How does the competition work?

Over the course of 2-3 days, a panel of expert judges—sommeliers, winemakers, industry professionals—will evaluate the wines submitted into the preliminary competition across all four (4) varietals.

• Cabernet Sauvignon

• Syrah

• Chardonnay

• Chenin Blanc

Part I. Tin Foil Tasting (walk around)

The first tasting conducted is called the Tin Foil Tasting in which each bottle of wine is concealed and wrapped in tin foil with an associated number.

Judges will walk around with their journals and scorecards to taste through all of the wines and determine which top flight examples are elected for further evaluation in the next round.

Part II. Wine Glass Tasting (seated)

In this round, our panel of judges are all seated at a table with dozens of glasses in front of them to taste through their previous selections.

Scoring cards represent the number of wines (i.e. 50) in the tasting and the judges must assign only one score to each wine they taste—1 being the lowest, 50 being the highest. Once a number is used, it cannot be reused again.

All scores are tallied up at the end of the tasting to determine which wine(s) received the most points.

The highest scoring wines (per varietal) are primed for the grand tasting against elite French wines.

what are the wine requirements?

Each winery is allowed to submit one (1) wine per varietal that they believe best represents their brand and has a fighting chance to square off in the finals against rival French bottles.

Once registered, we’re requesting that wineries send two (2) bottles of each wine per varietal so i) we have enough wine to pour for the event and ii) we eliminate any risk associated with potential wine flaws.

The tasting is focused on four (4) main varietals:

Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah
White: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc

The following vintages are being accepted:

Vintages: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

WILL SCORING RESULTS BE MADE PUBLIC?

As a condition, only finalists will be announced publicly at the appropriate time. All other wines in the competition will be concealed and scoring will remain anonymous.

If your wine(s) are chosen to proceed in the competition, you will be asked for more bottles and required to sign an NDA to keep this information private.

We have taken all precautionary measures to protect the legitimacy of this competition and your brand’s integrity.

Our goal all along has been to ensure that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

IS THERE A CASH PRIZE FOR THE WINNER?

No. However, we firmly believe that any outcome here is a positive signal for the wine industry. This isn’t about besting each other or proving that American wines can stand toe-to-toe with the best producers in France. We already proved that in 1976.

This is about positivity, unity, and rallying the American wine community at-large. That was the spirit of the original tasting and a legacy that we hope to carry on here with a new generation.

Like those historic, time-honored wineries that participated in the original tasting, they were once just a group of small local vintners making wine in California before the world took notice. Or as Jim Barrett, owner of Chateau Montelena, so eloquently stated to Time magazine, “Not bad for kids from the sticks.”

Can I tell people I’m parTICIPATING?

Yes! But that’s totally up to you. Your submissions are confidential.

The only way anyone would ever know that you submitted wines for the tasting is if you tell them about it or post on social media.

We welcome and encourage your support in getting the message out there. But it’s your prerogative if you wish to mention your own participation. 

Why are you doing this?

Now more than ever, the wine world needs to band together and show resilience.

We want this to be a fun and impactful moment for the industry, a great opportunity to drive awareness and spark interest for a new generation of wine drinkers, and a launchpad for producers of any size to gain recognition.

are there any restrictions?

Anyone making wine in the U.S. is allowed to enter the competition. Please note that for the approved wines, blends are not permitted unless the varietal selection is the dominant grape (>75%).

Example: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier is allowed.