This is your chance to grow your wine distribution in the on-premise industry. Enter your wines now.
Sommeliers Choice Awards is back after the successful second-edition of the event in 2020.
There were 17 double gold winners which scored 96 and more points along with 295 gold medals in the 2nd edition of Sommeliers Choice Awards. The 2020 competition saw submissions from 28 countries including some new additions like Trinidad and Tobago also taking part in this year’s competition. The United States had the top submissions where 576 brands were entered followed by Spain and Australia. The top 3 varietals submitted were Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay reiterating the fact that these are one of the top-selling varietals in the on-premise sector.
2021 Registration Portal for the Sommeliers Choice Awards is now open. The competition will focus on the needs of on-premise establishments such as bars, restaurants, lounges, hotels, and clubs.
Sommeliers in the USA now have a valuable tool for recognizing which wines – especially wines from up-and-coming international wine regions – would make an important addition to that restaurant’s wine list. That is particularly important in today’s competitive marketplace, where on-premise establishments are using their wine lists as an important and valuable way to stand out from the crowd and attract new customers.
“We really wanted a way to recognize those wines that would be a great addition to wine lists at restaurants, bars, and clubs,” said Sid Patel, Founder, and CEO of Beverage Trade Network. “Whether sommeliers are looking to plug a very specific gap in their existing wine list, or construct an entirely new wine list from scratch, what better advice could they get than from accomplished sommeliers? Wines that win medals at the Sommeliers Choice Awards have received acclaim by the very best in the business.
The judging panel of the Sommeliers Choice Awards will consist entirely of top sommeliers, wine directors at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs. In order to be selected as a judge, sommeliers need to provide evidence of their expertise within the on-premise industry.
Wines will be judged according to criteria such as how well they pair with food, typicity, value, quality and packaging.
Scoring System
F (Food Parability Score) + T (Typicity Score) + Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = Sommeliers Choice Awards Final Score.
Sommeliers Choice Awards provides independent and honest reviews of all wines entered into the competition, based on several key criteria, such as Food Parability, Typicity, Quality, Value and Package. All the wines are scored on a 100-point scale, and the highest-scoring spirits receive Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. A separate weighted score will be given for each of the parts of the judging process. The scores will be added up to give a final score from which individual prizes will be awarded. For example, wines scoring 96 points and above will be awarded a double gold medal, wines scoring points between 90-95 will be awarded gold medal, silver medal to wines scoring points between 80-89 and bronze for wines scoring between 70-79. In addition, SCA also has special category awards like Wine Of the Year By Country, Red Wine Of The Year, Sparkling Wine Of the Year etc.
Know more about The Awards
List of Sommeliers Choice Awards
- Double Gold – 96 points and above
- Gold – 90-95 points
- Silver – 80-89 points
- Bronze – 70-79 points
- Wine of the Year
- White Wine of the Year
- Red Wine of the Year
- Sparkling Wine of the Year
- Rose Wine of the Year
- Fortified Wine Of The Year
- Wine of the Year – BTG (By The Glass)
- White Wine of the Year – BTG (By The Glass)
- Red Wine of the Year – BTG (By The Glass)
- Sparkling Wine of the Year – BTG (By The Glass)
- Rose Wine of the Year – BTG (By The Glass)
- Fortified Wine Of The Year – BTG (By The Glass)
Other special awards
- Importer of the Year
- Distributor of the year
- Wine of the Year (By Country) – Only top 10 Countries (USA, France, Italy, Spain,
- Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Germany, South Africa)
- Wine of the Year (By Varietal) – Only top 10 Varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pino Noir, Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Pino Grigio/Gris, Riesling)
Why Should You Enter?
If you are looking to sell more of your wines to the on-premise establishments such as restaurants, hotels, pubs, and bars, then you need to enter the Sommeliers Choice Awards. As winning a Sommeliers Choice Awards is a mark of excellence that is recognized across the wine industry. Especially if you are a wine producer located outside of the United States, this is the perfect chance to win recognition for your wines within the U.S. marketplace.
Being entered into the Sommeliers Choice Awards is an easy, affordable and effective way to get your wines tasted by an all-star judging panel of top sommeliers, many of whom are also wine industry professionals and wine buyers.
Still finding a reason to enter? Here are a few benefits on why you should enter your wines
- Raise the profile of your wines
- Get in front of a hard-to-reach audience like sommeliers at top U.S. hotels, restaurants, bars and pubs, wine industry consultants and wine buyers.
- Promote your award-winning wines
- Increase your sales within the very important U.S. wine market
- Promote your awards in other key international markets
- Top 100 winners entry in Top 100 wines for On-Premise Sector list
- Attract additional PR and media attention for award-winning wines.
Medal winners receive additional benefits – such as special promotional logos and stickers that they can add to wine bottles, social media marketing support through Beverage Trade Network, SommelierBusiness.com, BevRoute, and Sommeliers Choice Awards, and regular mention in press releases and on the Sommeliers Choice Awards website.
The Sommeliers Choice Awards is currently accepting entries for a variety of different categories.
Enter your wines here.
Learn more about how to enter your wines here: https://sommelierschoiceawards.com/
KEY DATES
- 2021 Registration: Open Now
- Warehouse Closes For Samples: April 23, 2021
- Judging: May 16, 2021
- Winners Announced: May 31, 2021
FEE SCHEDULE (Per Wine)
- $70 – Super Early Bird Pricing – October 1, 2020, to December 10, 2020
- $90 – Early Bird Pricing – December 11, 2020, to January 31, 2021
- $120 – Regular Pricing – February 1, 2021, to April 30, 2021
Quantity Discount Now Available
- 4 to 9 entries: 10% discount
- 10 to 14 entries: 15% discount
- 15 or more entries: 20% discount
(Price in USD)
