The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA) will hold its 15th Annual Wine Competition on August 10 and 11, 2019, at the Marriott Tysons Corner, VA. ASWA’s Wine Competition is the largest in the nation focused exclusively on East Coast wines. All wines sourced and made in the seventeen Atlantic Seaboard states (including Vermont, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) are eligible for entry into the Competition, including ciders, meads and fruit wines.
A panel of sixteen judges will score approximately 430 wines divided into flight categories over the course of the two-day judging. Medals are awarded in twenty-five categories with a Best of Show wine selected from the gold-medal category winners.
ASWA President Grant Crandall states, “We are excited to have a number of superb wines entered into the Competition which we will then take around the country to demonstrate that East Coast wines can compete successfully on an international scale.”
The 2018 ASWA Wine Competition issued 72 gold medals, 170 silver medals and 152 Bronze medals. In last year’s competition, Virginia had the highest number of gold medal winners, with 34 out of 73. Maryland came in second with 13 golds. Showing the wide geographic range of fine wines crafted in the east, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Vermont also produced gold medal winners.
“Recognition of these quality wines and education of the general public as to the merits of our local wines are our primary goals,” Competition Chairman Dave Barber says.
ASWA hosts an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill every year after the completion of the competition under the auspices of the Congressional Wine Caucus. The perpetual Jefferson Loving Cup, designed by Tiffany in sterling silver, will be engraved with the winning winery’s name and presented to the Best of Show winner.
Winning wines are also showcased at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, CA, the leading wine industry conference and trade show typically drawing 15,000 attendees. The wines generally receive coverage on several west coast radio programs while ASWA representatives are in California, and a seminar and tasting at UC Davis are regularly planned. Opportunities for increased exposure continue throughout the year.
More info: Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association: aswawines.org
The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association promotes American wine produced in the seventeen eastern states: all those that touch the Atlantic Ocean plus West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Vermont. This trade organization was founded in 1973 as the Vinifera Wine Growers Association, and renamed in 2008 to reflect an expanded regional focus.
ASWA’s mission is to increase awareness of the fine wines of the Atlantic seaboard through trade and consumer education. Members liaise with national, state, and regional wine organizations to identify opportunities to highlight the wines and winemakers working here.
