Concours des Grands Vins de France

Le Concours des Grands Vins de France is one of the oldest wine competitions in France, and on April 26, 2025, it celebrated its 70th edition with a well-deserved toast.

Le Concours des Grands Vins de France began in 1964 with just a handful of samples—what today would be considered a modest, local event. Seventy years later, the competition has grown dramatically, with more than 7,000 wines entering in 2025 and nearly 1,700 judges evaluating them. Sixty percent of the jury were wine professionals from 18 different countries, including Brazil, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Italy, and Canada, while the remaining 40% were passionate wine lovers.

Why do competitions matter?

It’s a question we often ask ourselves in the wine industry. And it’s an even more pressing question for wineries.

Submitting samples to a competition involves costs—not just entry fees, but also shipping and the time spent preparing and sending all the required materials. Wineries place great expectations on competitions because, let’s be honest, winning a medal helps sell wine. Especially if that medal comes from a respected, professional, and accredited competition—and if the winery knows how to use it strategically.

Yes, that little sticker on the bottle does help grab attention. It offers a valuable indicator for consumers (and not just them), guiding their choice based on an independent panel’s assessment.

An award from a qualified jury is a valuable compass in the overwhelming sea of bottles the market offers us today.

The jury at the Concours des Grands Vins de France

The 70th edition of the Concours des Grands Vins de France brought together 421 tasting panels.

I’m a firm believer in mixed juries—bringing together professionals and knowledgeable amateurs.

Of course, it would be easy to gather a panel of professionals around a table and engage in technical, in-depth analysis of every nuance in the glass. Every day, wine drinkers—not technicians—drive the market.
The average wine drinker makes a basic but valid judgment: I like it or I don’t. That distinction matters, but it gains real value when expert judges determine whether the wine meets its appellation’s standards and quality level.

Blending different backgrounds, palates, and tasting experiences creates actual dialogue. A diverse jury evaluates each wine as if it were on the real market, reflecting a wide range of tastes and perspectives.

That’s the true strength of this competition.

When I speak with my clients about growing their winery business, I always remind them: the wine market consists mainly of non-technical consumers—something this competition understands better than most.

The Evaluation Process

Winning a gold medal at the Concours des Grands Vins de France can significantly boost a wine’s sales, not only in volume, but also in price point.

Blind tasting ensures judges evaluate wines without bias. The only information available to the judges is the wine’s appellation, vintage, and, for sparkling wines, residual sugar content.
In my case, our panel tasted Champagne.
Each judge individually assesses the wine in their glass, considering sight, smell, and taste. Only after every judge has submitted their score can a discussion take place, and even then, it remains a strictly professional exchange. Nothing said at that point can influence the evaluation that has already been given.

Concours des Grands Vins de France goes global

For the first time, the competition is opening its doors to the world. On November 14, 2025, the inaugural edition of the Concours des Grands Vins du Monde will take place.

It’s a unique opportunity for wineries to present their wines to the French market or strengthen their position within it.

More info: https://concoursvinsmonde.com/

Taking part in a competition means putting yourself out there—it means opening yourself and your wine to perspectives and approaches that may be very different from your own. And that kind of exchange always leads to growth.

If it’s followed by a medal, even better.