Decanter World Wine Awards opens entries for 2027 competition
The 24th Decanter World Wine Awards has opened for entries, reducing the required samples from four bottles to three while holding the entry fee at £172 and cutting consolidated shipping to £51. Entries and payments close on 15 March 2027.
Entry costs and sample requirements
Decanter World Wine Awards has opened entries for its 2027 edition, the competition’s 24th year. For the first time, producers need to provide three bottles for each entry rather than four, reducing the stock, preparation and transport required.1
DWWA said its review found that the fourth bottle was rarely needed for most wines. The change is supported by a new partnership with Coravin and does not alter the judging procedure: if a wine reaches all three rounds, judges will still open a fresh bottle in each round.1
The entry fee remains £172 for a third consecutive year. Consolidated shipping now costs £51, down £3 from 2026 and £8 from 2025. Exhibitors at Barcelona Wine Week, Wine Paris and ProWein may instead register and leave samples at the fair for £32, without a late-registration charge.1
An early-entry offer on consolidated shipping is available for samples entered by 29 January 2027, although Decanter did not state the discounted price in its announcement. The regular consolidated-shipping deadline is 26 February, while entries and payments must be completed by 15 March 2027.1
Judging and awards
The blind judging is conducted in several stages. The first round awards Bronze, Silver and Gold medals; Gold wines proceed to more demanding rounds for Platinum and, ultimately, Best in Show. In 2026, slightly more than 7% of wines judged received Gold, Platinum or Best in Show.1
Entries are arranged in flights according to country, region, colour, grape variety, style, vintage and price band. More than 240 wine professionals participate each year, including Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, buyers, journalists, writers and educators. Every submitted wine receives judges’ tasting notes, whether or not it wins a medal.1
Coravin trial and environmental measures
During the 2026 Platinum and Best in Show judging, Decanter tested Coravin Pivot and Sparkling preservation systems to cover the different wine styles tasted during the competition’s second week. The equipment will remain available when an additional assessment is exceptionally required.1
DWWA also reported replacing more than 20,000 single-use plastic bags for blind tasting with reusable cotton alternatives in 2026 and reusing more than 1,000 cardboard boxes annually. Bottles used in judging are crushed and remelted into usable glass, while leftover wine is collected and converted into gas supplied to the national grid.1
Webinar, feedback and exposure
After judging, every 2027 entrant will be offered a new webinar with the competition’s Co-Chairs. They are due to discuss the wines, notable characteristics, trends and styles encountered, followed by a live question-and-answer session.1
Decanter says medal-winning wines receive exposure through its editorial and social channels, the DWWA Market Guide, international public relations work, and its programme of events and tastings. The competition presents its searchable results as a buying guide for trade professionals and consumers.1
Leadership changes for 2027
Paz Levinson becomes Resident Co-Chair for 2027, succeeding Caro Maurer MW in a role that rotates annually. Levinson joins Co-Chairs Andrew Jefford, Beth Willard, Michael Hill Smith AM MW and Ronan Sayburn MS. An Argentine sommelier based in France, she has judged at DWWA for more than a decade and most recently served as Regional Chair for Argentina and the Rest of South America, excluding Chile.1
Levinson’s former category, covering Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and other South American countries apart from Chile, will be overseen by Acting Co-Regional Chairs Regine Lee MW and Eduardo Milan. Lee is managing director of UK importer Indigo Wines; Milan is a Brazil-based wine consultant and former wine editor of Revista ADEGA.1
They are among 40 Regional Chairs appointed for 2027. The new chairs are Tom Hewson for Champagne, alongside Co-Regional Chair Charles Curtis MW; Sarah Knowles MW for Northern Italy excluding Piedmont and Veneto; Higgo Jacobs for South Africa; and Alberto Ruffoni for Spain, alongside Ferran Centelles and Pierre Mansour.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.