The International Wine Award was first held in 2001. Even at its debut, it registered 2.235 entries from all the major wine-growing regions in the world. And record participation in 2011 shows just how important the competition has meanwhile become in Germany. 6.000 wines were entered.

The target of the competition is to promote quality and the marketing of the wines entered.

The awards are intended to offer producers, wine-growers, importers and consumers a forum which, firstly, permits a comparison of wines and offers valuable help with decision-making and orientation when buying wine and, secondly, reaches a wide public.

While welcomed by wine customers as a helpful orientation aid, awards provide producers with recognition of their hard work.

They can measure their own standard of performance in international competition and the awards they win permit prestigious labelling of the successful products for marketing.