ASWA Wine Competition Guidelines and Entry Form

The states that qualify for this competition are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

For grape wines (see entry Categories and descriptions section), a varietal wine must contain at least 75% of that grape. Blending of non-varietal category grapes/juice is permitted, but the non-varietal component must not exceed 25% of the total blend. Interspecific blending is permitted, but must be entered in the proper category. Entries above 4% residual sugar are considered sweet and are to be entered in the appropriate category. All non-grape based wines must be entered into the appropriate category.

All fruit/juice (grapes, honey, fruit, etc.) must originate within the 17-state region described as the Atlantic Seaboard in paragraph one above. Wines made from sources imported from outside of the 17-state region are not allowed.

All entered wines must be available for sale to the general public by the producing winery. Experimental lots of wine are not permitted.

An unlimited number of entries is allowed. Wineries may enter more than one wine per classification category. Each entry will consist of three (3) 750ml bottles submitted for evaluation. In the case of wines in 375ml bottles, four (4) bottles will be required in the entry. Wines bottled in 500ml bottles require only three (3) bottles.

Registration fees are $60 per entry. Pre-registration is mandatory. The deadline for receiving registration is July 22, 2024. Registration should be received prior to the shipment of entries. To register, fill out the registration form and mail it with the proper fees.

Registration Forms and Fees to:

Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association

P. O. Box 11332

Burke, Virginia 22009

Checks should be made payable to ASWA. Payment may also be made by credit card via our website, but the registration form must be mailed to the address above or emailed to Competition Chairman Dave Barber at [email protected]. Be sure to give the alcoholic level of the wine on the application form. Please copy the blank entry form if additional entries are being submitted.

It is the responsibility of the entrants to ship or deliver their entry wines in good condition. The wines should be shipped to the following address:

Wines with a Copy of Registration Form to:

Wine Traditions, Ltd.

7608-J Fullerton Road

Springfield, Virginia 22153

Attention: ASWA Wine Competition

A copy of the registration form previously submitted with the fee should accompany the wine shipment in order to avoid possible errors and to ensure that all wine has been pre-registered as required.

Please forward us the tracking number of shipped wine so that we can ensure proper delivery and/or pick-up. (We have found that some recently shipped packages are possibly not attempted to be delivered and no door tags are left; hence after a period of time, the packages are returned to sender. If we have the tracking number we can avert this situation.)

All entries must arrive at Wine Traditions, Ltd. no later than August 5, 2024 to ensure proper classification and processing for the competition. All entries arriving after that time may not be eligible for the competition.

All wines will be judged according to their relative merits within their category using a modified Davis 20 point system. There will be bronze, silver and gold medal awards along with Best of Category. Also, a Best of Show winner will be determined. This wine will be clearly superior in its category and have an enological excellence that surpasses all other wines in the competition.

It is planned to conduct the presentation of Best of Show and Best of Category awards on Capitol Hill in the fall following the competition. This will be under the auspices of the Congressional Wine Caucus. The winning wineries will be invited to receive their awards from their respective Congressional state representatives. A tasting of award-winning wines will follow the award presentation. Media releases of all winning wines will be distributed immediately following the competition. A social media campaign will also be initiated.

The wines remaining after the competition will be poured in various public marketing and educational programs throughout the year.

By placing an entry into the competition, it infers that all the above criteria are met for that wine.