The British Organic Wine Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in organic and biodynamic winemaking across the United Kingdom.
The Awards were founded by Luke Thomas, a British-born wine enthusiast and advocate for sustainable winemaking. Luke has spent nearly two decades living in New Zealand, where he established and continues to run the New Zealand Organic Wine Awards, the country’s most established celebration of organic and biodynamic wines. Through this work he has helped raise the profile of organic producers and supported greater consumer awareness of sustainable winemaking.
After many years abroad, Luke wanted to reconnect with his roots and contribute to the growth of the British organic wine movement. The British Organic Wine Awards continue the same mission as their New Zealand counterpart, aiming to raise awareness, reward excellence, and grow both the domestic and international presence of British organic wines.
Luke has spoken at the New Zealand Winegrowers Conference and worked closely with producers across the industry to promote authentic, environmentally conscious wine production. His experience and commitment to transparency form the foundation of both Awards.
Our goal is simple. We aim to grow the presence of British wines both within the United Kingdom and internationally, while increasing the proportion of organically and biodynamically produced wines over conventional alternatives.
We believe the best way to achieve this is by celebrating producers who work in harmony with the environment and by helping consumers identify and choose wines that reflect genuine quality and care for the land.
We come from a consumer background, which gives us a unique perspective on both wine shows and the organic sector. We believe that wine should be made with integrity and judged by the people who drink it.
In the early years of the New Zealand Organic Wine Awards, all judging was carried out by a panel of professional judges. This helped establish a strong technical foundation and provided invaluable insight into structured wine evaluation. However, after the first three years, we began running a consumer judging panel alongside the professional panel. This was supported by a custom-built digital judging platform, developed and refined over many years.
The app guides consumers through each tasting, helping them understand structure, balance, and overall quality while providing consistent scoring criteria. It also normalises results across multiple panels to ensure fairness and consistency. Over time, we found that consumer scores closely aligned with professional results, with only occasional exceptions. These differences usually occurred when professional judges favoured wines that consumers found challenging or less enjoyable.
Since our goal is to influence and inform consumers, we have placed them at the centre of our judging model. We believe that results should reflect how the market experiences wine, not just how experts interpret it. Our methodology ensures that producers receive feedback that is both credible and commercially relevant.
Entries for the 2024 British Organic Wine Awards are open now.
All entries and samples must be received by 15 November 2024.
Judging will commence immediately after, with results published by 9 December 2024.
This schedule ensures results are released ahead of the festive season, maximising visibility and sales opportunities for participating producers.
All wines submitted must be produced from organically or biodynamically grown grapes and must hold valid certification from a DEFRA-approved organic control body, such as the Soil Association, Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G), or the Biodynamic Association. Certification documentation must accompany each entry.
Wines produced from vineyards in organic conversion are welcome to enter if accompanied by evidence of recognised in-conversion status from a UK-approved certifier.
Each wine entered costs £70 per entry, which includes:
Allocation to multiple consumer judging panels
Inclusion in digital promotion and published results
Free usage of digital medal media
Access to summary feedback from the judging process
Do I need certification to enter?
Yes. UK law requires wines marketed as organic to be certified by a DEFRA-approved control body. You will need to provide proof of certification (or evidence of recognised in-conversion status) when submitting your entries.
Can In-conversion wines be entered?
Yes. Providing vineyards are certified in conversion.
Who judges the wines?
Wines are assessed by a panel of selected consumers using our purpose-built digital judging platform. Each panellist is guided through structured tasting criteria to ensure fairness and consistency.
Can I receive feedback from the judges?
Yes. Every entrant receives a summary report highlighting average scores and anonymised consumer comments, offering valuable insight into market perception.
Will results be public?
Yes. Award results and medal winners are published on our website and across digital channels, allowing consumers to easily identify high-quality organic wines.
Is there a physical tasting event?
No public tasting event is held. Judging takes place through two coordinated consumer panels, each based in a different region of the United Kingdom. This structure allows us to capture a broader cross-section of consumers and ensures that results are not influenced by a single group or location.
Can I enter multiple wines?
Absolutely. Many producers submit several wines to gain a more complete understanding of how their range is perceived.
How will wines be awarded?Wines are assessed individually and scored by multiple consumers across two regional panels using our digital judging platform. Each wine receives an aggregate score, which is calculated from all valid consumer submissions and normalised across panels to ensure fairness and consistency.
Based on the final aggregate score, wines are awarded one of three medal levels: Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Only wines that meet the required quality thresholds receive an award, ensuring that results reflect genuine consumer appreciation and excellence in organic winemaking.
Will medal stickers be available?
Yes. Medal stickers will be available to all award recipients at cost price. Details for ordering and delivery will be provided once results are announced.
Where can I learn more about the New Zealand Organic Wine Awards?
Visit www.organicwineawards.co.nz for more information on our 15-year history and approach.