August 3, 2026 (Boonville, CA) — In the 2026 competition, held July 30th, judges Dan Berger, Laura Ness and Greg Richtarek awarded thirty gold medals to the 87 entries. This demonstrates their appreciation of the quality of the cans across the board. Canned wines from many countries and several states were very well received by the judges.
The Sweepstakes Award went to We Are The Uncommon NZ. Remarkably, their five entries garnered four gold medals and two Best of Show awards. All three Freetime Wines from Oregon won gold medals, including a Best of Show Red Wine award for their Pinot Noir. Both wines from Stoller Family Estate won gold medals and their Swing Pinot Gris was awarded Best of Show White Wine. Other top performers were Maker Wine Company from California, winners of four gold medals, and Benmarl Winery in New York, who won three golds.
At the conclusion of the competition, judge Laura Ness remarked, “Cans are the Wild West of Wine right now: anything goes! Consumers should rejoice in the flexibility of this portable format. Whatever you fancy can be had in small doses, from excellent sparkling, rosés and still wines, to creative spritzers.”
The Best of Show award winners for 2026 are:
- Red: 2025 Freetime Wine Bright Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, Oregon
- White: Stoller Family Estate Swing Pinot Gris, American
- Rosé: We Are The Uncommon NZ Still Rosé, Marlborough, New Zealand
- Sparkling: We Are The Uncommon NZ Bubbly Rosé, Marlborough, New Zealand
- Spritzer: The OBC Wine Project Guava Spritz, American
A list and images of all gold medals, as well as the package design award winners, is posted at https://cannedwinecompetition.com/2026
Since 2019 we have evaluated 1584 canned wines and have promoted the production of high quality wine in cans. As a result (we’re taking credit!) most wine competitions now accept cans as well as bottles. So, our mission has been accomplished and 2026 was the final International Canned Wine Competition.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this event, including our generous sponsors, CanSource and the Canned Wine Podcast.
