Tasting rules
The tasters are what the competition is all about. Each new entrant is contacted by the commissioner to evaluate their experience, ensure their tasting skills are up to standard and, if necessary, provide training.
You can sign up to the next tasting session Taster registration.
Once your registration has been examined, you will receive an invitation with all relevant information about the competition.
- Venue: Cité Internationale de Lyon - 50 Quai Charles de Gaulle - 69006 Lyon
- Date and times :
10 January 2026 09:00 - 12:00
- Schedule:
9:00 to 9:20: Jurys welcoming
9:30: Opening speech
Beginning of the tasting
11:30: Cocktail reception
Election of the World’s Best Gamay
The tasting regulations are as follows:
- Arrive on time.
- Do not wear any perfume.
- Avoid wearing lipstick.
- Avoid drinking coffee 1 hour before the tasting.
- Turn off cell phones.
- Judge the samples presented with fairness.
- Respect the anonymity of the samples from start to finish.
- -Ensure the marks remain confidential.
- Do not disturb the other jury tables.
ARTICLE 14: OBLIGATIONS OF JUDGES
Registering as a judge in the Competition constitutes a commitment and express acceptance of the following:
- Being a juror is done on a voluntary basis
and jurors do not receive any compensation or remuneration.
- Access to the Competition is only authorised to the recipient of the invitation sent by email, text message, or given as a paper document. As the selected judge has been appointed intuitu personae, the invitation is nominative and cannot be transferred without the agreement of the General Commissioner.
- By registering and upon arrival at the event site, the judge agrees to read and comply with the safety instructions.
- No accompanying persons, adults or minors, will be allowed in the Competition room. The Organisation reserves the right to refuse access to any judge who does not comply with this rule.
- Judges are strongly advised not to ingest the alcoholic beverages they taste. In accordance with customary practice, spittoons are provided for this purpose, as well as water to rinse the mouth between tastings.
Any failure to comply with this recommendation will result in the judge being held personally liable in the event of an incident or damage caused to themselves or to third parties, without the Competition and/or the Organisation being held liable.
In addition, judges are advised to plan their travel arrangements in advance to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol. To this end, the Organisation may provide breathalysers to judges who wish to use them.
- A judge may not judge his or her own products.
The Organisation collects a sworn statement from jury members mentioning their direct or indirect links with companies, establishments, professional organisations, or associations whose activities, products, or interests may relate to the Products presented in the Competition. Failure to comply with this provision will be considered fraud. The Organisation may reject any judge in order to prevent a competitor who is a member of the jury from judging their own Products.
Any breach of this obligation will be considered fraud and may result in penalties, including the immediate exclusion of the judge and the invalidation of his or her scores. The Organisation reserves the right to reject a judge at any time in order to guarantee the impartiality of the Competition.
- The Competition reserves the right to refuse the participation of a judge, in particular in the event of repeated absences or late cancellations, inappropriate behaviour, failure to comply with these rules, or for any other reason without having to justify its decision.
- The Competition recommends that judges take out cancellation insurance for any travel reservations (hotel, transport, etc.). In the event of outright cancellation of an edition of the Competition for a reason not attributable to the Organisation or due to a case of force majeure within the meaning of Article 10 of the rules, the Competition cannot be held liable in any way whatsoever to the judge for the costs incurred in traveling to the Competition. These costs will not be reimbursed.
- Participating in the tasting may require the use of sharp objects, in particular knives. Judges are strongly advised to use these objects with caution. Under no circumstances can the Competition be held liable for any injury resulting from the use of these objects.
- Participation is not recommended in the event of allergies, intolerances, food hypersensitivity or immunodeficiency. The Competition cannot guarantee the absence of allergens and cannot compose the juries taking into account food allergies, intolerances, or hypersensitivities. Some products may be tasted before they are commercially available. Consequently, their stability cannot be guaranteed (fermentation not complete, germs present, unfiltered product, traces of allergens, microbiological risks, etc.). In the event of an allergic reaction, indigestion, poisoning, or infection following the tasting of a product, the Competition cannot be held liable in any way whatsoever towards the judge.
- It is forbidden to take samples away, even if they have been opened.
- As part of the Competition, the judge expressly authorises the Organisation to photograph or film them free of charge. These images may be used exclusively for promotion and communication related to the Competition, on any type of media, including advertising, in France, Germany, United Kingdom and abroad, and without any time limit.