Wine Comp

You are cordially invited to enter the 32nd annual Monterey Wine Competition, an international wine competition to be held at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds on March 8, 2025.

What is it that makes Monterey unique among competitions and worthy of your consideration? This year we will again be including scores on all wines rated Gold or above for use in your marketing strategy. I’ve found in my discussions with wineries that awards are a useful tool in the tasting room and on shelf talkers, but that the power of a two-digit score in today’s age of social media is of significant value to wineries that have implemented such strategies into their overall marketing plan. We’re offering both, so you can use whatever combination works best for you.

While the event is called a competition, we are very careful to ensure that wines are evaluated in their own context – in other words, we’re not out to say that this particular wine is “better” than that particular wine. It is our sincere desire to celebrate high quality wines of all styles, from all regions of the world.

Our judges are experienced tasters that have significant experience in the industry, running the gamut from marketing consultants that represent large wine portfolios to Master Sommeliers. Judges will be added as we approach the competition – check our website for the most current list. Our special awards will include the Best of Monterey County, Wine of the Year, Winery of the Year and some unique Director’s Awards. In addition, award winners will be poured at our Grand Tasting at the Salinas Valley Fair in May.

Thank you for taking the time to consider the Monterey International Wine Competition – we hope that it’s a fit for your marketing strategy, and we look forward to celebrating your winemaking achievements!

Cheers!

Rich Cook, Director & Chief Judge