013– Official Journal of February 22nd, 2013) and the awards given may be used in all forms of advertising subject to certain conditions (art.10).