Wineries producing wines in cans, mini bottles, cups, pouches, cartons and other single-serve formats are invited to enter the 2027 competition.
Chicago, USA — The Sommeliers Choice Awards has announced two new special awards for its 2027 competition, recognizing the growing role of single-serve wine formats in restaurants, hotels, airlines, entertainment venues, outdoor hospitality and other on-premise channels.
The new awards are:
- Single-Serve Wine of the Year
- Single-Serve Wine Producer of the Year
Wineries, wine brands and producers offering wines in cans, mini bottles, individual cups, pouches, cartons, small-format boxes and other packaging designed for individual consumption are invited to enter.
The new awards will help identify single-serve wines that combine strong quality with the convenience, consistency and commercial practicality required by today’s on-premise operators.
Why Single-Serve Wine Matters to the On-Premise Market
Single-serve formats can help hospitality businesses expand their wine selections while improving portion control, maintaining product freshness and reducing waste.
They can also create new wine-service opportunities in locations where opening and preserving a full bottle may not be practical. These include hotels, minibars, airlines, stadiums, theaters, festivals, poolside venues, outdoor events, fast-casual restaurants, catering businesses and venues with limited bar infrastructure.
For consumers, single-serve wine offers convenience, portability and greater freedom to explore different styles without committing to a full bottle.
“Single-serve wine is becoming an increasingly relevant format for the hospitality industry,” said Sid Patel, CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network, organizers of the Sommeliers Choice Awards. “The format can solve real operational challenges involving freshness, portion control, speed of service and waste. These new awards will recognize wines that deliver not only convenience, but also the quality and commercial value expected by on-premise buyers.”
How Single-Serve Wines Will Be Evaluated
Every eligible single-serve entry will be tasted and evaluated by leading sommeliers, beverage directors, wine buyers and hospitality professionals.
The wines will be assessed for their suitability for the on-premise market, including:
- Quality and overall drinking experience
- Value for the target customer and service occasion
- Packaging and presentation
- Food compatibility
- Commercial relevance
- Ease and practicality of service
- Suitability for different hospitality channels
Each wine will continue to receive its individual score, medal and detailed commercial feedback.
How Single-Serve Wines Will Be Judged
Single-serve wines will be judged in exactly the same way as wines entered in traditional bottles. They will be included in the same relevant tasting flights and evaluated through a blind tasting process, ensuring judges assess the wine itself without being influenced by the brand or packaging format. A single-serve Merlot, for example, will be tasted alongside other Merlots and assessed using the same quality and commercial criteria. This means a single-serve wine can win Wine of the Year, Merlot of the Year or any other applicable category award, in addition to competing for Single-Serve Wine of the Year. The key difference will appear in the wine’s Serving Suggestion, where Single-Serve Format will be clearly indicated alongside applicable recommendations such as By the Glass or By the Bottle.
New Format Recommendations on Every Entry
As part of the enhanced 2027 results, the Sommeliers Choice Awards will indicate how judges believe each entered wine is best suited to be offered within the on-premise market.
The results will clearly show applicable recommendations using the following format:
- ✓ By the Bottle
- ✓ By the Glass
- ✓ Single-Serve Format
A wine may receive more than one recommendation when judges believe it has the quality, packaging and commercial flexibility to work across multiple service formats.
This will give producers practical guidance on how their wines may be positioned and presented to restaurants, hotels, bars and other hospitality buyers.
Single-Serve Wine of the Year
The Single-Serve Wine of the Year award will recognize the highest-performing eligible wine presented in a qualifying single-serve package.
The winning wine must demonstrate excellent quality, appropriate value, effective packaging and clear relevance to the on-premise market.
Single-Serve Wine Producer of the Year
The Single-Serve Wine Producer of the Year award will recognize a winery, wine brand or producer demonstrating strength and consistency across its eligible single-serve wine portfolio.
The award is intended for businesses investing in single-serve wine as a meaningful format rather than treating it only as a packaging novelty.
More Detailed Feedback for 2027 Entrants
In addition to competing for medals and the new single-serve awards, every 2027 entrant will receive an expanded package of feedback and commercial insights, including:
- Detailed scoring breakdown
- Constructive feedback from the judging panel
- Suggestions on how the wine could be improved
- Recommendations on how to market and sell the wine
- Channel Fit guidance
- Serving Suggestions
- By-the-Bottle, By-the-Glass and Single-Serve Format recommendations
- “Tasted By” transparency showing the names of the judges who evaluated the wine
- The 2027 On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report
These additions are designed to give producers useful information that can support product development, sales presentations, distributor conversations and on-premise market positioning.
Invitation to Single-Serve Wine Producers
The Sommeliers Choice Awards is now inviting entries from wineries and wine brands producing:
- Canned wines
- Mini and individual wine bottles
- Single-serve sparkling wine bottles
- Pre-filled wine cups or glasses
- Wine pouches
- Small-format wine cartons
- Individual wine boxes
- PET and alternative lightweight formats
- Other packages created for single-person or single-occasion consumption
Eligible entries can include still, sparkling, fortified, flavored, low-alcohol, no-alcohol and other wine-based products, subject to the competition’s category requirements.
Judging in Chicago
The 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards judging will take place on May 23–24, 2027, in Chicago.
Approximately 75 leading sommeliers, Master Sommeliers, wine directors, restaurant-group buyers and hospitality decision-makers will evaluate the entries. Each judging panel will include a Master Sommelier, providing producers with the opportunity to have their wines assessed by professionals who understand both wine quality and the commercial realities of the on-premise market.
The final registration deadline is April 28, 2027, and samples must arrive at the competition warehouse by April 30, 2027.
Wineries and brands producing single-serve wines are encouraged to enter early and present their products to some of America’s most influential on-premise wine professionals.
Enter your single-serve wines in the 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards and give your format the recognition it deserves.
For entry information, eligibility requirements and shipping instructions, visit the Sommeliers Choice Awards website.
