Dallas, Texas – TEXSOM Co-founders and Master Sommeliers Drew Hendricks and James Tidwell today announced that the TEXSOM International Wine Awards is accepting entries for the 2018 competition to be held February 12-14, 2018 at the Grapevine Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas
The following is a timeline with corresponding entry fees:
Submission Period
October 31 – December 31, 2017
$95 + 4 bottles of wine per entry
Wines must be received by January 1, 2018
Late Submission Period
January 1 – January 31, 2018
$105 + 4 bottles of wine per entry
Wines must be received by February 1, 2018
Late Expedited Submission Period
February 1 – 9, 2018
$145 + 4 bottles of wine per entry
Overnight Shipping Required, in order for processing to be completed for judging
“The TEXSOM International Wine Awards is the preeminent wine competition in the United States,” says Andrew McNamara MS, Vice President of Wine Development at Breakthru Beverage and Chairman – Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas. “TEXSOM International Wine Awards continues to assemble a panel of judges that is unmatched anywhere. Industry leaders, including many Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine, judge an array of high-quality wines from around the world over the course of two days. Receiving a medal of any kind at TIWA is a boon to suppliers and distributors alike; mentioning it to sommeliers and buyers makes the already great wines that much more attractive.”
“TEXSOM attracts extremely experienced and knowledgeable judges, world-class wines and imposes ironclad integrity in the judging process,” says Debbie Zacharias and Peter Granoff MS, General Partners at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant and Oxbow Wine & Cheese Merchant. “Many competitions make that claim, but the bar is truly higher here. Wineries and importers often ask us which competitions are the best ones to enter in the U.S. and TEXSOM is always at the top of a very short list.”
“An exciting global perspective is one thing that sets the TEXSOM International Wine Awards apart,” says Catherine Miles, Senior VP, Creative & Marketing Director for Broadbent Selections. “But the main reason a TEXSOM medal shines brighter than many other awards is that TEXSOM is so much more than an awards program. It’s an invigorating experience and an inspiring education that’s become a can’t-miss event for the wine world’s best and brightest.”
“TEXSOM International Wine Awards has been critical in building awareness for Greek wine,” says Sofia Perpera, Director of the Greek Wine Bureau-North America for Wines of Greece. “From the recognition garnered by ratings from world’s top opinion makers, as well as the exposure within the Sommelier community that TEXSOM allows.”
All award-winning wineries are asked to reserve at least three additional bottles of each award-winning wine for possible promotion and feature opportunities, such as inclusion in the Wine Awards hospitality suite at the TEXSOM conference; TEXSOM’s newest venture, the publication Sommelier; and in tastings outside the TEXSOM conference. Award-winning wines are candidates for consideration in TEXSOM seminars, but no guarantees are made regarding an individual wine’s use in seminars. Aside from the two bottles requested by TEXSOM International Wine Awards, restaurant and retail partners might contact award-winning entrants for participation in promotional tastings, dinners, wine list features, etc. Participation in events with restaurant and retail partners is at the discretion of the entrant.
In addition to the activities listed above, the following is a list of benefits for award winners:
- Award-winning wines announced via social media, email messaging, website, press release, publication partners
- The entire list of award-winning wines will be presented online by the presenting sponsor, Texas Monthly
- Listing of all award-winning wines and featured content on select award-winners in Sommelier, TEXSOM’s newest publication for sommeliers, wine buyers, other beverage professionals, and engaged consumers
- Exposure to TEXSOM’s international network of sommeliers and wine buyers with a tasting of medal-winning wines at the TEXSOM conference hospitality suites in August 2018
- Award-winning wines presented at events throughout the country through wine tastings, wine dinners and special events with restaurant and retail partners
- Award-winning wines featured on the TEXSOM International Wine Awards website throughout the calendar year
- Results available through the TEXSOM International Wine Awards searchable online database
- Recognition of the quality of the wines by a group of the best palates in the country, including the judges and Sommelier Panel. The Sommelier Panel is unique to TEXSOM International Wine Awards. The Panel consists of prominent sommeliers from around the country who write expository content following the awarding of medals by judges during the blind tasting
Wineries interested in submitting their wines for judging may visit the TEXSOM International Wine Awards website at http://texsomiwa.com. Further inquiries may be made by emailing enter@texsomiwa.com or by calling 214.886.1665.
ABOUT TEXSOM
Founded in 2005, TEXSOM was started by Master Sommeliers James Tidwell and Drew Hendricks to help promote professional wine service standards, outline paths for further wine education and certification, and raise public awareness about the professional standards and certifications for sommeliers. Today, the conference draws more than 1,000 attendees, of whom more than 800 are sommeliers and other beverage industry professionals. The TEXSOM group purchased the competition now known as the TEXSOM International Wine Awards in April 2014. One of the largest, most respected, and longest-running in the United States, the competition was founded in 1985 by journalist and wine expert Rebecca Murphy.
