February 27, 2026 (Bethesda, MD) — Abridge™ – a comprehensive online resource for alcohol beverage companies, associations, and other entities engaged in international trade – is delighted to announce that its seventh annual Wine & Spirits Competition will be held in Dijon, France, on 03-04 March 2026.
Using the Abridge database, four teams of students – who come from China, France, Mexico, and the United States – will present arguments regarding how a fictitious California-based winery acquired by a private capital investment company – facing declining sales and other challenges – should decide upon its export strategies; whether to launch a craft distilled spirit line; and how it will change its export permits, foreign labeling and e-labelling practices, and its customs and excise compliance practices in key foreign markets.
“In today’s global operating environment – as alcohol beverage producers face climate change, geopolitical tensions resulting in higher tariffs and retaliatory trade actions, changing packaging and labeling requirements, and falling consumption rates – understanding the international regulatory landscape has become a top priority. Our competition helps students understand why regulatory compliance has become a ‘need to have’ in today’s international marketplace,” Abridge’s President Bennett Caplan noted. “We are enormously grateful to Lara Agnoli of the Burgundy School of Business and Theodore Georgopoulos of the Georges Chappaz Institute of Vine and Wine in Champagne at the University of Reims for hosting this competition.”
Abridge’s Vice President of Operations Laurel Parker designs the case studies and organizes the competitions each year. She will run the competition this year together with Nathalie Grzeskowiak, Coordinator of academic activities at the Burgundy School of Business.
“The Abridge competition provides an excellent hands-on opportunity for students to grapple with the same challenges that alcohol beverage companies are facing during these challenging times. The competition also provides networking opportunities with alcohol beverage experts from around the world,” Ms. Parker said. “We are also most grateful to the law firm CASALONGA for sponsoring our competition, and to the those individuals serving as our judges.”
Judges at the competition will include:
- Dwayne Bershaw – Senior Lecturer of Enology at Cornell University
- Juliette Dionisi – Attorney of Intellectual Property at Casalonga
- Magalie Dubois – Assistant Professor of Wine Economics & Marketing at Burgundy School of Business
- Via Dulay – Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Spirits Canada
- Vincent Guionet – Director of Sales at Maison Albert Bichot
- Didier Jacquet – Director of MSc in Wine Management, and Associate Professor of Finance at Burgundy School of Business
- InHaeng Jung – Assistant Professor at Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute
- Isabel Kottmann – Lecturer for International Wine Business at Hochschule Geisenheim University
- Helen Medina – CEO of World Spirits Alliance
- Xavier Millard – Director of Champagne Mailly Grand Cru
- Kelly Moss – Associate Director of Compliance & Regulation at the Wine & Spirit Trade Association
- Amanda Nguyen – President and CEO of American Distilled Spirits Alliance
- Adriaan Oelofse – Research, Development and Innovation Manager of Oenology at South Africa Wine
- Jessica Pendergrass – General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Heaven Hill Brands
- Shelley Thomson – Regulatory & Food Safety Leader at Chivas Brothers
- Naomi Verdonk – Market Access Manager at Wine Australia
The Abridge™ database provides its subscribers with the latest regulatory norms and compliance information, as well as relevant international agreements, for alcohol beverages throughout 54 markets, representing 110+ countries around the world. Abridge™ includes regulations for wine, distilled spirits, and other alcohol beverages such as RTDs, wine coolers, and no/low alcohol beverages. Key categories of the database include certification requirements, composition parameters, definitions, labeling rules, production norms, tariff rates, federal excise taxation rates, and most recently, packaging – which includes packaging dimensions, food contact materials, and Extended Producer Responsibility schemes.
Those interested in receiving further information, as well as a demonstration of the Abridge™ database, should feel free to contact Bennett Caplan at bcaplan@abridgebev.com or 202.486.1390.
