2026 edition
Lyon, the capital of French gastronomy, is home to the International Product Competition.
Each year, with the support of renowned partners such as the Toques Blanches Lyonnaises, the Association des Sommeliers Lyonnais et Rhône-Alpes, the city of Lyon, Only Lyon and the Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the competition tastes thousands of products from multiple countries and awards the world’s best wines, beers and spirits, as well as the best cheese, dairy products and charcuteries from everywhere in the world.
In 2026, the competition organised the tasting of 10,355 samples from 58 countries. Since its creation the competition has showcased millions of bottles with its famous medals.
The Competition’s commitments
Jurors’ expertise
Communication on all fronts
Influential, committed partners
Famous honorary Presidents
Official validation and verifications
Communication tools
Professionals in the field guarantee conformity of the sample,
while enlightened amateurs represent consumer tastes.
Key figures
Average increase in the price of a product with a gold medal*
Average age of tasters
Women tasters at the most recent edition
Mentions in one year
Samples tasted at the most recent edition
Lyon award-winner product sold every second somewhere in the world
countries participating for the past 3 years
Nationalities represented in the tasters’ ranks for the past 3 years
Communication on all fronts
The competition does not stop with the tasting.
Our communications department makes sure that journalists, national and international decision-makers and buyers all hear about the products that are awarded a medal and are aware of the competition’s major events. Results are transmitted to:
- Mainstream print media: Publications in several French news magazines – Le Nouvel Obs, Le Parisien, Le Figaro, Le Progrès, Cuisine et Vins de France, etc.
- Specialised print media: Publications in La Vigne, Rayon Boissons, Mon Viti, Annuaire Professionnel de la Brasserie de Robert Dutin, etc.
- International press: 6,700 journalists are informed of the results as soon as they are published (mainstream journalists, wine writers and critics, magazines and newspapers, etc.)
- Buyers: 6,400 receive the list of award winners, as do wine bars, supermarket buyers, sommeliers associations, etc.
- Export: 5,200 agents and importers also receive the results.
- Distribution networks: The information is sent to various emanations of the wine industry such as professional associations, winegrowers associations, cooperatives, etc.
- The Internet: The competition has partnership agreements with influential wine websites, tasting clubs, blogs, etc.
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Partnership with Le Progrès
The daily newspaper Le Progrès is associated for the publication of a special supplement dedicated to the Lyon International Competition and its award-winning products.
The supplement will go online before the summer with information on the competition, but also on the wine, beer and spirits sector, the cheese and dairy product sector, key market figures, complete list of Trophies, descriptions of award-winners and a complete report on this edition!
Born in 1859 in Lyon, Le Progrès has 263 journalists, 1,800 local correspondents and 850,000 readers each day!
Influential, committed partners
After the tasting, competition partners take charge of relaying results.
Les Toques Blanches: Great chefs from Lyon who are members of this association are on the competition’s juries.
Association des Sommeliers Lyonnais et Rhône–Alpes: this association actively supports the competition. Many sommeliers are present on the day of the tasting.
ONLYLYON: Tourism and gastronomy are part and parcel of Lyon. So the Concours International de Lyon is naturally in the limelight in Lyon and surrounding areas, as are the competition’s award-winning products.
Famous honorary Presidents
Each year the selection of an honorary president draws the attention of the press and puts the competition in the limelight.
David Bourne
2026 - Cheese, dairy products and charcuteries competition
David Bourne was born into a family of charcuterie butchers and has carried on the legacy his parents started in 1980 in Vals-les-Bains which they went on to develop in Romans-sur-Isère in 1995. Guided by his love of the trade, his taste for authenticity and his respect for local produce, David joined the family business in 2000.
He has breathed new life into the business by developing a high-end catering service that combines strict standards, creativity and traditional expertise. Constantly striving for excellence, he has taken part in many competitions and was awarded the Qualichef certificate for his commitment to craft food in 2013. In the charcuterie industry, David has mastered the great classics while developing a new, more contemporary range of cured meats.
At the same time, David modernised the production facilities by creating a manufacturing and culinary creation workshop in 2015. His specialities regularly win awards in national competitions, including the Trophée Nationale de la Charcuterie and the Championnat de France du Fromage de Tête. Awarded the title of French Catering Champion in 2020, he became captain of the French team at the World Catering Championship in 2021, where he won the title of World Vice-Champion.
© JBL/GINKO
Christian Janier
2026 - Cheese, dairy products and charcuteries competition
Christian Janier is a cheesemonger with a passion for his profession, and he represents the 4th generation in this family business in Lyon. In the Janier family, this passion has been handed down from father to son: Christian’s great-grandfather sold Comté cheese in the streets of Lyon, his grandfather and father continued to develop the family business...and that is how, when Christian Janier was still just a boy, he came to the ‘Carreau’ in the Halles de Lyon marketplace to sell wheels of cheese with his father.
Then it was Christian’s turn to develop the family business, and since he wanted to make his passion his profession, he became a ripener-wholesaler with an eye to preserving the precious know-how involved. The Janier line includes nearly 250 cheeses from France and other European countries. All have one thing in common: excellence obtained through strict requirements regarding origin. These exceptional products are sold in France and abroad, from Belgium to Germany and as far away as Japan.
In 2000, Christian Janier set himself a new challenge, which he obtained with brio when he was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France Cheesemonger. He now wears with pride the famous blue, white and red striped collar, a sign of his excellence.
http://www.janier.fr
Olivier Canal
2026 - Wine, beer and spirits competition
Olivier Canal is an avid chef and a dedicated figure in Lyon's gastronomic scene. Trained in top French establishments alongside renowned chefs such as Guy Savoy and Mathieu Viannay, he has been running La Meunière restaurant, a symbol of traditional Lyon cuisine, since 2014. He is committed to using local and seasonal produce and masterfully revamps great classics — pâté en croûte, œufs meurette and oreiller de la Belle Meunière — combining respect for the terroir with creativity. He has been president of the Bouchons Lyonnais since 2023 and strives daily to keep Lyon's culinary heritage alive thanks to a deep passion for sharing and connecting with his guests.
Official validation and verifications
Validated by the DGCCRF
Only medals from wine competitions on the DGCCRF’s list can be shown on wine labels. The Concours International de Lyon is on this list.It solemnly agrees to strictly apply the rules governing beers and spirits and their tasting.
Supervised by an independent inspector
An independent inspector is appointed to guarantee compliance with regulations on the day of the tasting. A number of checkpoints are agreed upon with the general commissioner, tasting president and assessors.
Certified ISO 9001
This certification demonstrates to producers the involvement of the Competition in showcasing their work. Consumers, for their part, will see it as a sign of rigorous selection, high quality and a competition worthy of their trust. More information
Verifications in shops
Throughout the year, inspectors visit sales points in France and abroad (supermarkets, wine merchants, retailer and contact online stores). They verify and take samples to guarantee conformity with the products that were tasted and awarded.
HACCP approach and hygiene control
Participants’ products are accounted for and controlled in the framework of the Competition’s HACCP approach.
HACCP is used to identify, assess, and manage significant dangers related to food security. Based on solid principles, it is set up by following a logical sequence of procedures that includes analysing dangers and determining points critical to their management.
Jurors’ expertise
Tasters are the mainstay of the competition.
Producers who send their products to be tasted put their trust in the Competition, which is responsible for the quality of the tasting. That’s why the Concours International de Lyon has set up a multiple-phase process for recruiting and approving tasters.
Validation by the commissioner
The competition commissioner contacts all newly registered tasters to assess their experience and make sure they have the capacities required for tasting. If necessary, a training session is suggested.
Juror training is a priority.
Since we are very attentive to the quality of juries, we offer a training session in tasting that includes notions of how to mark wines at a competition.
A specially-designed, efficient marking scale
To make marking simpler and more homogeneous, a 100-point marking scale is used in the Concours International de Lyon, as it is in all international competitions. The scale allows tasters to decode every aspect of a sample, and then calculate the final score. Tasters receive copies of the marking scale before the tasting so that they can become familiar with it.
Mixed juries to guarantee a range of opinions
The samples are tasted by professionals and amateurs, because let's not forget that most future buyers are amateurs!
We have decided to mix knowledgeable amateurs and professionals in the field at each table, so producers are guaranteed a range of opinions from tasters.
Communication tools
Medals
The competition awards two distinctions: Gold and Silver medals.
Thanks to the competition’s international fame, products bearing its medals are prized by restaurant owners, buyers and importers from across the world.
We have kept the cost of medals low to avoid increasing the bottle’s cost price.
From €10 per thousand.
Metal plates
Metal plates are wonderful marketing tools, enabling to show consumers that your products have won medals and that they are recognized as among the best in their categories.
Put them on the tasting room wall and display them on your stand at trade fairs!
Trophies
Trophy: show your success
The Trophy awards the the competition's best wines by country across all categories. Along with the medals and metal plates, the Trophy is identifiable by the consumer and serves as a guarantee of quality and trust.
It can be displayed at points of sale or on trade fair stands.
Diploma
Each award-winner is given a diploma to guarantee traceability of the award-winning batch.
It certifies that the sample was judged in its category and awarded on the basis of its organoleptic qualities.
Website referencing
The list of award-winners is displayed on the competition’s website for all to see.
Throughout the year a web team uses SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to make sure web pages on the award-winning products are well-placed. The goal is to improve their rank in results returned by search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.
A product that is well-referenced in search engines helps make producers better known and can rapidly bring new contacts.
Organoleptic analysis
After the tasting, you receive a complete organoleptic analysis of your sample (appearance, aroma, taste, harmony) along with competition averages, to evaluate your sample’s position with regard to competitors.
Sommeliers’ Prize
Sommeliers’ Prize
The Concours International de Lyon has created a special prize for sommellerie students.
The prize is intended to help a pair of students discover a European wine-growing country through the study of a specific designation of origin or region, and in a very hands-on way: by funding a trip.
Highlighting on social networks
The Concours International de Lyon is present on the major social networking platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and also LinkedIn. In addition to providing news on the competition, the Competition turns the spotlight on award-winning wines, beers, spirits, cheese and dairy products, all year round. Another showcase for the greatest products presented at the Competition!