Awards Event 2026
Friday 16 October 6pm - 9:30pm
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Albert Street, Auckland CBD.
Cocktail Style - dress appropriately.
2026 NZ INTERNATIONAL WINE SHOW - IMPORTANT DATES
Closing date for entries
4 September
Closing date for receipt of wine samples
11 September
Set up day
21 September
Judging
22 - 24 September
Wineries notified of embargoed results
25 - 28 September
Medal results available online
From 30 September
Champions list / Gold medal public tasting
Wednesday 7 October
Awards Event
Friday 16 October
Trophy results available online
From 17 October
Publication of trophy winners and The Champions List
TBC
Dates and some aspects of the promotional programme may be subject to change at the discretion of the competition organisers.
PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES
The Champions List Tasting featuring all Gold and Double Gold winning wines will be held in Takapuna, Auckland on Wednesday 7 October.
The 2026 Awards Presentation will be held in Auckland on Friday 17 October.
Trophy, Double Gold, Gold and Silver medal labels will be available to purchase to identify and promote the top wines.
Full listings of all the medal winners will be displayed on nziws.co.nz. Trophy results will be listed after the Awards Event.
PROMOTIONAL FEES
These promotional fees are applicable to wines that win gold medals and are automatically included in The Champions List - $NZ250 plus GST per wine.
Fees applicable to Trophy winning wines is $NZ595 plus GST per wine.
All entrants with wines included in the Champions List are required to provide free of charge for use at the Awards Event, The Champions List Tasting and for promotional purposes the following:
• 6 bottles of each gold & double gold medal winning wine
Entering a wine for judging in the New Zealand International Wine Show 2026 will be accepted as automatic acceptance of the promotional fees and conditions listed above.
The New Zealand International Wine Show is the largest wine competition to be held in New Zealand, this year (2026) will be our 22nd year running! Our senior judging team includes a number of leading winemakers and many key industry personnel. Most of the senior judges have each been involved in major wine competitions for more than two decades and bring a wide range of expert knowledge skill and consistency to the sampling and scoring of the awarded varietals.
The champions List
Wines are entered into wine competitions to win medals. A gold, double gold, silver or bronze medal label on a bottle is unquestionably one of the easiest and most effective ways of promoting the qualities of a wine to the consumer. A medal can be used to promote a wine for the duration of that specific wine. Unlike a wine review that becomes dated or forgotten, a medal label has longevity.
The most important feature in the results from the New Zealand International Wine Show is The Champions List. The Champions List includes all the gold medal winning wines and of course the prestigious Trophies. All of the successful wines in The Champions List will benefit from nationwide exposure through trade publications, web results, tastings and emails circulated by key retailers.
Every double gold or gold medal wine will be listed in the Champions List. Trophy winners will be highlighted with a detailed description on the NZIWS website, along with lists of all the medal winners.
Competition Stewards
At this stage applications to steward at the 2026 NZIWS aren't required. Should we need to we will advertise for them accordingly, watch this space.
Note: Entrants will not be sent judging class labels. These will be applied at the competition venue by the organisers.
Conditions of entry Schedule & classes Information sheet
