Why The IEWA Competition Exists
More Than Medals: Rethinking the Role of Wine Competitions
When I started the Independent English Wine Awards, it wasn’t because I’d judged at dozens of competitions or spent years trying to fix the system from the inside. It was simpler than that.
As a wine trade outsider I came to wine competitions with a relatively fresh pair of eyes, and while a fantastic experience and great fun, in a couple of years I started to wonder whether the established model wasn’t always doing as much as it could. Particularly when it came to value for producers, clarity of purpose, and connection to the people actually drinking the wine.
At the same time, English wine felt under-exposed. Not undervalued in quality - far from it - but under-communicated. When you looked at the standard of wines being made and compared that to how confidently they were being presented to consumers, there was a gap. And once you spot a gap like that, it’s hard to unsee it.
So IEWA came from joining those dots.
What if a wine competition could keep the rigour and structure that producers trust, but rethink everything around it? What if values were explicit rather than implied? What if return on investment wasn’t a vague hope, but something designed in from the start? And what if consumer awareness wasn’t treated as a nice extra, but as part of the point?
Those questions shaped IEWA far more than any desire to “disrupt” for disruption’s sake.
Independence was the first building block. IEWA isn’t owned by a publishing house, trade body or commercial interest. That matters because trust matters. Producers need confidence that wines are judged fairly and without influence. Consumers need to know that medals aren’t handed out to keep sponsors happy.
We use conventional, widely understood wine tasting frameworks because they work. Wines are assessed properly, by experienced judges, using the same principles producers expect. The difference isn’t in how wines are tasted - it’s in what happens next.
That’s where communication, brand and value come in.
English wine doesn’t need a new set of rules to prove its quality. What it needs is clearer storytelling, better visibility, and a more confident presence once quality has been recognised. Too often, competitions stop at the results. Medals are announced, a PDF is uploaded, and that’s the end of the conversation.
IEWA was designed to keep that conversation going.
How the awards look matters. How they’re talked about matters. The assets producers receive matter. Strong medal artwork, good photography, clear messaging and ongoing promotion aren’t frills — they’re the bridge between recognition and real-world impact. A medal should help a wine get noticed, understood and chosen.
Fairness is another core principle. Great wine comes from producers of all sizes, and a competition should reflect that reality. IEWA exists to create a level playing field where wines are judged on quality, not reputation or scale, and where small and medium producers feel they have just as much right to be there as anyone else.
At the same time, this isn’t about excluding larger producers or creating an alternative corner of the industry. The aim is inclusive recognition - showcasing the best of English wine across the board, and providing a credible benchmark that producers can actually use.
Value sits at the centre of all of this. Entering a wine competition should feel like a considered investment, not a leap of faith. We keep entry fees reasonable, avoid unnecessary upsells, and focus on delivering things producers tell us they value: usable marketing assets, visibility, and ongoing support rather than a single moment of attention.
Increasingly, that support extends beyond the industry and into the hands of consumers.
IEWA has always been consumer-facing in its thinking, but in 2025 we took a tangible step forward with our tasting events, including English Wine Will Change Your Life and our seasonal wine fairs. These events aren’t about rewriting the rulebook - they’re about bringing the awards to life. About getting wines out of results tables and into glasses, where they belong.
Consumers don’t need to understand judging criteria to enjoy a great wine. They just need access, confidence and a reason to try something new. Our events are about lowering barriers, building curiosity, and helping people connect with English wine in a way that feels inclusive and human.
IEWA isn’t driven by trends, but it is informed by reality. We listen to producers. We pay attention to how consumers engage. And we’re prepared to adapt if something isn’t delivering the value it should.
I’ve never been interested in building a competition for tradition’s sake. IEWA exists because English wine deserved something more intentional - a competition designed around integrity, usefulness and relevance in the real world.
English wine isn’t standing still.
Neither should the way we celebrate it.
Alex Taylor
Founder, IEWA
‘English wine needed clearer purpose, better communication and a competition designed around value. It still does’
