The 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards winners have officially been announced, recognizing wines that stand out not only for quality but also for their ability to succeed in restaurants, hotels, wine bars, and hospitality programs across the United States.

Created specifically for the hospitality industry, the Sommeliers Choice Awards is judged entirely by Master Sommeliers, sommeliers, wine directors, hospitality buyers, and beverage professionals who actively shape wine lists and purchasing decisions across the U.S. market. Unlike traditional wine competitions, the focus is not solely on tasting excellence, but also on how wines perform in real-world hospitality settings where food pairing, guest appeal, value, and profitability matter.

The 2026 competition reflected the changing preferences of sommeliers and hospitality buyers, highlighting wines that deliver strong quality, versatility, value, and food friendliness. This year’s results showcased both iconic wine regions and emerging producers, reinforcing the increasingly global nature of today’s wine programs.

The United States represented 45.7% of wines entered, followed by Italy (9.14%), France (8.21%), Portugal (5.83%), Australia (5.30%), Spain (4.77%), and New Zealand (4.64%). Strong representation also came from Germany, Mexico, Argentina, and other emerging wine regions, reflecting the increasingly international sourcing priorities of restaurants, hotels, and hospitality buyers.

From a varietal perspective, Chardonnay (12.72%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11.26%), and Pinot Noir (9.67%) led the field, confirming their continued importance on restaurant wine lists and by-the-glass programs. Sauvignon Blanc (5.96%), Shiraz/Syrah (4.90%), Merlot (3.71%), and Riesling (3.18%) also featured strongly, while varietals such as Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional reflected growing sommelier interest in wines that offer regional identity, versatility, and strong guest value.

Judged Through the Lens of Hospitality

Unlike traditional wine competitions that focus only on sensory tasting, the Sommeliers Choice Awards evaluates wines based on a combination of quality, value, packaging, typicity, food pairing ability, and overall suitability for restaurant wine lists and hospitality programs.

2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards Judges

The credibility of the competition lies in its judging panel, which consists of some of the wine industry’s most respected hospitality professionals. The 2026 judging panel featured Master Sommeliers and leading beverage experts, including:

- Tim Gaiser MS

- Peter Granoff MS

- Matthew Citriglia MS

- Alexander Powell MS

- Kyungmoon Kim MS

- Jesse Hiney General Manager at ROANOKE HOSPITALITY, LLC

- Michael Marsico Area Director at Cooper’s Hawk Winery

- Steven Minor Corporate Beverage Director at Starwood Hotels

- Lyndsi Hastings Mundy National Corporate Beverage Director at Riot Hospitality Group

- Paul Solomon Director of Operations for Vistro Prime and Petite Vie

- Jeff Van Ham Sommelier, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, Chicago

- Marsha Wright Wine Director at Dineamic Hospitality

- Dexter West, Sommelier at JW Marriott

View the full list of judges here.

Alongside Master Sommeliers, wines were evaluated by leading wine directors, restaurant beverage leaders, hospitality buyers, importers, and distributors who understand what makes a wine commercially successful in restaurants, hotels, and premium wine programs.

Top Awards of the 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards

The highest honor of the competition, Wine of the Year, was awarded to 2018 Rosso del Conte by Tenuta Regaleali, Italy, earning an outstanding 98-point score and standing out for its complexity, structure, balance, and strong hospitality appeal.

Top Special Awards

Wine of the Year: 2018 Rosso del Conte — Tenuta Regaleali, Italy (Double Gold, 98 points)

Best Wine by Quality: 2018 Rosso del Conte — Tenuta Regaleali, Italy (Double Gold, 98 points)

Best Wine by Value: 2024 Riesling — Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, United States (Gold, 95 points)

Best Wine by Packaging: 2015 Cuvée des Enchanteleurs — Champagne Henriot, France (Double Gold, 97 points)

Sparkling Wine of the Year: 2015 Cuvée des Enchanteleurs — Champagne Henriot, France (Double Gold, 97 points)

2026 Varietal Winners

The Sommeliers Choice Awards also recognized wines that best represented key varietals commonly featured on restaurant wine lists and hospitality programs.

Chardonnay of the Year: 2024 Chardonnay Estate — Weingut Greiner, Germany (Double Gold, 98 points)

Cabernet Sauvignon of the Year: 2022 Feather Cabernet Sauvignon — Long Shadows Vintners, United States (Double Gold, 96 points)

Pinot Noir of the Year: 2023 Bravium Pinot Noir — Bravium, United States (Gold, 94 points)

Sauvignon Blanc of the Year: 2024 Estival Sauvignon Blanc — Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, United States (95 points)

Shiraz / Syrah of the Year: 2022 Vigilance Shiraz — Hare’s Chase, Australia (Double Gold, 96 points)

Merlot of the Year: 2019 Château Cap de Faugères — Château Cap de Faugères, France (Gold, 94 points)

Riesling of the Year: 2023 Schloss Vollrads Kabinett Riesling — Delicato Family Wines, Germany (Gold, 95 points)

Tempranillo of the Year: 2017 Imperial Gran Reserva — CVNE, Spain (Double Gold, 96 points)

Sangiovese of the Year: 2019 Sandy Giovese — Giovese Family Wines, United States (96 points)

Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris of the Year: 2024 King Estate Pinot Gris - King Estate Winery, United States (94 Points)

Rosé of the Year: Rosé Iconic - Champagne Canard-Duchêne, France (95 Points)

Sparkling of the Year: Champagne Henriot - Cuvée des Enchanteleurs, France (97 points)

By-the-Glass Wines Take Center Stage

One of the defining characteristics of modern hospitality wine programs is the growing importance of premium by-the-glass offerings, and the 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards placed a strong emphasis on wines that excel in this category.

Today’s restaurants increasingly rely on by-the-glass programs to encourage guest discovery, improve experience, and drive beverage profitability. Sommeliers and beverage directors are looking for wines that not only taste exceptional but also deliver versatility, consistency, food friendliness, and strong guest appeal in a glass-pour format.

The 2026 competition recognized the following standout wines for by-the-glass excellence:

Top By-the-Glass Winners

Wine of the Year By the Glass: 2019 Sandy Giovese — Giovese Family Wines, United States (Double Gold, 96 points)

Red Wine By the Glass of the Year: 2019 Sandy Giovese — Giovese Family Wines, United States (Double Gold, 96 points)

White Wine By the Glass of the Year: 2018 L'inattendue — Champagne Henriot, France (Double Gold, 96 points)

Sparkling Wine By the Glass of the Year: 2015 Cuvée des Enchanteleurs — Champagne Henriot, France (Double Gold, 97 points)

Own Label and Proprietary Wines Continue to Rise

Private and proprietary wines continued to demonstrate growing sophistication and quality, reflecting increasing investment in premium own-label programs across hospitality and retail.

Among standout winners, 2018 Le Chemin du Roi Brut Reserve Champagne — Le Chemin du Roi Champagne, France — earned recognition in the own-label category, including Best Own Label Sparkling Wine of the Year and Best Own Label Wine by Value, reinforcing how premium proprietary wine brands are increasingly competing alongside traditional producers in quality and presentation.

“Today, success in the on-premise wine market requires much more than simply making a great wine,” said Sid Patel, CEO of Beverage Trade Network and Founder of the Sommeliers Choice Awards.

“Restaurant buyers and sommeliers are looking for wines that overdeliver on quality, provide strong value, pair naturally with food, and fit seamlessly into hospitality programs. The Sommeliers Choice Awards was built to judge wines through that real-world restaurant lens. The 2026 winners represent wines that sommeliers genuinely believe deserve a place on wine lists and dining tables across the U.S.”

As hospitality wine programs continue to evolve, the Sommeliers Choice Awards remains one of the few wine competitions designed specifically for the hospitality trade, helping producers better understand what resonates with sommeliers while giving buyers a trusted benchmark for wines that can succeed in restaurants, hotels, and wine bars across the United States.

The complete list of 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards winners, including medal winners and special award recipients, is now available on the Sommeliers Choice Awards website.

Image Assets and Marketing Tools for Winners

To support media coverage and help winning brands maximize the value of their achievement, the Sommeliers Choice Awards provides a comprehensive set of official assets and marketing tools available for use by medal winners, importers, distributors, retailers, restaurants, and media professionals.

Winning producers and trade partners can access a range of materials designed to help showcase award-winning wines across digital, print, hospitality, retail, and e-commerce channels.

Available Assets Include:

- Press Selection Images

- Official Medal Artwork (PNG Format)

- Official Medal Artwork (SVG Format)

- Full Results Link on the Sommeliers Choice Awards Website

- Medal Sticker Purchase Section for Winners

- Certificates and Tasting Notes for Medal Winners

- Marketing Tools and Stickers to Promote Winning Wines

These assets are designed to help producers, importers, distributors, retailers, restaurants, and media effectively communicate their success and showcase award-winning wines across restaurant wine lists, retail shelves, distributor presentations, digital campaigns, websites, social media, and consumer-facing marketing.

Usage Guidelines

The Sommeliers Choice Awards authorizes press, entrants, distributors, importers, and hospitality partners to use official competition assets free of charge for editorial, promotional, and marketing purposes.

To ensure accurate representation and maintain the integrity of the competition, users are requested to follow these guidelines:

- Always use official competition assets without modification or distortion
- Ensure medals and scores are correctly attributed to the respective winning wine
- Do not use medals or scores that were not awarded to your specific product
- Maintain the credibility of the competition by presenting results truthfully and transparently

By adhering to these guidelines, brands and media partners help uphold the reputation, trust, and credibility associated with the Sommeliers Choice Awards and its winning wines.

Media Contact

Malvika Patel, Editor, Beverage Trade Network
Malvika@beveragetradenetwork.com

For more details, visit the Sommeliers Choice Awards website to explore the complete list of 2026 winners, medal recipients, tasting notes, and special award honorees.