On April 7-8, 2026, a collection of esteemed wine professionals will gather in Santa Rosa, Calif., to evaluate entries in the 2026 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge. Competition managers are now accepting entries for the 14th annual NCWC, considered among the most prestigious wine challenges in the United States.

This regional competition rates wines exclusively produced and bottled in Northern California’s premier winegrowing region to determine which wines are considered the Best of the Best. Eligible wines must be made from fruit sourced in the North Coast AVAs of Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Marin and parts of Solano counties. This includes any bottled wine labeled with these AVAs as their main source of grapes and whose winery is in California.

“The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge is unique in that only wines made from grapes grown in the six North Coast counties are allowed to enter,” says Daryl Groom, chief judge of NCWC. “With that, the starting quality is high — and our experienced wine judges know that. Typically, 95% of the wines receive awards and 30% or more typically score gold or above.”

NCWC only promotes the highest awarded-wines (golds and above), keeping your win exceptional and exclusive. Golds are converted into a point score above 90 and all 90+ point wines will get a marketable positive comment from the judging panel. Winning gold medals can help boost sales and brand awareness for producers of all sizes, but small wineries can truly benefit from a gold medal in this contest.

“I like to think of this competition as the ‘size me up’ competition, where wineries and winemakers that enter get way more than they do from usual wine competitions,” says Groom. “Not only do you get the typical medal, but gold medal-winning wines get a 90 point or higher score and a marketing comment from the judges.

“In addition to that, they get to showcase their winning wines to 1000+ passionate consumers at the North Coast Wine and Food Festival, a wonderful opportunity for promoting and selling. Stellar coverage in the widely read Press Democrat newspaper adds to the rewards and, if that’s not enough, every winemaker is in the running to be awarded Winemaker of the Year in the Harvest edition of Sonoma Magazine.

“So I encourage winemakers to enter and get ‘sized up,’” he concludes.

The best wines draw the best professional wine judges, who annually vie for a coveted spot to judge NCWC. Many are seasoned retailers, distributors, restaurateurs and influential wine writers, who promote the wines they enjoy and can help give your wine increased exposure.

Groom adds, “All of our 30+ judges are hand-selected not only because they have great palates and wine expertise but because they have added value — being restaurant or retail buyers or members of the media who love to write about the wines they taste and discover.”

Public announcement of awards is made in print by The Press Democrat newspaper, the North Bay Area’s primary source for news and information. Additional ongoing promotion is made in other print publications, online, by virtual newsletters and through social media outlets.

Gold medal winners are invited to pour and have their wines enjoyed at the North Coast Wine & Food Festival, annually organized and hosted by The Press Democrat. This is a fun-filled day enjoyed by wine enthusiasts from near and far, who look forward to tasting the Best of the Best wines Northern California has to offer.

Enter the 2026 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge before midnight, March 16 for an Early Bird discount. Final entry deadline is March 26.

Visit https://www.pdncwc.com/ for more information.