The International Wine Challenge will split into four regional competitions.

The International Wine Challenge said it will split its long-running wine competition into four regional events across the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the United Kingdom, a major restructuring that begins in July 2026 and shifts much of the judging closer to producers.

Under the new format, wines will still be judged blind by expert panels, but first within their own regions. Gold medal winners from those regional competitions will then advance to London for International Trophy judging. The organization said the change is meant to reflect the global wine industry’s growing regional diversity while preserving the standards that have defined the competition since it was founded in London in 1984.

The first two regional competitions will open for entries this summer. IWC Americas will hold its first judging session in Mendoza, Argentina, from Nov. 2 through Nov. 6, 2026. IWC Asia Pacific will follow in Adelaide, Australia, from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4, 2026. IWC Europe is scheduled for Montpellier, France, from April 12 through April 16, 2027, and IWC UK will take place in London from May 10 through May 14, 2027.

Gold medal-winning wines from all four competitions will be judged again in London on May 15, 2027 for International Trophies. The IWC Awards ceremony is set for September 2027 at Guildhall in London.

Chris Ashton, chairman of the International Wine Challenge, said the new structure is intended to make the competition more accessible to producers and more connected to local wine communities without changing its judging model. He said wines would continue to be assessed blind by leading experts and that the top entries would still be measured against an international benchmark in London.

The organization also named new regional co-chairs to oversee judging and regional outreach alongside its existing global leadership. Oz Clarke OBE will move into a new role as judge emeritus.

The UK co-chairs are Sam Caporn MW, Peter McCombie MW, Helen McGinn and Dr. Jamie Goode. For Asia Pacific, the co-chairs are Cathy van Zyl MW of South Africa, Erin Larkin of Australia, Yang Lu MS of China and Kenichi Ohashi MW of Japan. The Americas co-chairs are Matías Prezioso of Argentina, Patricio Tapia of Chile and Christy Canterbury MW of the United States.

The sake panel will be led by Kenichi Ohashi MW of Japan, Simon Hofstra of the Netherlands, Åke Nordgren of Sweden, Natsuki Kikuya of Japan and Jennifer Docherty MW of Canada and Hong Kong. Europe co-chairs are expected to be announced in autumn 2026.

Yang Lu said the new structure better aligns judging with the places where wines are grown while keeping a single international standard and the blind tasting process that underpins the competition’s reputation.

The International Wine Challenge said the regional model should also reduce international shipping needs, strengthen trade ties within each market and bring judges closer to the wines and producers they assess. Judges will continue to be drawn from across the wine trade, including winemakers, buyers, sommeliers, journalists and educators.

A redesigned website has been launched to support the new structure with regional entry information and local competition hubs. Entries for IWC Americas open on July 1, with entries for IWC Asia Pacific opening later in July.

Now entering its 42nd year, the International Wine Challenge judges thousands of wines and sake each year through a multi-stage blind tasting process. It awards Gold, Silver and Bronze medals as well as Commended distinctions, with trophies reserved for top wines in each category.