The Concours des Grands Vins de France à Mâcon is one of the most prestigious wine competitions in France, and one of the oldest — founded in 1954 by local wine merchants and growers determined to give French wines the recognition they deserved. Held every year in Mâcon, in the heart of Burgundy, the competition has grown into an unmissable reference point for producers, buyers and wine professionals across France and beyond.
Its 71st edition takes place on Saturday, 18 April 2026, with between 8,000 and 10,000 wine samples expected from all French appellations — from Alsace to Champagne, from Bordeaux to the Rhône Valley, and every appellation in between.
What sets Mâcon apart from other French wine competitions is the depth of its selection process and the independence of its jury. Each sample is evaluated blind by panels of at least three tasters, composed of two-thirds professionals (winemakers, oenologists, brokers, sommeliers, wine merchants) and one-third informed amateurs — all selected through a rigorous aptitude questionnaire.
Bottles are wrapped in kraft paper. Corks are replaced with neutral stoppers. No information identifying the producer reaches the tasting panel. This commitment to anonymity and objectivity is what makes a Mâcon medal a genuine commercial asset: 77% of French wine consumers consider a Mâcon distinction a reliable indicator of quality (Viavoice, 2022), and medals influence the purchase decision of 7 consumers out of 10.
Strict caps on medal attribution apply: no more than one third of samples per category may be awarded, ensuring that a distinction here means something.
The competition is open to all French AOP and IGP wines, across all vintages. Specific categories include:
• Alsace
• Bordeaux
• Bourgogne & Beaujolais
• Champagne & sparkling wines
• Vallée du Rhône
• Val de Loire
• Provence-Corse
• Languedoc-Roussillon
• Sud-Ouest, Savoie-Bugey, Lorraine, Franche-Comté
• Vins Doux Naturels & Vins de Liqueur
Non-vintage wines are permitted for Champagne, sparkling wines, VDN, and IGP categories.
Entry fee: €63.50 HT (€76.20 TTC) per sample
Sample submission deadline:
• Provence-Corse, Bordeaux, Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône, Loire, Sud-Ouest, Champagne: 17 February – 3 March 2026
• Alsace, Bourgogne, Beaujolais, Centre: 4–18 March 2026
Competition date: Saturday, 18 April 2026
Venue: 198 Avenue Pierre Bérégovoy, 71000 Mâcon
Contact: info@concours-des-vins.com | 03 85 21 30 00
Register your samples online →
Wine professionals and informed amateurs can apply to join the jury. Applications are reviewed based on tasting credentials and experience.
Jury application deadline: 31 March 2026
Apply as a taster →
Are you a producer or a jury member at the Concours des Grands Vins de France? Use Tastee to take structured tasting notes, track scores by appellation, and build a searchable archive of every wine evaluated — a professional-grade tool for competition tasting.
Discover the Tastee digital tasting notebook →
• Competition overview & regulations
• Producer entry space & registration
• Taster application space
• Past results & palmares
• Official organiser website
• Venue on Google Maps
