The Central Coast Wine Competition is the largest wine evaluation event that recognizes wines produced exclusively from vinifera grown on the Central Coast regions of California. This event promotes the excellent quality and diversity of commercial wineries and grape growers while recognizing the fastest growing wine regions in California.
Questions: exhibits@midstatefair.com
ELIGIBLE GRAPE GROWING REGIONS
The Central Coast AVA includes from north to south: Alameda, Contra Costa (including all of Contra Costa County), Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. This competition also includes wines made from grapes grown in Ventura County.
Goals and Objectives of the Central Coast Wine Competition
- To offer a venue for California Central Coast wines to be professionally judged.
- Provide information to wine consumers about the quality and style of wines that are currently being produced in the Central Coast area.
- Help with the exposure of unknown or unrecognized wineries to the wine consumer.
- Encourage competition between winemakers to improve quality practices throughout the wine regions of the Central Coast.
- Expand the general knowledge and awareness of accomplished wineries in the Central Coast regions.
- Provide an opportunity for the California Mid-State Fair, Contra Costa County Fair and the Monterey County Fair to recognize the presence of the wine industry as an integral agricultural component of the community.
Winery Benefits
- Exposure to professional judges includes wine retailers from prestigious retail chain stores throughout California, wine media professionals and restaurant buyers.
- The Competition will be showcased at the California Mid-State Fair, Contra Costa County Fair and the Monterey County Fair. Other marketing opportunities will be offered to award winning wines, through industry partners.
- Press releases of award winners to newspapers and magazines throughout the United States.
- Direct support from local retailers on the Central Coast
- American General Media and KRUSH 92.5 will be featuring winners from the competition in monthly radio profiles and quarterly liquid lunch discussions.
- Fair event exposure, requires at least one (1) entry entered and judged.
- The Gold medal wine tasting is an event where winning wineries of the CCWC are invited to feature their top rated wines for a consumer wine tasting in Mission Square Plaza. This precedes the annual Wine Industry Awards.
The Central Coast Wine Competition is an independent event operated by the California Mid-State Fair and is in no way related to or in conjunction with any wine trade organization.
“It is our mission to promote and recognize excellent quality wines from grapes grown within the Central Coast AVA, while encouraging professionally judged competition. We strive to educate wine consumers about the quality and styles that are currently being produced in the Central Coast area, while acknowledging the general public of accomplished wineries within these regions.”
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Central Coast Competitions 
Can amateur non-commercial wine makers submit wines? 2010 was our first foray into wine making and we have a Syrah, Syrah/Cab and a Cab/Syrah blend that we’re thinking to enter into the 2012 competition.
Hi Mr. Gruber,
The CCWC just evaluates commercially available wines. However, it sounds like you might be interested in entering the Home Winemaking competition at the California Mid-State Fair. To find out more about this competition and the entry process, please visit the fair’s website at http://www.midstatefair.com.
Thanks for your interest!
My apologies Will. I’ll correct the statement. Thank you!
-Megan
Have you considered hosting a wine label competition class as well?
Katie,
We have! We choose to do a label/packaging competition this year, those results will be released within next week! The class was judged on style, artwork and overall Winery label brand series. Every wine entered within the competition was entered within this category as well.
Where can I find the results of the Label competition?
Thank you,
We are getting the press release finalized right now actually and will be putting out along with the full results in the next couple days.
How do we enter the label making competition?
Tina, There isn’t a pre-entering for the label making competition. You just have to enter into the specific competition and you will then be automatically entered into the Packaging Competition.