Concours Général Agricole de Paris

The Holy Grail Paris International Agricultural Show

The aim of the Concours Général Agricole des Vins, taking place at the end of February/beginning of March, is to select and award the best wines from the French terroir. This competition, which takes place every year during the International Agricultural Show, is organised under the control of the State and follows a rigorous selection process in complete impartiality. It is recognised for the value of its results.

During this competition, more than 15,000 samples of wine are tasted anonymously by 3,000 jurors and only 4,000 wines are awarded medals in the end. There are three types of medals: Gold, Silver and Bronze.

It is a reference in the wine world. Rigour, traceability and quality are the key words in judging the wines.

Created in 1870 by the Ministry of Agriculture, it is undoubtedly the most popular show with the French public. It is the most eagerly awaited event for wine producers. It is an opportunity for winegrowers to win medals that are very interesting for their brand image.

Imagine in Paris 600 tables of four tasters set up for three days: during the pre-selections, 40 to 50% of the wines are eliminated. The wines are taken directly from the cellar, so the samples are representative of all the vats. The interest is impartiality: this prevents the winemaker from presenting a "prepared" vintage that is not representative of their production. The advantage is therefore a very rigorous selectivity (only 23.5% of wines awarded) and the limited number of wines tasted by each juror.

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