ASWA Wine Competition

The 21^th Annual Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association^® Wine Competition
Saturday and Sunday, August 8^th and 9^th, 2026

YOU ARE INVITED T0 PARTICIPATE!

The 2026 Annual Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association® (ASWA) Wine Competition will take place Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, at the Marriott Tysons Corner, Tysons Corner, Virginia. The ASWA Wine Competition is the largest competition focusing exclusively on US East Coast Wines. The DEADLINE to enter is July 21, 2026.

Since 1973, the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association® has gained national and international recognition for activities promoting the growth and economic viability of the American wine industry. We have a particular focus on the wine-producing regions of the east coast, and on conducting fair and competent wine competitions. The purpose of the competition is to judge the quality and marketability of vinifera, Native American, and hybrid grape varietals grown and produced in the Atlantic Seaboard states. We also include cider, mead, and fruit wines. Please note the specific categories in the list and the specifications in the guidelines.

The guidelines for the competition, as well as a list of the Categories, are available for downloading on this page. The fee for each entry is $85 with three bottles per entry, which continues to be very competitive with other wine competitions. There is also an automatic $5 discount per wine when you enter eight or more wines.

It is important to note that all wines entered into this competition are used in various public wine marketing and educational programs in several national venues, including UC Davis, the Wine Library, and the Eastern Winery Expo. The competition’s winning wines will be promoted on the ASWA social media channels as well. We look forward to your participation to help further promote the wine-producing regions of the East Coast.

You may register and pay for the competition via our online form at: Judge That Wine. To enter on paper and pay by check, click here.

To help identify the best of the best, ASWA holds an annual wine competition, the largest in the nation focused exclusively on the wines of the East Coast. The competition covers the 17 states from Maine to Florida that border the Atlantic, including Vermont, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Held in late summer, our professional competition judges hail from all parts of the country and from many facets of the wine trade.

The perpetual Jefferson Loving Cup, designed by Tiffany in sterling silver, is engraved with the winning winery’s name and presented to the Best of Show entrant.

Winning wines are showcased at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, CA, the leading wine industry convention, typically drawing 15,000 attendees. ASWA Board members host dinners in California with industry professionals to highlight the strengths of eastern wines, give educational presentations at the university level, and bring focus to Atlantic Seaboard wines through a leading wine-and-food radio broadcast. Opportunities for increased exposure then continue throughout the year.

Scroll down for a list of 2025 medalists!

Click for Guidelines and Entry information. Please note dates, fees and shipping info change annually and are generally published in May.