What Sommeliers Choice Awards does

The Sommeliers Choice Awards is an annual international wine competition organized by Beverage Trade Network, focused on benchmarking wines specifically for the US on-premise channel (restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs). Now in its 9th annual edition for the 2027 cycle, the competition is held in Chicago and targets both domestic and international wine producers seeking credibility and market entry into the US on-trade market. The judging panel consists of Master Sommeliers, sommeliers, wine directors, and on-premise buyers with direct purchasing responsibilities, using a proprietary five-criteria scoring system (food pairability, typicity, quality, value, packaging) with medals awarded at Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels.

The core product is the annual competition itself, with wines blind-tasted across the five criteria in a dual-stage process (blind tasting followed by packaging evaluation). Beyond medals, the company monetizes through a layered commercial model: tiered entry fees of $80 (Super Early Bird), $100 (Early Bird), and $120 (Regular) per wine with volume discounts of 10-20% at four or more entries, plus sponsorship packages (Coffee Sponsor $1,000; Wi-Fi Sponsor $2,000), physical medal stickers, marketing add-ons (matched buyer leads, podcast features, producer stories), and licensing for printable medal artwork for bottle labeling. Customer segments span three groups: wine producers seeking US on-premise recognition, on-premise buyers and sommeliers curating restaurant wine lists, and importers/distributors discovering new wine brands for US market portfolios.

The organization operates with a lean team of 9 employees and is privately held with no disclosed external funding. It relies heavily on its parent BTN's media ecosystem — including Sommelier Business, regional drinks guides (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York), Top100OnPremiseWines.com, and The On-Trade platform — to distribute results to over 50,000 verified trade professionals. Winner benefits extend to product pages on the competition website indexed for trade buyer discovery, digital medal artwork, shelf-talker templates, certificates, and complimentary CPGBuyerAI access providing 50 verified buyer matches for category winners. CEO Sid Patel leads both Beverage Trade Network and Sommeliers Choice Awards from a Wilmington, Delaware headquarters.

Name

Sommeliers Choice Awards

Legal name

Sommeliers Choice Awards

Website

https://sommelierschoiceawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sommeliers Choice Awards is an annual international wine competition organized by Beverage Trade Network, held in Chicago to benchmark wines for the US on-premise channel. It serves domestic and international wine producers seeking credibility with US restaurant buyers through proprietary five-criteria blind tasting and medal-based recognition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Competition & Beverage Industry Awards

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Wine competition
• On-premise awards
• Sommelier judging
• Wine benchmarking
• Beverage industry events

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Competition Entry Fees: Wine producers pay entry fees to participate in the competition. Pricing follows a tiered structure with Super Early Bird ($80), Early Bird ($100), and Regular pricing ($120) per wine entry. Quantity discounts of 10-20% apply for 4+ entries.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Corporate sponsors pay for visibility opportunities during the judging event including Coffee Sponsor ($1,000), Wi-Fi Sponsor ($2,000), Breakfast Sponsor, and Lunch Sponsor positions with signage and logo placement at judging locations.
3. Medal Stickers and Marketing Add-Ons: Winners can purchase medal stickers and marketing add-ons including matched buyer leads, producer story features, and podcast features to promote their wins commercially.
4. License to Print: Winners can purchase licenses to print their own medal artwork for large-scale bottle labeling, enabling them to add SCA medals to their product packaging efficiently.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sommeliers Choice Awards is an annual international wine competition held in Chicago where wines are blind-tasted by Master Sommeliers, wine directors, and on-premise buyers from US restaurants, bars, pubs, and clubs. Wines are scored using a proprietary five-criteria formula (food pairability, typicity, quality, value, packaging) and awarded Double Gold, Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals. The organization monetizes competition entry fees, corporate sponsorship packages, medal stickers, marketing add-ons, and medal artwork licensing.

Product overview

Sommeliers Choice Awards is a single unified product: an annual international wine competition held in Chicago, now in its 9th edition (2027). The core service is the wine judging competition where wines are blind-tasted by top sommeliers and on-premise buyers across five criteria. The competition is supported by a portfolio of add-on products and services including: Medal Stickers and Marketing Add-Ons for physical and promotional amplification; Digital Medal Artwork, Press Templates, Shelf-Talkers, and Certificates for marketing materials; Product Pages on the competition website for online visibility; and premium add-ons for category winners including CPGBuyerAI access, Winner Story Features, and Winner Pitch Zoom Calls. All services are coordinated by Beverage Trade Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sommeliers Choice Awards Competition Entry Annual wine competition entry service for domestic and international wine producers. Entrants submit wines that are blind-tasted by Master Sommeliers and on-premise buyers in Chicago, scored on five criteria (food pairability, typicity, quality, value, packaging) and awarded Double Gold, Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals, with detailed market feedback provided.
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages Sponsorship positions for non-beverage brand companies at the judging event, including Coffee Sponsor ($1,000), Wi-Fi Sponsor ($2,000), Breakfast Sponsor, and Lunch Sponsor, providing logo placement on event website, signage at coffee and judging locations, and panel-table visibility.
• Medal Stickers Physical adhesive medal stickers available for winners to affix to wine bottles, increasing shelf visibility and signaling award recognition to trade buyers and consumers. Category winners receive 1,000 complimentary stickers.
• Marketing Add-Ons Post-win promotional services for winners, including matched buyer leads, producer story features, podcast placements, CPGBuyerAI access with 50 verified buyer matches, winner pitch Zoom calls, and License to Print artwork for large-scale bottle labeling.
• Digital Medal Artwork and Press Templates Downloadable digital medal artwork, press release templates, certificates, tasting notes, and shelf-talker templates for winners to use across websites, retail signage, marketing materials, and PR channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Results distributed to 50,000+ verified trade professionals
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beverage Trade NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization that organizes the Sommeliers Choice Awards along with other acclaimed events including the London Wine Competition, International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show, and USA Trade Tasting. BTN provides the media platform for winner distribution.
• BevRoute MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing extensive press and social coverage for competition results and winner announcements.
• Sommelier BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing wine industry professional coverage including winners carousel and winner story features.
• Food & Beverage MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for press and social coverage of competition results and industry news.
• Santé MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner covering competition results and wine industry topics.
• USA Trade TastingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual trade tasting show partner with Sommeliers Choice Awards pavilion for winner product showcase opportunities.
• Los Angeles Drinks GuideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional media partner providing consumer and B2C audience coverage for winner brands.
• The Wine Whiskey Weed ShowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast and multimedia media partner for competition coverage.
• Drinks MerchantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade media partner covering on-trade market news and competition results.
• The On-TrademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrade media partner for restaurants, pubs, and hotels covering competition results.
• The Grapevine MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWine industry trade publication partner.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Major international wine and spirits competition held across multiple global locations, judged by an international panel. Comparable as a peer-tier annual wine judging event with global producer reach.
• Decanter World Wine Awards: One of the world's largest and most prestigious international wine competitions, judging thousands of wines annually with panels of Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. Directly comparable as a high-profile annual wine judging event serving global producers.
• International Wine Challenge: Major UK-based international wine competition judged by leading sommeliers and buyers. Closely comparable as a peer-tier annual wine judging event with similar entry-fee model and trade distribution.
• USA Wine Ratings: US-focused wine competition evaluating wines on quality, value, and packaging, judged by trade buyers. Comparable as a peer in the multi-criteria US wine judging events category.
• London Wine Competition: Sister event also organized by Beverage Trade Network, focused on the UK on-premise market. Direct peer with identical business model, parent, judging structure, and entrant target audience.
• San Francisco International Wine Competition: One of the largest US-based wine competitions, judged by trade buyers and industry experts annually. Comparable as a peer serving wine producers seeking US market validation through a medal-based competition.
• International Wine & Spirit Competition: Long-running global wine and spirits competition established in 1969, judged by an international panel of industry experts. Comparable as a peer in the international wine judging category serving producer entrants globally.
• TEXSOM International Wine Awards: US-based wine competition judged by sommeliers and industry professionals, focused on recognizing quality wines for the on-premise channel. Comparable as a peer in the sommelier-judged wine competition category.
• Critics Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition: International wine and spirits competition judged by wine critics and trade professionals. Comparable as a peer-tier wine judging event targeting producer entrants seeking international recognition.
• World Wine Championships (Beverage Testing Institute): Long-running wine judging program evaluating wines through blind tasting panels, producing widely recognized wine ratings. Comparable as a peer in the wine quality judging and rating category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SommChoiceAward
• Facebookfacebook.com/SommChoiceAwards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sommeliers-choice-awards
• Instagraminstagram.com/sommelierschoiceawards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sommeliers Choice Awards