Wine competitions and their medal awards have long been suspected of doing little to help consumers while adding millions to organiser’s coffers. However, they’re now facing fresh scrutiny as a result of recent fraud cases, the proliferation of wine competitions in number, and their new global reach. In the age of digital marketing such medals on bottles remain relevant.
The journalists interviewed key members of the wine trade including whistleblowers, CEOs of wine competitions, judges and consumers to reveal that how wine competitions operate, without sufficient controls. The investigation explains why wine competitions are so popular with wine companies, who use medals as a marketing tool while leaving consumers in the dark as to what they mean, or how effective checks on awarded wine are.
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