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Get Your Wines reviewed for the On-Premise Market of USA

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The Sommeliers Choice Awards provides an opportunity to showcase your wines to these top on-premise buyers and professionals.

The judging panel of the Sommeliers Choice Awards will consist entirely of top sommeliers, on-premise wine buyers, and wine directors at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs.

Medals will be awarded to those wines that meet very specific judging criteria, with a goal of identifying wines that should become additions to restaurant wine lists. Wines will be judged according to criteria such as how well they pair with food items in addition to their overall versatility. Highest marks will be awarded to wines that provide value for money at their respective price points. Judges know the trade prices of each wine as they are judging each flight. The number one question that sommeliers will be attempting to answer as they judge wines is: “Would we stock this?”.

Sommeliers Choice Awards was first introduced in 2018 with the aim to benchmark the on-premise wine list and be a valuable tool for the on-premise buyers and sommeliers to add new wines. The competition prides itself on its unique value offering that it gives wine brands around the world for the American on-premise market.

What judges had to say...

What is great about sommeliers choice awards is that we are picking wines that are in distribution, that work for restaurant budgets, that work for restaurant situations, not necessarily for the collectors of the world, or for people who are trying to flip these wines over. This is purely about that restaurant experience something consumers look for, you go out for a Tuesday night or to celebrate an anniversary - these wines are geared towards those situations and that dining experience and i think that's really powerful - Michael Meagher MS
 
The thing that I like the most about the Sommeliers Choice Awards is the intention behind it. There are so many different types of competitions and judging these days to certify and sometimes that can become confusing for end consumers. So what I like about this is you get a very core group of judges in a room that a winery can go to the trade and say 'hey your peers are the ones who rated this wine' as opposed to some other people your buyers may not know. If I were a trade buyer and I was told the wines were judged by master sommeliers and these sommeliers, I would trust that score in the buying process more. - Jon McDaniel - Head of Wine Education at Scout & Cellar

This judging is very different, what I like about it is that you can see all the wines after the blind scoring part is done. It's a really good round picture of the judging. This also allows us to make sure that packaging is not deceiving and the wines show the character displayed on their package. Sharyn Kervyn, CSW, Wine Director, Capital Grille.

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)

Other special awards

The judging panel of the Sommeliers Choice Awards will consist entirely of top sommeliers, on-premise wine buyers, and wine directors at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs.

sommeliers choice awards judges

Why Should You Enter?

If you are looking to sell more of your wines to on-premise establishments such as restaurants, hotels, pubs, and bars, then you need to enter the Sommeliers Choice Awards. 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. Here are a few reasons why you should enter your wines in SCA.


Sommeliers Choice Awards gathers the top restaurant wine buyers, Master Sommeliers, wine directors who have a direct influence on the US on-premise market.

Put your wines in front of them and get rated by Food Parability, Typicity, Value, Quality, and Package.

If you're looking to get in front of the top sommeliers and on-premise wine buyers of the USA, now is the best time to enter your wines. 

SCA Entry Process & Fees

The deadline for submission is approaching fast.

Enter your wines today and ship your wines by April 23, 2021.

KEY DATES

Submission Ends on April 20, 2021
Warehouse Closes For Samples: April 23, 2021
Judging: May 16, 2021
Winners Announced: May 31, 2021

FEE SCHEDULE (Per Wine)

$120:- Regular Pricing - April 01, 2021, to April 20, 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)

A unique opportunity to present your wines to America's top sommeliers. The wine scores are benchmarked for on-premise channels by top sommeliers, master sommeliers, wine directors and restaurant wine buyers. Domestic deadline is April 24.