Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB)

What Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) does

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) is a Belgium-headquartered international wine competition organization founded in 1994 and managed by Vinopres, a communications agency with 31 years of expertise in wine, spirits, and beer competitions. CMB operates four specialized judging sessions — Red & White Wines, Rosé Wines, Sparkling Wines, and Sweet & Fortified Wines — and evaluates more than 15,000 wines per year using a 100% blind tasting protocol administered by 350+ judges from 50+ nationalities. Since 2004, CMB has processed results in partnership with the Statistics Institute of the Catholic University in Louvain, and a recent initiative, DIGIVIT Digital Tasting, incorporates artificial intelligence to support evaluation workflows. Capped at approximately 30% (versus up to 80% at less selective competitions), CMB medals are OIV-compliant and serve as a quality signal that 85% of surveyed consumers equate with a guarantee of quality.

CMB operates a portfolio that extends well beyond its flagship competition. It wholly owns seven related competitions: Spirits Selection (whiskies, Cognacs, liqueurs, gins), Sauvignon Selection, Marselan Selection, Vranec Selection, plus national competitions in Brasil, Mexico, and South Africa. CMB No-Low addresses the non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wine category. Revenue is generated through degressive per-sample entry fees (approximately €200 for the first wine), physical medal sticker and certificate sales to winners, and the CMB Experience network of wine bars and airport tasting corners in Mexico, South Korea, Italy, Benin, Bulgaria, China, and France. Recent strategic emphasis has been on geographic rotation of competition sessions into new wine-producing regions (Armenia in 2026, Portugal in 2027), expansion of the CMB Experience venue network, sustainability partnerships with Amorim Cork, and the launch of digitalized tasting infrastructure.

The organization employs approximately 70 people, is led by Chairman Baudouin Havaux and CEO Quentin Havaux (who also heads parent Vinopres), and is privately held with no external venture funding. Customer concentration is structurally low: thousands of wine producers globally enter each session, and CMB's primary challenges are sustaining methodology credibility versus competing competitions and scaling the CMB Experience channel beyond its current footprint.

Name

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB)

Legal name

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

Website

https://concoursmondial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is a Belgium-headquartered international wine competition founded in 1994 that evaluates 15,000+ wines annually across four specialized sessions using 350+ judges from 50+ nationalities, serving wine producers, importers, and retailers globally through OIV-compliant medal certification and the CMB Experience wine bar network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine and Spirits Competition Services

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• International wine competition
• Spirits quality evaluation
• Blind tasting assessment
• Wine medal certification
• Beverage judging services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Competition Entry Fees: Wine producers pay degressive registration fees based on number of samples entered, approximately €200 for first wine entry
2. Medal Sales: Producers can purchase physical medal stickers and certificates for winning wines through the CMB ordering platform
3. CMB Experience Venues: Wine bars and wine corners in airports and cities worldwide featuring medal-winning wines

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) is an international wine and spirits competition organizer that evaluates more than 15,000 wines per year across four specialized sessions (Red & White, Rosé, Sparkling, and Sweet & Fortified Wines), as well as varietal-specific and national competitions. Producers register wines through an online platform and pay degressive entry fees (approximately €200 for the first wine); entries undergo 100% blind tasting by 350+ international judges, with medals and detailed sensory reports (aroma wheel, taste radar) issued to entrants and winners able to purchase physical medals for distribution.

Product overview

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) operates a portfolio of wine and spirits competitions, centered around its core international wine competition (CMB) which is organized into 4 specialized sessions: Red & White Wines, Rosé Wines, Sparkling Wines, and Sweet & Fortified Wines. The organization also offers a No-Low session for alcohol-free and low-alcohol wines. Beyond the main competition, CMB manages 4 international varietal-specific selections (Sauvignon Selection, Spirits Selection, Marselan Selection, Vranec Selection) and 3 national selections (Brasil, Mexico, South Africa). The CMB Experience service establishes Wine Bars and Wine Corners globally for medal-winning products. All entrants receive comprehensive tasting reports with aroma wheels. The company also offers medal ordering services for winning producers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CMB No-Low: A specialized competition category for no-low alcohol wines (non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wines) with dedicated expert judges and marketing tools for this growing sector.

Products and services

• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) Wine Competition The flagship international wine competition organized into four specialized sessions (Red & White Wines, Rosé Wines, Sparkling Wines, Sweet & Fortified Wines), evaluating more than 15,000 wines per year through 100% blind tastings by 350+ international judges and awarding medals based on a capped ~30% medal rate. Intended for wine producers seeking independent quality certification and international market visibility.
• CMB No-Low Specialized competition session for no-alcohol and low-alcohol wines, evaluated by judges with category-specific expertise. Producers receive tasting reports, aroma wheels, and taste radar, plus marketing tools tailored to the no-low category. Targeted at producers of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wines seeking credible quality validation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ wines evaluated annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amorim CorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Strategic collaboration on cork recycling initiative 'From bark to recycling' - CMB and Amorim Cork launched an endless cycle for cork sustainability. The partnership focuses on environmental sustainability in wine packaging.
• VWFA (Wine and VineFriends of Armenia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Institutional partner for Armenia hosting the 33rd edition of CMB
• Republic of Armenia Ministry of EconomyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner supporting the 2026 competition session in Yerevan
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Neighbourhood East project partner for Armenia competition
• TAGIABminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project partner for competition support in Armenia
• United AirlinesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirline partner for the competition, facilitating travel for judges and participants
• MEIKOminorOthersProfessional wine glass washing and sanitizing equipment for optimal tasting conditions
• MayaPackminorOthersWine packaging solutions for sample transport to competitions
• VinolokminorOthersWine closure solutions featured in competition collaborations
• FermentisminorOthersFermentation solutions for wine production support
• PulltexminorOthersWine accessories and equipment supplier
• i BibanesiminorOthersLocal partner in Armenia for competition organization
• ACBA BankminorOthersArmenian banking partner for local competition operations
• Noyan Tapan Wine ShopminorOthersArmenian wine retail partner for competition-related activities
• VinoprescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunications agency managing the competition with 31 years of expertise in wine, spirits and beer competitions
• Catholic University in Louvain (Statistics Institute)coreTechnology or IntegrationSince 2004, statistical analysis partnership for results processing and judge profile monitoring
• Luca Grippo (Media Partner)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerItalian media partner for competition coverage
• Epulae NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerItalian wine news outlet as media partner
• Vino.beminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBelgian wine media partner for competition news coverage
• International WebpostminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational media partner for global competition coverage
• Corriere VinicolominorGTM or Marketing PartnerItalian wine trade newspaper as media partner

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Decanter World Wine Awards: One of the largest international wine competitions, run by Decanter magazine. Operates blind-tasted medal-based certification across multiple wine categories with international judging panels, directly comparable to CMB's core wine competition business.
• International Wine Challenge (IWC): London-based wine competition using blind tastings by international panels to award medals. Operates with similar revenue model (entry fees, medal merchandising) and serves the same producer and importer customer base as CMB.
• International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC): UK-based international competition judging wines and spirits with a panel of expert tasters. Directly comparable to CMB and its Spirits Selection sub-brand in business model (blind tastings, medals, producer entry fees) and target customers (wine/spirits producers).
• Beverage Testing Institute (BTI): US-based independent beverage testing laboratory conducting blind panel tastings and scoring wines, spirits, and beer. Direct comparable to CMB's blind-tasting methodology, multi-category scope, and medal-based certification output.
• Sommeliers Choice Awards: US-based wine competition judged by sommeliers targeting the on-premise/restaurant channel. Comparable event-driven medal certification model and producer entry-fee revenue stream, with geographic complementarity to CMB's global footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Wine Spectator: Major US wine media brand publishing point scores, buying guides, and restaurant wine lists. Provides a free/subscriber-funded alternative to paid competition medals for producer and consumer quality validation, partially substituting for CMB's value proposition.
• Robert Parker Wine Advocate: Long-established wine review publication providing expert critic scores that compete with competition medals as a quality signal for producers, importers, and consumers. Adjacent business model (paid certification/rating) but uses individual critics rather than blind tasting panels.
• James Suckling: Critic-driven wine rating platform with international reach that competes with CMB medals as a quality signal at the producer, importer, and consumer level. Operates differently (single critic rather than blind panel) but addresses the same quality-validation pain point.
• Vinous Media: Independent wine review platform publishing critic scores and tasting notes for an international audience. Comparable to CMB in addressing producer credibility and importer purchasing decisions, though based on individual critics rather than blind panel tastings.

Emerging players

• Vivino: Consumer-driven wine rating app with millions of user-generated scores. Functions as an alternative, free quality signal for consumers and retailers, partially substituting for CMB medals at the discovery and shelf-selection stages.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/concoursmondial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Vinopres
• Facebookfacebook.com/concoursmondial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/concoursmondial
• Instagraminstagram.com/concoursmondial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB)