Questions & Answers
The FairWineAward is the first and only international competition for forward-looking and environmentally friendly wines.
Against the backdrop of climate change, grape varieties that are particularly well adapted to the respective market and environmental conditions and enable natural, environmentally friendly, sustainable and culturally valuable wine production will be important in the future.
The FairWineAward promotes qualitative competition among producers and puts their wines in the social spotlight.
One of the central aims of the Fair Wine Award is to create transparency and comparability in terms of quality.
Each participant thus receives an objective quality assessment of their wines from independent experts.
In addition, the competition offers the opportunity to increase one’s own awareness.
- Awarding of the winning wines at EUROVINO (01.+02.03.26). At the high-profile and media-effective networking evening event and 2 days of full trade fair presence in the large tasting zone.
- Marketing presence and free mention in the Fair Wine PR work as a door opener to the specialist wine and upmarket food retail/SEH trade as well as the restaurant/hotel trade. The Fair Wine Team plays the results of all awards in the German trade.
- High media attention – in addition to the Fair Wine Award, the “Fair Wine Wine Retailer 2026” and the “Wine Bar of the Year 2026” will also be chosen.
- Fair Wine Road Show 2026. You can be there with selected wines when the award is presented directly at leading specialist retailers in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt (among other places).
- The Fair Wine quality seal as a free file for your advertising, or (optionally) as a sticker on your bottle.
- Winning wines can be used in Fair Wine Academy staff seminars for retail and gastronomy.
- Free link to your website/online store for 1 year on www.fair-wine.com
If a winery is exhibiting at EUROVINO 2026, visitors will find its stand number on the wine. Exhibitors can therefore use this space to create a further
Create a point of reference for the visitor. (We know from research that many visitors start in the tasting zone and get an initial overview here,
before they visit the stands in the exhibition). Exhibitors will receive their winner’s certificate at the start of the fair and can use it to advertise at their stand (before the award ceremony).
EUROVINO, an international b2b wine fair, focuses on sustainability. It is therefore only natural that the Fair Wine Award should be presented at EUROVINO. In addition, EUROVINO and Fair Wine support each other as partners in their activities and are both committed to sustainable development in the wine industry. We focus on the wine trade (specialist retailers, food retailers/SEK) and the catering/hotel industry and publicize the results of the award to these target groups.
All wines that fall into one of the following categories:
RES wines from climate- and fungus-resistant grape varieties and new varieties.
NACH wines from environmentally friendly and sustainable production as well as organic wines (all grape varieties are permitted).
HIS wines from historical grape varieties that were known as grape varieties before 1900, under 1,000 hectares of vineyards.
SKF sparkling wines (from traditional, classic bottle fermentation, Method Rurale, Methodo Antico and Pétillant Naturel)
SMC sparkling wines with designation of origin and single vineyard designation (also Charmat method)
NOE natural wines, orange wines, experimental wines and wines from alternative fermentation and ageing containers such as amphorae, concrete cisterns, etc.
Of course, several wines can be registered by one producer.
We grant a discount of 5% (on the total price) for five wines; 10% (on the total price) for 10 wines or more.
However, the registration of a wine must be done individually.
3 bottles must be submitted for each wine registered. Here, one bottle is the test bottle, one bottle serves as a counter bottle in case a qualitative check is necessary and one bottle is intended for a possible final tasting.
Please send the wines carriage paid, duty paid and tax paid to the following address:
Dr. Hermann Pilz
c/o Fair-Wine-Award
Jahnstraße 22
76833 Knöringen i. d. Pfalz
Please send your 3 bottles per submitted wine free domicile, duty paid and taxed to the following address:
Dr. Hermann Pilz
c/o Fair-Wine-Award
Jahnstraße 22
76833 Knöringen i. d. Pfalz
For organisational reasons, bottles cannot be returned. The remaining bottles will be used in the Fair Wine tasting zone at EUROVINO.
You are welcome to send us an email or contact us by phone at +49-221-79005617 or +49-160-5399934.
o Start of registration: immediately
o Registration deadline: February 15, 2026
o Closing date: February 17, 2026
o Tasting: 18. + February 19, 2026
Data of wines already registered can be corrected or changed at any time until the closing date. Simply go back to the login screen and click on the wine in the list of your submissions, change and save.
Please enter the available data. We will check the practicability and, in case of doubt, contact you again.
If you do not have all the analysis values to hand, upload the data you already have and can add any missing information.
The evaluation of the wines is carried out by an independent expert jury consisting of experienced wine experts and scientists under the direction of Dr. Hermann Pilz.
All award-winning wines will be announced at the EUROVINO wine trade fair in Karlsruhe (next dates on March 1 – 2, 2026) and presented in a tasting zone more at www.eurovino.info
All producers of award-winning wines will be personally invited to the award ceremony.
There will be extensive coverage of the FairWineAward in both the German and international wine press as well as social media (Facebook, LinkIn, Instagram). Likewise through the network of EUROVINO.
The wines are judged very carefully and qualitatively by an independent and expert jury of experienced wine experts and scientists under the direction of Dr. Hermann Pilz.
The judges not only receive the 3 to 4 primary pieces of information (as is usual with many other awards), but also everything that you as a producer have provided about your philosophy and special features in the vineyard and cellar. Also information on production, wine style, flavor typicity, sustainability concepts, or who you have in mind as a target group for the wine and/or in which price segment and distribution channel the wine is classified by you.
The judges taste undercover. The wines are finally discussed. EU recognition also means that the judges are not allowed to pour themselves a drink. This gives you a fair and objective assessment. The EU standard also requires that each sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis and stored.
Do you have any further questions?
Get in touch with us today and let our experts advise you. We are at your disposal to clarify all your concerns and offer you the best possible support.