Wine Competition

Every year The Press Democrat offers wine lovers the opportunity to taste the best wines from the North Coast American Viticulture Areas (AVA)*. These are wines that achieve both a Gold Medal status and 90+ points in The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Competition.  The winning wines are selected by prestigious judges in a blind taste test. The judging occurs in April and is not open to the public. For more information about the judges, the process and the winners archive go to www.pdncwc.com.

The competition rates wines exclusively produced and bottled in the following California North Coast AVAs:

  • Lake County
  • Mendocino County
  • Napa County
  • Sonoma County
  • Marin County
  • Parts of Solano County

Eligibility includes any bottled wine labeled with these AVAs as their main source of grapes and whose winery is in California.