Privacy policy

1. Controller

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Messeplatz, Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, 40474 Düsseldorf, Germany, phone +49 211 4560-01, email info@messe-duesseldorf.de. Contact for DECODE: taste@decode.wine.

2. Data protection officer

Data Protection Officer of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, c/o migosens GmbH, Wiesenstr. 35, 45473 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, email dsb-messe-duesseldorf@migosens.net.

3. What data we process and why

a) Registration and account: first and last name, email address, phone number, country, category (professional/amateur), optional company/position, preferred language, password (stored only as a hash), consents with time stamp. Purpose: running the competition and your account. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (participation contract).

b) Slot booking and check-in: booked slot, counter, booking code, check-in and attendance status, cancellations, waitlist entries. Purpose: organisation of the tastings, allocation of places, handling of no-shows. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

c) Tasting answers and results: your answers, points, time stamps, ranking. Purpose: scoring, qualification for the final, certificate. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

d) Phone contact: if you qualify for the final we call you and send you an email. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

e) Final and publication: during the final the names of the finalists and their scores are shown on screens at the stand; names, city/country and scores of finalists and winners may be published (see terms of participation, no. 12). Photos/videos are taken at the final. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (our legitimate interest in reporting on the event).

f) Emails: confirmation, booking confirmation, reminders, waitlist and result emails. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. News about ProWein and the Sommelier-Union only with your separate consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time.

g) No-show donation invoice: name, email, booking data. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

h) Technical data: when you use the website, the server processes technically necessary data (IP address, time, browser type, error logs) to provide the website and keep it secure. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We do not use tracking or marketing cookies. We only store technically necessary information in your browser (login session, language choice) (§ 25(2) TDDDG).

4. Recipients

Sommelier-Union Deutschland e.V. as co-organiser receives the rankings and, for finalists, the contact details needed to organise the final. Service providers acting on our behalf under data processing agreements: hosting and database of the application (Lovable / Supabase), email delivery (IONOS SE, Montabaur, Germany). Where providers process data outside the EU/EEA, this takes place on the basis of an adequacy decision (e.g. EU-US Data Privacy Framework) or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Prize partners receive the winners' names and contact details only to the extent needed to hand over the prize.

5. Storage period

We delete account, booking and result data 6 months after the final (by 8 September 2027), unless you delete your account earlier. The names and results of finalists and winners are kept for documentation of the championship. Data that we must retain for tax or commercial law reasons (e.g. donation invoices) is kept for the statutory periods.

6. Your rights

You have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection (Art. 15–21 GDPR), and the right to withdraw consent at any time with effect for the future. You can delete your account at any time in your profile or by writing to taste@decode.wine. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, e.g. the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information North Rhine-Westphalia (LDI NRW), Kavalleriestraße 2–4, 40213 Düsseldorf.

7. Obligation to provide data

The data marked as mandatory is required for participation; without it you cannot take part.

8. Automated decision-making

Points are calculated automatically according to the scoring model; this only determines the ranking within the competition and has no other legal effect for you.