The on-premise wine market has never been more competitive. Restaurant wine lists are evolving at an unprecedented pace, sommeliers are taking greater creative control of their programs, and buyers across the United States are actively searching for wines that earn their place by the glass and by the bottle. If your brand has a wine that belongs on those lists, the 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards is your most direct route to the decision-makers who build them.

Registration closes on April 16, 2026. This is the final opportunity to enter the 8th edition of one of the most respected on-premise wine competitions in the United States.

What Is the Sommeliers Choice Awards?

The Sommeliers Choice Awards (SCA) was founded with a single, clear purpose: to give on-premise buyers and sommeliers a reliable benchmark for identifying which wines deserve a place on a restaurant wine list. Unlike competitions that evaluate wines in the abstract, the SCA judges every entry against the practical realities of the restaurant floor — food compatibility, price-to-value, varietal authenticity, and overall presentation.

Now in its 8th edition, the competition is judged entirely by working sommeliers, wine directors, and on-premise buyers at some of the United States' top restaurants, bars, and hospitality groups. Each panelist is an active purchasing decision-maker — not a critic, not a journalist, but a professional whose daily job is building wine programs that guests actually order from.

Key Dates at a Glance

• Registration Closes: April 16, 2026 (DEADLINE)
• Warehouse Deadline: April 24, 2026
• Judging Day: May 18, 2026 — Chicago
• Winners Announced: June 10, 2026

Entry fee: $120 per wine (Regular Pricing, valid through April 16, 2026). Send 3 bottles per entry to the Chicago warehouse on or before April 24. Wines arriving after the warehouse deadline will not be accepted and refunds will not be issued.

How Are Wines Judged?

Every wine entered is blind-tasted first, then evaluated on packaging separately. Each judge scores independently, and an average of the panel determines the final score. Every panel is chaired by a Master Sommelier or Master of Wine.

Scoring Formula: F (Food Parability) + T (Typicity) + Q (Quality) + V (Value) + P (Package) = Final Score

This framework asks the two questions that define every restaurant buying decision: Would we stock this? And will the guest order a second glass?

Medal Thresholds:

• Double Gold: 96–100 points
• Gold: 90–95 points
• Silver: 80–89 points
• Bronze: 70–79 points

Why Should Your Brand Enter?

The U.S. on-premise channel remains one of the most valuable — and hardest to crack — markets for wine brands worldwide. Here is why entering the 2026 Sommeliers Choice Awards is worth your time.

1. Raise the Profile of Your Wines: Winning a Sommeliers Choice Award is a mark of excellence that is recognized across the wine industry. A medal signals to buyers, distributors, and consumers alike that your wine has been evaluated against rigorous, on-premise-specific standards — and came out on top.

2. Get in Front of a Hard-to-Reach Audience: The judging panel consists entirely of top sommeliers, on-premise wine buyers, and wine directors at U.S. restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs. These are not critics behind desks — they are the professionals actively building wine lists and making purchasing decisions at scale. The Sommeliers Choice Awards gives you a direct line to a large group of these influential trade professionals, all in one room.

3. Get Scores Feedback: Every entrant receives a detailed score breakdown across each individual judging criterion: Food Parability (F), Typicity (T), Quality (Q), Value (V), and Package (P). Whether you medal or not, this feedback gives you an honest, professional read on where your wine stands — and where there is room to strengthen it.

4. Get Market Feedback: Beyond scores, the competition gives you qualitative insight into how your wine sits in the current market. Is it better suited for on-premise or off-premise? Is the region or varietal in demand right now? Does it work for a by-the-glass program? These are the questions that shape real buying decisions, and you will get answers directly from the people who ask them every day.

5. Get Listed and Showcased Across the BTN Network: Winners are featured across Beverage Trade Network's media ecosystem, including the winners carousel on Sommelier Business, San Francisco Drinks Guide, New York Drinks Guide, Chicago Drinks Guide, Los Angeles Drinks Guide, and Beverage Trade Network itself — putting your wine in front of trade professionals and consumers across the country's most active wine markets.

6. Give the Consumer a Stamp of Approval: A Sommeliers Choice Award medal on your bottle tells the consumer something immediate and powerful: this wine has been tasted and approved by the very people who pour it professionally. In a crowded market, that kind of third-party credibility at the point of purchase matters.

7. Get Professional Tasting Notes: All entrants receive professionally written tasting notes authored by the judges themselves — ready to use across brand materials, sell sheets, shelf talkers, and digital channels.

SCA 2026 Judges

Who Is Judging in 2026?

The 2026 judging panel is composed entirely of credentialed on-premise professionals actively managing wine programs at respected U.S. venues. Confirmed judges include sommeliers and wine directors such as Sandra Gomes Rocha, who brings California and Portuguese winemaking expertise to the panel, Paul Solomon, Director of Restaurant Operations at Vistro Prime & Petite Vie in Chicago, and additional hospitality leaders representing a cross-section of America's most influential dining and hotel wine programs.

Each panel will include a Master Sommelier or Master of Wine as chair — ensuring the highest level of evaluation rigour across every flight.

Full 2026 judges list

What the Market Looks Like Right Now — and Why Timing Matters

The U.S. wine market is undergoing genuine structural change. Supply chain pressures, shifting consumer demographics, the rise of by-the-glass programs, and intense competition from an expanding global producer base have made restaurant wine list decisions more deliberate than ever. Sommeliers are not simply filling slots — they are curating experiences and defending margin.

For brands, importers, and distributors operating in this environment, independent third-party validation from professionals who understand restaurant economics has tangible commercial value. A sommelier-endorsed score carries weight in sales conversations that a general competition score often does not. It answers the question buyers actually ask: Has this wine been judged by someone like me?

Entering before April 16 positions your wine to be in front of U.S. buyers by June — the heart of summer program-building season for restaurants across the country.

Enter Before April 16 — Your Last Chance

Registration closes at the end of this week. $120 per wine. Judging takes place May 18 in Chicago. Winners announced June 10, 2026.

Enter your wines now!

Warehouse deadline: April 24, 2026 · Chicago delivery address provided upon registration.