Chicago, USA — The Sommeliers Choice Awards have announced a new focus on single-serve wine for its 2027 competition, introducing dedicated awards for wines packaged in formats designed for one person or one drinking occasion.

The two new special awards are:

- Single-Serve Wine of the Year
- Single-Serve Wine Producer of the Year

The competition will now accept and specifically recognize wines offered in formats such as:

- Wine cans
- 187 ml and 200 ml miniature bottles
- Individual sparkling wine bottles
- Pre-filled and sealed wine glasses
- Single-serve wine cups
- Small PET or aluminum bottles
- Individual wine pouches
- Small cartons
- Other packages intended for one-person consumption

Still, sparkling, fortified, flavored, low-alcohol and no-alcohol wines may qualify, subject to the competition’s relevant category requirements.

The top category winner will also get a recorded video from a judge

What the Growth of Single-Serve Wine Means for Sommeliers

For sommeliers and beverage directors, single-serve packaging is becoming more than an alternative format. It can provide practical solutions to some of the most persistent challenges involved in running a profitable wine program.

Single-serve wines can help operators achieve greater portion consistency, reduce the risk of oxidation, control wastage and offer more predictable costs per serving. They may also allow venues to introduce additional wines without committing to the turnover required for a full bottle.

The format can be particularly useful for:

- Hotels and minibars
- Room service programs
- Banqueting and catering
- Airlines and travel hospitality
- Stadiums and entertainment venues
- Festivals and outdoor service
- Poolside and resort operations
- Fast-casual restaurants
- Small venues with limited storage
- Operations without extensive wine-preservation equipment

A pre-portioned wine can also improve speed of service during high-volume periods while helping ensure that every guest receives a consistent serving.

For sommeliers, the opportunity is to consider the format as part of the wider wine program rather than judging it solely by its packaging. The central question remains the same: does the wine deliver the required quality, value and drinking experience for the intended guest and service occasion?

“Single-serve wine formats are becoming increasingly relevant to hospitality,” said Sid Patel, CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network, organizers of the Sommeliers Choice Awards. “They can help sommeliers and beverage directors manage freshness, portion control, speed of service, and wastage. Our objective is to recognize the wines that combine those operational advantages with genuine quality and commercial value.”

Sid Patel, CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network, organizers of Sommeliers Choice Awards

Single-Serve Wines Will Be Judged Alongside Bottled Wines

Single-serve wines will not be placed in a separate or less demanding judging track. They will be evaluated in exactly the same way as wines entered in traditional bottles.

Every wine will be assessed through a blind tasting process. Judges will not be influenced by the brand, producer, or packaging format during the quality evaluation.

Single-serve wines will be included in the same relevant tasting flights as conventionally bottled wines. A single-serve Merlot, for example, will be tasted alongside other Merlots and evaluated using the same judging standards.

This means an eligible single-serve wine can win:

- Wine of the Year
- Red Wine of the Year
- White Wine of the Year
- Sparkling Wine of the Year
- Merlot of the Year
- Chardonnay of the Year
- Other applicable varietal or category awards
- Single-Serve Wine of the Year

The package format will not prevent a wine from competing for the competition’s principal awards.

Judges at Sommeliers Choice Awards

Quality First, Format Second

The judging process will continue to examine whether a wine is enjoyable to drink and commercially suitable for the on-premise market.

The assessment will consider:

- Quality and overall drinking experience
- Balance, structure and finish
- Value for the intended customer
- Food compatibility
- Packaging and presentation
- Commercial relevance
- Suitability for the target hospitality channel

After the blind quality assessment, judges will consider the wine’s packaging, positioning, and potential role within an on-premise program.

This allows a single-serve wine to be evaluated first as a wine and then as a practical hospitality product.

New Serving-Format Recommendations

For 2027, the Sommeliers Choice Awards will also provide clearer guidance on how each entered wine could be served within the on-premise market.

Applicable recommendations will be displayed using the following format:

✓ By the Bottle
✓ By the Glass
✓ Single-Serve Format

A wine may receive more than one recommendation. For example, a wine entered in a traditional bottle may be recommended for both bottle and by-the-glass service. A wine entered in an individual package may be recommended as a single-serve format while also demonstrating the quality required for a broader by-the-glass program.

The recommendation is intended to help producers understand how on-premise professionals view the wine’s most suitable service occasion.

It will also give sommeliers and beverage directors a faster way to identify products relevant to their operational requirements.

Where Single-Serve Wines Can Strengthen a Wine Program

Single-serve formats will not replace the traditional bottle or the theater of sommelier-led wine service. Instead, they can expand the range of situations in which a well-selected wine can be offered.

Potential applications include welcome amenities, minibars, premium room service, outdoor dining, poolside service, picnics, festivals, corporate events, private functions, and locations where glass bottles may be restricted.

They may also support smaller-format tasting experiences, controlled sampling programs and occasions where guests want only one glass without creating an open-bottle management issue for the operator.

For beverage teams, the most successful products will be those in which the packaging solves an operational problem without compromising the wine experience.

Recognizing Producers Investing in the Format

The Single-Serve Wine of the Year award will recognize the highest-performing eligible wine offered in an individual serving format.

The Single-Serve Wine Producer of the Year award will recognize a winery, wine brand, or producer demonstrating quality and consistency across a portfolio of eligible single-serve wines.

These awards are designed to recognize producers treating single-serve wine as a credible commercial category and investing in the quality, winemaking, sourcing, packaging, and positioning required by the hospitality market.

Expanded Feedback for 2027

Every entrant in the 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards will receive an enhanced package of feedback and commercial insights, including:

- Detailed score breakdown
- Constructive feedback from the judging panel
- Recommendations on how the wine could be improved
- Guidance on how to market and sell the wine
- Channel Fit
- Serving Suggestions
- By-the-Bottle, By-the-Glass and Single-Serve Format recommendations
- “Tasted By” transparency showing the judges who evaluated the wine
- The 2027 On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report

The additional information is intended to help wineries understand how their products may be received by sommeliers, beverage directors, and hospitality buyers.

An Invitation to Single-Serve Wine Producers

The Sommeliers Choice Awards is inviting wineries, wine brands, private-label suppliers, contract packers, and alternative-format wine producers to enter their single-serve wines in the 2027 competition.

Judging will take place on May 23–24, 2027, in Chicago. Approximately 75 sommeliers, Master Sommeliers, beverage directors, restaurant-group buyers, and other on-premise professionals will evaluate the wines.

The final registration deadline is April 28, 2027, and samples must arrive at the competition warehouse by April 30, 2027.

The expansion will provide the sommelier community with greater visibility into a developing wine category while giving producers credible, independent feedback about how their single-serve wines may perform within the on-premise market.

Also Read:
America’s Leading Sommeliers and Wine Buyers Join the 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards Judging Panel
Sommeliers Choice Awards Launches Exclusive On-Premise Buyer Intelligence Report For Entrants
More Feedback and Transparency For Entrants At The Sommeliers Choice Awards