COMPETITION RULES 2026

The Challenge International du Vin, an international competition for wines, wine-based drinks, alcoholic drinks based on other ingredients and spirit drinks, is organised with the aim of: promoting, communicating and presenting the best products to buyers and consumer in all countries (including France) by operations for the trade and the general public, in order to improve their promotion and marketing.

The competition is open to all wines, special wines, winebased drinks, with possible alcohol content correction, (No-Low), alcoholic drinks based on other ingredients, and spirits produced in accordance with regulations :
–  in the country of origin, for countries outside the European Union,
–  in Europe, for products from EU member states,
–  in France, for French products.
All these products must be labelled with an indication of the country of origin where the raw materials were harvested and vinified.

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 indicated 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 products 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 products 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 Union 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.

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 indicated on the competition website:

–  4 BOTTLES of 0.75 litre or 6 BOTTLES for containers less than or equal to 0.50 litre, by registered sample,
–   Except for spirit drinks: 2 BOTTLES whatever the container volume, by registered sample.
These bottles must be labelled with their legal commercial packaging bearing the name or brand claimed on the registration form and the mandatory information.

Samples must be accompanied by:
– For wines: 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 mg/L.

– For all other products: official analysis results less than one year old, identifying the samples and the analytical parameters adapted to these products.
– 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 for non-French products.
– Relevant certification for products made from organicallygrown grapes.
– A consignment note: participants must ship their samples DDP (incoterms 2020, Delivered Duty Paid, CRD for France, e-SAD for UE countries, 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.

Indicate the sender’s name on the package. 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.                                                                                                          

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 varieties.
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.

The competition organisers, wishing to ensure that the samples submitted are representative, may organise a downstream inspection, appointing technicians and experts approved by them to take samples of products claiming an award, anywhere in France or abroad.

Each product is tasted by a panel of 4 tasters. All the judges have technical expertise in tasting. The judges are selected from a list of professionals who are specialists in the products presented. Competent tasters with sufficient experience who do not work in the wine industry may also be admitted.
The competition organiser collects a sworn statement from the members of the jury stating that they have no direct or indirect links with firms, establishments, professional organisations, or associations whose activities, products, or interests may concern products 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.

The organisers award Gold or Silver Medals to the samples that receive the highest scores from the tasters.
The total number medals awarded may not exceed one third of the samples entered in the competition. An award may only be given if there are at least three distinct samples competing in a given category. Each winner has the right to publish the results for their product.

Special prizes are awarded every year for categories chosen by the Challenge International du Vin: type of product, country, appellation, etc. These awards are given to products that have obtained the best score in their category in the first or second tasting sessions, provided that there more than 10 samples competing in the category.

Each participant will be informed of the competition results by E-mail. This will specify the name of the competition, the category in which the product competed, the “possible” distinction awarded, the product identification, the declared volume and the name and address of the owner. The winner has personal access to the competition website to obtain an oenographic chart (a “radar”graph of the tasting comments).
The Challenge International du Vin issues a diploma to each winner and a medal to each special prize winner.

In order to display the award on the bottle, the organisation offers the following items for sale for award-winning products:
– adhesive MEDALS,
-EXEMPTIONS (reproduction of the medal on the label) .

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.

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 product in the competition and the organisers are each obliged to retain a
sample of the product 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.
For all samples, 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.
In the event of a dispute or litigation with the Challenge International du Vin, and regardless of the nationality of the parties involved, the Court of Bordeaux (France) shall have sole jurisdiction. Only the French texts of documents issued by the competition have any official validity.
The Control Committee, consisting of at least three members of the CDV (Concours Des Vins) association, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the competition rules and submit the following to the DREETS of 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 products presented.
–  The number of awards and their distribution byproduct type.

The organisers cannot, in any case, be held liable if an external event prevents the competition from being held under normal conditions.
The wine competition is officially approved (decree of February13th, 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).