Decanter World Wine Awards and Decanter Asia Wine Awards

What Decanter World Wine Awards and Decanter Asia Wine Awards does

Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), launched in 2003, operates what it self-describes as the world's largest wine competition, now in its 23rd year. It is a brand within Future plc's media portfolio (operating under Future US, Inc.), the publicly traded UK media conglomerate (LSE: FUTR). DWWA evaluates thousands of wines annually through a multi-round judging process conducted by world-class panels that include Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers, awarding Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Best in Show medals. The platform extends beyond the annual competition into a comprehensive content and event ecosystem, comprising the Decanter.com and DecanterChina.com editorial sites, a searchable wine reviews database, the Know Your Wine educational app, the Decanter Hall of Fame recognition program, the Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA, launched 2012), and the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter tasting event series held in London, New York, and Singapore, with DWWA Winners' Bars and masterclasses embedded at external industry events such as Vinitaly and Barcelona Wine Week.

The business operates an event-driven go-to-market model. Primary monetization comes from competition entry fees paid by wine producers and wineries submitting wines for judging, supplemented by recurring merchandise revenue from official medal stickers (Bronze through Best in Show) sold through the Decanter Awards Shop (shop.decanterawards.com). A flagship sponsorship relationship with Riedel, the premium wine glass and decanter manufacturer, anchors the competition's premium positioning and provides co-marketing reach across judging sessions. The business serves three distinct segments: wine producers and wineries (the primary B2B customers seeking internationally credible quality certification and bottle-level marketing differentiation), wine trade professionals such as sommeliers, importers, and retailers (using results as purchasing benchmarks), and wine consumers (using medals as trusted quality signals at retail). Distribution is multi-channel, combining owned digital properties, an online shop, owned events, and masterclass placements within third-party industry events.

Operating scale is small and lean: the brand operates with 16 employees, consistent with its role as a focused brand within a much larger parent media group rather than as a standalone large enterprise. Geographic reach is global, with explicit operating footprints in the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, South Korea, China, Spain, the Netherlands, Croatia, Latvia, Canada, Sweden, and Slovenia, complemented by a Chinese-language regional edition through Decanter China. No revenue figures, headcount trends, or funding rounds are publicly disclosed for the brand or its parent division.

Name

Decanter World Wine Awards and Decanter Asia Wine Awards

Legal name

Future US, Inc.

Website

https://decanterawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Decanter World Wine Awards operates the world's largest wine competition, now in its 23rd year, evaluating thousands of wines annually through multi-round judging by Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. It serves wine producers, trade buyers, and consumers, monetizing through competition entry fees and medal-sticker merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Awards and Reviews

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE)

Keywords

• Wine competition judging
• Wine review database
• Wine awards medals
• Wine tasting events
• Wine media publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Competition Entry Fees: Wine producers and wineries pay entry fees to submit wines for judging at the DWWA. The competition evaluates thousands of wines annually across multiple rounds.
2. Medal Stickers and Merchandise: Winners can purchase official DWWA medal stickers (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Platinum, Best in Show) for their bottles, sold through the Decanter Awards Shop (shop.decanterawards.com).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) operates the world's largest wine competition, now in its 23rd year, in which wine producers and wineries submit entries for multi-round blind tasting and judging by Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers to earn Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Best in Show medals. Decanter also operates the parallel Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA), an online searchable wine review database, the Know Your Wine educational app, premium Fine Wine Encounter tasting events in London, New York, and Singapore, and a Sticker Shop where winners can purchase official medal stickers for their bottles.

Product overview

Decanter operates as a multi-platform wine media and awards organization offering a unified portfolio centered around the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), the world's largest wine competition now in its 23rd year. The core product is complemented by wine review databases, panel tastings, educational tools including the Know Your Wine App, and premium events such as the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter series in London, New York, and Singapore. Additional offerings include the Decanter Sticker Shop for award merchandise, the Hall of Fame recognition program, and regional editions like Decanter China. The platform provides wine discovery, education, and trade services through a combination of editorial content, competition results, and live events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Decanter Fine Wine Encounter: Premium wine tasting events held in London, New York, and Singapore featuring DWWA winning wines.

Products and services

• Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) The world's largest annual wine competition, evaluating thousands of wines submitted by wine producers globally across multiple judging rounds and awarding medals from Bronze up to Best in Show.
• Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA) Regional wine competition focused on the Asian market, modelled on DWWA judging standards.
• Wine Reviews Database

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted internationally by both trade and consumers

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RiedelflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiedel, a leading wine glass and decanter manufacturer, sponsors the Decanter World Wine Awards. The partnership positions Riedel as the official glassware partner for the world's largest wine competition, providing appropriate glassware for judging sessions and enhancing the premium positioning of the awards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wine Spectator: A leading wine media publication based in the US that runs its own wine ratings and awards. While broader in scope (editorial, retail, restaurant guides), it competes with Decanter for wine consumer attention and producer marketing budgets.
• Wine Enthusiast: A major US-based wine media brand that publishes reviews, ratings, and competitions. While broader in scope (retail, education, events), it competes with Decanter for wine consumer attention and producer marketing.

Direct peers

• International Wine Challenge: The IWC is one of the world's leading wine competitions, also based in London, evaluating thousands of wines annually with rigorous judging. It is the most direct peer to DWWA, competing for the same wine producer entry fees and prestige.
• Berlin Wine Trophy: An OIV-recognized international wine competition held in Berlin. It competes with DWWA for entry fees from European producers and offers similar tiered medal recognition (Gold, Silver, Grand Gold).
• Mundus Vini: A prominent Germany-based international wine competition with multiple annual tasting sessions. It competes directly with DWWA for global wine producer entries and credibility in the European market.
• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: A major international wine competition with a global roadshow format (held in different countries annually). It competes directly with DWWA for entry submissions, prize prestige, and international producer recognition.
• International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC): A UK-based international competition judged by industry experts, founded in 1969. It is one of the longest-established wine and spirits competitions globally and competes directly with DWWA for premium producer entries.
• Decanter China: The China-focused regional edition of Decanter, which is part of the same parent entity but addresses the same regional wine awards market as DWWA's Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA).
• James Suckling Wine Ratings: Internationally recognized wine critic and competition organizer that publishes wine ratings and runs tasting events. Competes directly with DWWA for premium wine producer recognition and consumer trust.

Emerging players

• Vinitaly: Italy's largest wine trade fair and a major wine industry event. While primarily a trade show rather than a competition, it competes with DWWA's masterclass and event presence for industry attention and producer marketing dollars.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/decanterwine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/decanterwine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/decanter-wine-awards
• Instagraminstagram.com/decanter_magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Decanter World Wine Awards and Decanter Asia Wine Awards