The International Wine and Spirit Competition was founded in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world's best wines, spirits and liqueurs. All entries are blind tasted in groups divided by variety, region and vintage as necessary.

The awards given by the competition are believed to be among some of the highest honours in the industry. Judging for the Competition is unique in that it has two stages; first, the products are tasted blind by expert panels, selected from over 300 fully experienced and qualified industry judges. Products which receive the top medals are then subject to technical analysis before results are released; this crucial stage ensures winners receive complete validation.