London Wine Competition

What London Wine Competition does

London Wine Competition is a privately held international wine awards competition, organized and exclusively operated by the US-based Beverage Trade Network (BTN), now in its 10th edition (2027 judging scheduled for March 22–23 at Spitalfields, London). Founded circa 2017–2018 and headquartered in London, the company runs an annual judging event that evaluates entered wines on three weighted criteria — Quality, Value for money, and Package/Design — using a panel of more than 50 Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and UK trade buyers. Entries are graded on a four-tier medal system (Double Gold 96–100, Gold 90–95, Silver 85–89, Bronze 80–84), and results are distributed to over 50,000 verified trade professionals within BTN's media ecosystem.

The core product is the competition itself, augmented by a growing suite of paid post-win services: physical medal stickers for bottles and POS, License to Print for high-volume producers, digital medal artwork and certificates, producer profile stories, podcast episodes, social media posts, and a Matched Buyer Leads subscription via third-party partner CPGBuyerAI (£229 for 50 tailored leads). Winners also gain permanent indexed product pages on the competition website. Event sponsorship packages — Coffee, Wi-Fi, Breakfast, Lunch — monetize non-competitor brand visibility at judging events.

Revenue is generated through a tiered, per-entry pricing model (£120 super early bird, £140 early bird, £160 regular) with volume discounts of 10–20% for 4+ entries, plus a diversifying mix of sticker sales, marketing add-ons, and event sponsorships. Entry volume reached 1,300+ wines in 2026 from producers across 24+ countries. The customer base is structurally distributed — small-to-mid wineries globally — with no material concentration risk. Technology stack is lightweight: a self-service entrant portal with Stripe payment processing, website CMS, and the third-party CPGBuyerAI integration; there is no proprietary AI/ML or data platform. The company operates as a single brand within BTN's broader portfolio of London-based drinks competitions (Spirits, Beer), sharing media assets, trade audiences, and operational infrastructure with its sister brands.

Name

London Wine Competition

Legal name

London Wine Competition

Website

https://londonwinecompetition.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London Wine Competition is an annual international wine awards competition, now in its 10th edition, that judges entries on Quality, Value, and Package and distributes results to 50,000+ global trade professionals via parent Beverage Trade Network, serving wineries from 24+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Competition and Beverage Industry Awards

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Wine competition judging
• Wine awards program
• Beverage industry events
• Wine medal certification
• Trade buyer marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wine Competition Entry Fees: Wineries and wine producers pay entry fees to submit wines for judging. Entry fees range from £120 (Super Early Bird) to £160 (Regular), with quantity discounts available (10-20% for 4+ entries).
2. Medal Stickers and Artwork: Winners can purchase physical medal stickers and License to Print for their wine bottles to showcase winning status on packaging.
3. Marketing Add-Ons: Additional paid services including Matched Buyer Leads via CPGBuyerAI (£229), producer profile stories, podcast episodes, and social media posts for winners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The London Wine Competition is an annual international wine judging service that evaluates wines on three weighted criteria (Quality, Value for money, and Package/Design) and awards medals (Double Gold, Gold, Silver, Bronze) along with special recognition such as Winery of the Year and Wine of the Year by country and varietal. Wineries pay tiered entry fees to submit wines for blind judging by a panel of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and UK trade buyers. Winners receive medal stickers, digital artwork, certificates, and access to marketing add-ons and a trade buyer community of 50,000+ verified professionals.

Product overview

The London Wine Competition is a UK-based international wine competition organized by Beverage Trade Network that evaluates and awards wines through a three-criteria scoring system (Quality, Value, and Package). The core product is the competition judging service with a four-tier medal system (Double Gold, Gold, Silver, Bronze). Winners receive medal stickers, certificates, and digital artwork as tangible outputs. The company also offers marketing add-on services including Matched Buyer Leads, Social Media Posts, Producer Story features, and Podcast Episodes. Sponsorship packages allow non-competitors to gain visibility at judging events. The competition accepts entries from domestic and international wineries with online entry registration, sample shipping to UK warehouse, and results distributed to over 50,000 trade professionals in the Beverage Trade Network community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wine Competition Judging Annual international wine judging service that evaluates wines across three weighted criteria: Quality (taste and chemical analysis), Value (price-to-quality ratio), and Package (label design, closure, and shelf appeal). Wines are scored using a weighted system where Quality receives double weight, producing a final LWC score that determines medal awards (Double Gold 96-100, Gold 90-95, Silver 85-89, Bronze 80-84) and special recognitions including Winery of the Year and Wine of the Year by country and varietal. Judging is conducted by more than 50 Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and UK trade buyers.
• Medal Stickers Physical medal stickers that winners can order to display their awards on wine bottles, POS materials, and marketing collateral at retail and restaurant locations. Stickers serve as a tangible point-of-sale validation signal for consumers and trade buyers.
• Marketing Add-Ons Premium marketing services for competition winners including Matched Buyer Leads via CPGBuyerAI (£229 for 50 matched buyer leads and one month subscription), social media posts, producer/brand profile stories, podcast episodes, and Winner Pitch Zoom calls designed to help winners convert medal recognition into commercial outcomes.
• Digital Medal Artwork and Certificates Downloadable digital medal artwork, professional tasting notes, shelf talker templates, and certificates provided to winners for use across their own digital and print marketing channels.
• License to Print Large-scale printing rights allowing winners to print medal artwork directly onto bottles and packaging materials for high-volume production needs, enabling integration of award recognition into standard bottling runs.
• Event Sponsorship Packages Sponsorship opportunities at judging events including Coffee Sponsor (£1,000, logo on event website and signage), Wi-Fi Sponsor (£2,000, signage at judging location and panel tables), Breakfast Sponsor, and Lunch Sponsor, allowing non-entrants and complementary brands to position themselves in front of the elite judging panel of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and UK trade buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,300 wines judged from around the world in 2026 competition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beverage Trade NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization that created and exclusively organizes the London Wine Competition. BTN is a US-based drinks events, services, business, and publishing group dedicated to helping drinks producers and brand owners get closer to buyers, distributors, and retailers.
• Global Drinks IntelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing press coverage and industry visibility for competition results.
• Sommeliers BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing press coverage to the sommelier community for competition results.
• Bartender BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing press coverage to the bartender and hospitality community.
• The On TrademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing on-trade channel coverage for competition results.
• Drinks MerchantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing coverage to drinks merchants and retailers.
• The BuyerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing trade buyer coverage for competition results.
• London Drinks GuideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBTN's London media asset providing local market coverage for competition winners.
• BevZerominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner focused on no/low alcohol beverage coverage.
• Bar MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing bar industry coverage for competition results.
• Drinks Industry Ireland MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing Ireland market coverage for competition results.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Wine Challenge (IWC): Long-established London-based international wine competition with similar tiered medal awards, judging panels of Masters of Wine and sommeliers, and trade/consumer distribution. Direct peer given overlapping format, geography, and producer audience.
• Decanter World Wine Awards: One of the world's most prestigious international wine competitions, judging thousands of wines annually and distributing results to a global trade and consumer audience. Directly comparable in business model (entry fees, medal tiers, trade distribution) and target customer (global wineries seeking commercial validation).
• International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC): Historic UK-based wine and spirits competition with annual judging, medal awards, and broad trade reach. Directly comparable in product (judged competition), target producer base, and B2B trade-distribution value proposition.
• Sommelier Wine Awards: UK-focused wine competition judged by leading sommeliers, oriented toward on-trade buyers. Comparable in judging format, B2B trade-buyer audience, and wine-awards-as-marketing-tool proposition.
• USA Wine Ratings: Sister BTN-organized competition focused on the US market with the same Quality + Value + Package judging framework. Closest direct peer in operating model and parent-company ecosystem.
• London Spirits Competition: Sibling competition under Beverage Trade Network, applying the same three-criteria judging to spirits. Direct peer in business model, organizer, judging format, and trade-distribution channels.
• London Beer Competition: Sibling BTN competition applying the same Quality + Value + Package framework to beers. Comparable in operating model, parent ecosystem, judging format, and trade distribution.
• Berlin Wine Trophy: Large international wine competition held under OIV patronage, judging thousands of entries globally. Direct peer in competition format, medal structure, and global producer audience.
• James Suckling Wine Ratings: Critic-led wine rating platform offering paid submissions and scored reviews distributed to global trade and consumers. Comparable in providing commercial validation to producers through scored wine assessments, with strong trade-buyer reach.

Broad incumbents

• Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards: Major wine media brand that runs annual Wine Star Awards and reviews wines. Comparable in awarding structure and wine-industry positioning, but operates within a much broader consumer-publishing and reviews portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/londoncomps
• Facebookfacebook.com/LondonCompetitions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/london-competitions
• Instagraminstagram.com/londoncompetitions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about London Wine Competition