Insights
Introducing Blind Tasted - an IEWA blog series.
Here you’ll find the reflections and machinations behind the judging; the wine competition insider info that almost nobody asked for. IEWA founder Alex Taylor shares his perspectives - commentary on The IEWA, wine competitions, awards culture, their role and responsibility in the industry, blind tasting, and English wine in general.
Opinions grounded in experience, these pieces are written for producers, press, buyers, and anyone else who wants to look beyond the headline results and to understand more about the thinking behind English wine’s premier wine competition.
Redesigning our Trophy Structure
Why the IEWA has refined its approach to trophies - and how a smaller, clearer set of awards delivers better ROI for producers, and a more useful signpost for English wine consumers.
Why The IEWA Competition Exists
What if a wine competition could do more? IEWA founder Alex Taylor on joining the dots between quality, value and consumer connection.
Choose your Wine Comp: Addendum
A practical summary of what wine producers should look for when choosing competitions - from trust and judging to ROI, clarity and real-world actual usefulness.
Choose your Wine Comp (Part 2)
In Part 2 of this series, Alex Taylor looks at where wine competitions really differ - and where value is genuinely won or lost for producers once medals are awarded.
Choose Your Wine Comp (Part 1)
Wine competitions cost money, bottles and time. In Part 1 of this series, Alex Taylor explores the foundational questions producers should ask before deciding whether a competition is worth engaging with at all.
Blind Tasted: Our New Insight Series
Blind Tasted is a blog series from founder Alex Taylor, sharing insights and opinions from inside The IEWA - explaining wine competitions, how thjey work, blind tasting, and what judging reveals about English wine today.