Everyone loves a winner. None more so than the lucky recipients of one of the London Competitions' much-coveted top medals. But after basking in the admiration of your peers and enjoying the initial excitement, publicity and recognition that comes with winning a major wine competition, what then?
The impressive hall of St Marys in London where the judging took place for the London Wine, Beer and Spirit Competitions
For plenty of brands, that Gold or Silver medal goes on the corporate website, maybe gets printed on a shelf talker, and then life moves on. Nice to have, but not much else.
But the organisers of the London Competitions, Beverage Trade Network, see things rather differently, and has a much bigger vision for the successful brands. Rather than fading into obscurity after scooping a top award, or simply resting on their laurels, chief executive of the organisation Sid Patel has a much more ambitious outlook for those brands that are awarded the top gongs.
As he explains: “Medals turning into trade meetings. Trade meetings turning into listings. Listings turning into velocity on shelf. That is commercial traction. And that is what this competition was built to create.”
One of the judges doing his stuff at the London Wine Competition
The big difference between London Competitions and many other industry awards is that they judge wine, beer, and spirits in the same way that trade buyers actually weigh them up. And this is not just on the quality of the liquid in the glass, but on whether the brand has what it takes to make it in today’s extremely tough and competitive commercial market.
Is the price right for the quality? Does the packaging stand out on the fixture? Would a buyer feel confident ranging it? Those are the questions that determine whether a product not only earns a listing, but keeps it.
It's a tough job..... the judging panel of the 2026 Competition along with founder and chief executive Sid Patel, 4th from left
What are the London Competitions?
The London Competitions cover wine, spirits and beer, and were set up around a simple but important belief, namely that a great product that cannot find its way to shelf, that buyers cannot get behind, that consumers do not pick up twice, is not really a great product - it is a missed commercial opportunity.
For a brand to capture the judge's attention, the packaging is also an important element of the marketing mix
For a brand to earn a listing at retail or on a restaurant wine list, and then hold onto that listing, it needs to be able to more than impress a judge's tastebuds. It also needs to be consumer-driven and marketable and to make sense for the trade buyer. That is the brief they judge to.
Every entry is scored across three pillars:
1. Quality - how good is the liquid for its target drinker?
2. Value - does the retail price reflect what is in the bottle?
3. Packaging - does it look the part at fixture and on the back bar?
Win here and you have not just impressed a tasting panel. You have demonstrated that your brand has genuine commercial value, which is a very different thing, and is what trade buyers actually need to see.
Medal Thresholds
Double Gold - 96 to 100 pts - Exceptional performance across all three criteria.
Gold - 90 to 95 pts - Excellent quality, strong value, and great packaging.
Silver - 85 to 89 pts - Very good with clear commercial appeal.
Bronze - 80 to 84 pts - Good quality with solid market potential.
BRAND SPOTLIGHTS
Little Owl - Assyrtiko, Greece
Little Owl’s Assyrtiko made a strong impression at the London Wine Competition 2026, winning:
🏅 Double Gold Medal – 97 Points
🏅 Best Wine by Package
🏅 Wine of the Year Greece
"It's definitely put a lot of good attention on the brand. We've seen lots more traffic to our platforms, a lot more people taking interest in the brand, wanting to find out what we're all about and understand our brand mission. So it's a really great piece of momentum coming into a trade show like the London Wine Fair - where we can talk to people about these awards and tell them, hey, this is award-winning wine. This is something you should take seriously and you should step into the world of Greek wine."
- Elliott Vavitsas, Founder, Little Owl Wines
Spy Valley Wines, New Zealand
Seven gold medals. Winery of the Year New Zealand. 🏅
"People were really happy for us We've really spread the message across many of our top UK customers - our importers, our best trade customers, our retailers. And they're all really happy. The cost of living crisis is challenging for everyone. People have less money to go and buy wine in the UK now. So they want an experience, they want value. So we have to provide something really good at the price that they're paying. And that's why this award is so important to us. It's not just to be recognised, but commercially it's extremely important.”
Tony Cloke, Spy Valley Wines
Chateau Puech Haut, France
Chateau Puech Haut's Chill Rose, a Vermentino/Rolle from the 2025 vintage, scored 95 points and took home Gold. Judges described it as a refined and well-balanced rosé with floral notes and subtle citrus, a smooth supple texture, and a refreshing finish. Five golds across the portfolio tells the trade this is range depth they can bank on.
"This is our first time with the London Wine Competition. It means a lot to us given the prestige, the quality, the professional aspect of the jury. It means a lot to get our wines recognised in the UK and outside of the UK and potentially develop our visibility, our awareness and our sales in the UK."
Chateau Puech Haut
Smiling Wolf Botanical, UK - Non-Alcoholic Spirit of the Year
Smiling Wolf's botanical scored 95 points and took Non-Alcoholic of the Year at the London Spirits Competition 2026. Judges highlighted its sharp pomelo bitterness, well-bodied character, and long finish, and noted how cleanly it performs in a tonic. The branding was called out specifically too, elegant with a classic and functional bottle. That matters when buyers are evaluating back-bar presence.
"It's really helped because one of the things when you're a new brand is convincing people that you have quality. Until they taste you it's just impossible. So having Non-Alcoholic Spirits of the Year or the Golds always helps people have that trust to give you a first try. And then we see that once they've had a first try they come back again and again. So it really helps with that first sort of taking a chance, willing to experiment with the brand."
Hamilton Lowe, Smiling Wolf
Salicorn London Dry Gin, Italy
Salicorn is an Italian coastal gin made in Verona, built around Salicornia, a herb from southern Italy that was historically used as a salt substitute in Italian coastal cooking.
The business is only two years old, so gaining 92 points from a professional trade judging panel at such an early stage of the journey is significant. It validates the liquid, gives the brand a credible story to tell buyers, and creates a benchmark to improve against year on year.
"It was a little bit unexpected, and really it's incredible, all the points we raised. This is a really good way to approach the market and to stand out in the middle of so many different brands. It's important for a brand to have a precise feedback from professionals in the sector, to know how our product is perceived by the market and what we can do to improve."
Salicorn Gin
Three Sixty Vodka, Germany
Brand Ambassador Daryl was direct about where a Gold Medal fits in that commercial strategy.
"Using the quality of the liquid and any notoriety like a medal actually gives credulity to what the brand is. For us, it's another string to the bow. It helps us get the next supermarket listing."
Three Sixty Vodka
That is the most honest framing of what a competition medal does for a brand in a new market. Buyers are making ranging decisions under pressure. A Gold from a competition they respect, judged on quality, value, and packaging, is credibility they can lean on when internal sign-off conversations happen.
Key Dates and Entry Fees
Entries for the 2027 competition are open now. The sooner you get in, the lower the entry fee.
Key Dates
Registration Opens: May 1, 2026
Registration Closes: February 26, 2027
Warehouse Closes: March 5, 2027
Judging Days: March 23 and 24, 2027
Winners Announced: April 22, 2027
Entry Fees
Super Early Bird £110 May 1 to August 31, 2026
Early Bird £140 September 1 to November 30, 2026
Regular £180 December 1 to February 26, 2027
The Super Early Bird window is open now. For £110 per entry, you get your brand in front of a judging panel of active trade buyers and industry decision-makers. That is about as cost-effective as brand-building gets. Do not leave it until the regular deadline and pay £70 more for the same result.
The Evidence Is Right Here
A London Competitions medal is not a sticker for the back label but a powerful commercial tool. It shortens buyer conversations. It gives retail and on-trade buyers a credible, trade-facing reason to range your product. It drives consumer discovery and builds brand trust at exactly the moment someone is deciding whether to pick up your bottle or the one next to it.
They judge what the trade cares about: quality of liquid, value at price, and packaging that works at fixture. If you are building a brand designed to sell and to hold its position on shelf, this is the competition that recognises that work that tells you everything.
Enter now at:
