It’s all change at IWC tell us what is happening?
In September 2024, I created IWC Events Limited and bought the International Wine Challenge from William Reed. This marks the first time in the Challenge’s history that it will operate as a stand-alone business.
You have a long history with the IWC how and why did you want to take on this opportunity?
Having been involved with the IWC in 2000 with Quest Magazines at Wilmington PLC, then 12 years at William Reed, this is now the third time working on IWC.
Why? I feel that there is more to do and more I can offer to not only maintain the reputation of the competition but also to improve engagement within the wine industry around the world.
Chris Ashton could not be happier to be back where he believes he belongs - not just running the International Wine Challange but owning it too
I am passionate about the International Wine Challenge and the wine industry so I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get back involved when the opportunity presented itself. I believe the integrity of everything we do at the IWC makes it the fairest and most rigorously judged competition in the world.
It is quite the responsibility taking on a global wine competition as this. What steps are you putting in place to reassure producers and potential participants that you are set for a smooth take over?
With a legacy spanning over 40 years, the IWC is recognised as the world's most rigorous, impartial, and influential wine competition.Participating in the IWC is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase your wines globally helping wine producers, retailers and the on-trade to sell more wine.
This reputation remains but it is also about personal contacts and connections, so I have been in touch with many people to reassure them that it is very much business as usual. These calls and emails have been warmly received from across the globe.
For the first year, it will be all about evolution not revolution as I make small tweaks now before making any significant changes in the future.
What are the fundamental things you need to get right when running an international wine competition?
Integrity, Integrity, Integrity.
For a competition like the International Wine Challenge, we have that credibility and recognition with both the trade and consumers alike.People trust us and for us, this is critical.We have built that through our judging process, our expert judges and our communications. We never forget our raison d'être - we help people sell more wine.
We can always find those gems that get overlooked, bring to the fore small and emerging wineries and winemakers to put them on the map.
Which areas are you most keen to tighten up on and improve?
Chris Ashton hopes to tighten up the judging with more use of technology but the judging criteria and dedication to only reward the best quality wines will remain the same
As mentioned, the first year will be about evolution, however, I am keen to digitalise some aspects of the judging process.
Small adjustments will be made in all areas of the competition to ensure we are ahead of other competitions.
There will be some upcoming announcements on timings for both the judging as well as the IWC Industry Awards with more developments in the pipeline which we will be able to announce over the coming months.All I can say is watch this space.
Any wine competition relies on the quality of its judging process - are you making any changes to the IWC?
I believe in the structure and integrity of our judging process so for now, the judging process will remain the same.
Judges assess wines without knowing the producer, region, brand or past accolades. This anonymity guarantees that every wine is judged solely on its quality, eliminating any bias. Every wine is subjected to at least two rounds of evaluation by separate judging panels. This unique double-review system ensures consistency and minimises the risk of unfairly overlooking or overrating any wine.
Judges work together to discuss and refine scores, combining their expertise to reach a collective decision. This ensures no single palate dominates the results.
Award-winning wines are tasted by a minimum of 12 expert palates. This unparalleled breadth of opinions and expertise ensures a comprehensive, well-rounded evaluation for every wine.
The IWC assembles world-renowned judges, including buyers, Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, sommeliers, educators and industry leaders, with extensive knowledge across all wine styles and regions. Generalist judges bring an inclusive perspective, avoiding narrow biases. High-scoring wines face the ultimate test as the co-chairs re-taste and validate the results. Only the very best entries claim coveted medals and trophies, a hallmark of true distinction.
It’s tough to get a Gold Medal. If you are lucky enough to win a Trophy, that's serious stuff.
Why don’t you want to assess wines by their price and value for money?
I believe in judging based on quality not price. At the IWC, judges never see the price of the wines. Also with so many different tax thresholds around the world, it’s technically impossible to have prices against a wine. You could do that for wines sold in the UK, but we have so many wines that are not available here yet, it's just not fair.
We believe prices can give a perceived bias to the judges, both positively and negatively. So without price, the judges focus purely on quality.
Wines are evaluated purely on their merit, not their market positioning or perceived value. Awards are ultimately given to wines that demonstrate quality.
What are you doing about your panel chairs and other regular judges who have been part of the competition - any change for them?
The IWC's highly respected panel chairs will continue in their roles including Tim Atkin MW, Oz Clarke, Helen McGinn, Jamie Goode, Sam Caporn and Peter McCombie
I am delighted that our six distinguished co-chairs, leaders in their respective fields, will continue to take charge of the judging process.
Tim Atkin MW, Sam Caporn MW, Oz Clarke, Dr. Jamie Goode, Peter McCombie MW, and Helen McGinn will meticulously taste each and every wine that has been entered into the competition.
I have invited a few new faces to join as panel chairs this year who are Ray O’Connor MW, Gus Zhou MW, Fongyee Walker MW. There are more to follow too.
There are also some people I will be asking to step down from judging as we bring in more new people and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their time over many years.
You clearly want to bring your own ideas to the awards - what new aspects can we expect?
I am delighted to say that we are going back to our much-loved original timing of September to host the prestigious IWC Awards Night dinner. The IWC dinner was always seen as the UK trade’s back to business fun and social get together after a summer hiatus and a must-attend for everyone keen to re-connect with customers and peers. For 2025, the IWC dinner will take place on September 9 with a formal black tie sit down celebration dinner at The Guildhall.
The IWC is returning to the Guildhall for its awards night in what its traditional time in September
We will also be looking at the role technology plays in the competition and how this can work alongside the knowledgeable and skilful judges to make the process easier at all stages and enable us to give entrants much quicker feedback on their medal results.
You are also building your own team. Who have you been able to recruit and why did you want to work with them?
I am delighted to have been able to recruit a new team with a wealth of wine trade knowledge and experience to help me deliver my plans for the IWC.
Chris Boiling remains the editor of Canopy, our fortnightly IWC newsletter which goes out to 41,000 registered users.
Adriana Lyon-Shaw runs our digital marketing having worked for Alibaba, the multinational technology company specialising in e-commerce and recently worked with me on the new Drink Japan event.
Chris Ashton has the opportunity to build his own team including Lucy Marcuson as events manager, Lee Sharkey, who Ashton worked with previously at Willam Reed and Wilmington as commercial director and Adriana Lyon-Shaw who heads up digital marketing
Our events manager is Lucy Marcuson who has previously worked in events, marketing and PR for Armit Wines, Lea & Sandeman, 67 Pall Mall and The Drinks Trust.
Lee Sharkey is also joining as commercial director having previously worked as publisher at Harpers Wine & Spirit and Drinks Retailing magazines as well as being event director for SITT at Agile Media. Lee and I worked together in 1999 at Wilmington so it's great to have her as part of the team.
What is happening with the IWC Industry Awards which recognise the best retailers and merchants in the UK? Any changes there?
On the whole, the IWC industry awards will remain the same, aside from the date and format change as mentioned before. We are looking at expanding a couple of categories, like agents for example, as I do believe there is space for a small, medium and large agent of the year. They will continue to recognise the incredible achievements of the inspirational teams behind the UK’s most innovative wine retailing businesses.
The entry process will open in April and we look forward to hearing from companies who are doing something spectacular that we need to know about. They will be celebrated at the awards dinner in September.
What about the structure and when you are asking for wines to be entered and when you are judging then?
IWC 2025 remains the same as in April Judging term, there will be an announcement later this year about the 2026 competition. We need to get 2025 awards completed first.
You clearly can’t make all the changes in the first few months - what else can we expect from you and the IWC down the line?
Infrastructure changes really. Judges' computers and tasting notes. That kind of thing. We are upgrading the database system, website, with the latest technology. Most will be effective from next year.
Finally how does it feel personally for you to be back at the IWC and this time in overall control?
Brilliant. I am excited to be running the IWC again. There is lots of hard work to be done but I am looking forward to reconnecting with everyone who is has been involved in the IWC past and present and taking the challenge forward again.
The IWC has been a big part of my life so far, and the people within in it. Crew members that start their wine careers humping boxes at the IWC are now MWs, buyers and key individuals in the wine industry. It's great to see them progressing.
So many people have had their first taste of the wine industry at the IWC, and those people are part of the IWC’s legacy. I hope that continues.
* To find out more about the IWC click here.
* Closing date for consolidated shipping for the 2025 awards closes on February 28.
