What are the benefits of participating?

One of the Fair Wine Award's main goals is to promote transparency and ensure that quality can be compared. Each participant thus receives an objective assessment of the quality of the wines they have submitted from independent experts. In addition, the competition offers an opportunity to increase one's visibility. Award ceremony for the winning wines at EUROVINO . The event—which attracts significant public and media attention—includes a networking evening and a two-day presence at the trade show in the main tasting area. Marketing visibility and free exposure in Fair Wine’s PR efforts serve as a gateway to specialty wine retailers, upscale grocery and specialty food stores, and the restaurant and hospitality industries. The Fair Wine Team distributes the award-winning wines to retailers throughout Germany. Significant media attention —in addition to the Fair Wine Award, the “Fair Wine Retailer” and the “Wine Bar of the Year” will also be honored. Fair Wine Road Show —You can participate with selected wines when the award is presented directly at leading specialty retailers in urban areas and metropolitan regions such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, the Ruhr region, and the Rhine-Main region (among other locations). The Fair Wine Quality Seal as a free file for your advertising , or (optionally) as a sticker on your bottle. Winning wines can be featured in Fair Wine Academy seminars for retail and hospitality professionals. Free link to your website/online store for 1 year on www.fair-wine.com If a winery is exhibiting at EUROVINO, visitors will find its booth number on the wine. Exhibitors can therefore use this space for another Establish a point of reference for the visitor. (We know from research that many visitors start in the tasting area and get an initial overview there, before visiting the booths at the exhibition). Exhibitors will receive their winner's certificate at the start of the trade show and can use it to promote their booth (before the awards ceremony).

Which wines are eligible for submission?

In accordance with the competition rules, all wines that fall into the following categories may be submitted: RES - Wines made from climate- and fungus-resistant grape varieties and new cultivars. NACH - Wines produced using environmentally friendly and sustainable methods, as well as organic wines (all grape varieties are permitted). HIS - Wines made from historic grape varieties that were known as such before 1900, with a total vineyard area of less than 1,000 hectares. SKT - Sparkling wines and sparkling wines with appellations of origin and single-vineyard designations (produced using traditional, classic bottle fermentation, the "Méthode Rurale," "Metodo Antico," "Pétillant Naturel," as well as the Charmat method and Martinotti method) NOE - Natural wines, orange wines, experimental wines, and wines made in alternative fermentation and aging vessels such as amphorae, concrete tanks, and others. LOW – Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wines, including flavored products

When is the registration deadline?

Registration begins: September 1, 2026 Registration deadline: February 12, 2027 Submission deadline: February 13, 2027 Tasting: 18. + February 19, 2027

FAQ • Fair Wine

Questions & Answers

The FairWineAward is the first and only international competition for innovative and sustainably produced wines.

In light of climate change, grape varieties that are particularly well-adapted to the respective market and environmental conditions and that enable natural, environmentally friendly, sustainable, and culturally valuable wine production will be important in the future.

The FairWineAward promotes healthy competition among producers and brings their wines into the public spotlight.

One of the Fair Wine Award’s main goals is to promote transparency and ensure that quality can be compared.

Each participant thus receives an objective assessment of the quality of the wines they have submitted from independent experts.

In addition, the competition offers an opportunity to increase one’s visibility.

Award ceremony for the winning wines at EUROVINO. The event—which attracts significant public and media attention—includes a networking evening and a two-day presence at the trade show in the main tasting area.
Marketing visibility and free exposure in Fair Wine’s PR efforts serve as a gateway to specialty wine retailers, upscale grocery and specialty food stores, and the restaurant and hospitality industries. The Fair Wine Team distributes the award-winning wines to retailers throughout Germany.
Significant media attention —in addition to the Fair Wine Award, the “Fair Wine Retailer” and the “Wine Bar of the Year” will also be honored.
Fair Wine Road Show —You can participate with selected wines when the award is presented directly at leading specialty retailers in urban areas and metropolitan regions such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, the Ruhr region, and the Rhine-Main region (among other locations).
The Fair Wine Quality Seal as a free file for your advertising, or (optionally) as a sticker on your bottle.
Winning wines can be featured in Fair Wine Academy seminars for retail and hospitality professionals.
Free link to your website/online store for 1 year on www.fair-wine.com

If a winery is exhibiting at EUROVINO, visitors will find its booth number on the wine. Exhibitors can therefore use this space for another

Establish a point of reference for the visitor. (We know from research that many visitors start in the tasting area and get an initial overview there,

before visiting the booths at the exhibition). Exhibitors will receive their winner’s certificate at the start of the trade show and can use it to promote their booth (before the awards ceremony).

EUROVINO, an international B2B wine trade show, focuses on sustainability. It therefore stands to reason that the Fair Wine Award is presented at EUROVINO. In addition, EUROVINO and Fair Wine support each other’s activities as partners and are both committed to sustainable development in the wine industry. We are focusing on the wine retail (specialty retailers, food retail/specialty food stores) and food service/hospitality sectors, and we will publicize the results of the award to these target groups.

In accordance with the competition rules, all wines that fall into the following categories may be submitted:

RES – Wines made from climate- and fungus-resistant grape varieties and new cultivars.
NACH – Wines produced using environmentally friendly and sustainable methods, as well as organic wines (all grape varieties are permitted).
HIS – Wines made from historic grape varieties that were known as such before 1900, with a total vineyard area of less than 1,000 hectares.
SKT – Sparkling wines and sparkling wines with appellations of origin and single-vineyard designations (produced using traditional, classic bottle fermentation, the “Méthode Rurale,” “Metodo Antico,” “Pétillant Naturel,” as well as the Charmat method and Martinotti method)
NOE – Natural wines, orange wines, experimental wines, and wines made in alternative fermentation and aging vessels such as amphorae, concrete tanks, and others.
LOW – Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol wines, including flavored products

Of course, a single producer can make several different wines.

For orders of five wines, we offer a 5% discount (on the total price); for orders of 10 or more wines, we offer a 10% discount (on the total price). To register the wine, each bottle must be registered individually.

For each wine entered, 3 bottles must be submitted. In this case, one bottle is the test bottle, one bottle serves as the control bottle, and one bottle serves as a reserve sample and for presentation at EUROVINO.

Please ship the wines carriage paid, with all customs duties and taxes paid, to the following address:

Dr. Hermann Pilz
c/o Fair Wine Award
22 Jahnstraße
76833 Knöringen in the Palatinate

Please send your three bottles of each wine entered in the competition, with shipping prepaid and all customs duties and taxes paid, to the following address:

Dr. Hermann Pilz
c/o Fair Wine Award
22 Jahnstraße
76833 Knöringen in the Palatinate

For organizational reasons, bottles cannot be returned. The remaining bottles will be used in the Fair Wine tasting area at EUROVINO.

Feel free to send us an email or call us at +49-221-79005617 or +49-160-5399934.

Registration begins: September 1, 2026
Registration deadline: February 12, 2027
Submission deadline: February 13, 2027
Tasting: 18. + February 19, 2027

Information about wines that have already been entered can be corrected or modified at any time until the entry deadline. To do this, simply return to the registration form, click on the wine in the list of your submissions, make the changes, and save.

Please enter the available data first. We will assess the feasibility and, if necessary, get back to you.

If you don’t have all the analysis results on hand, upload the data you already have and you can submit the missing information later.

The wines are evaluated by an independent, highly qualified jury consisting of experienced wine experts and scientists, led by Dr. Hermann Pilz.

All award-winning wines will be announced at the EUROVINO wine trade fair in Karlsruhe and presented in a tasting area. For more information, visit www.eurovino.info

All producers of award-winning wines will be personally invited to the awards ceremony.

The FairWineAward is receiving extensive coverage in both the German and international wine press as well as on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram). Likewise, through the EUROVINO network.

The wines are evaluated in detail and based on quality by an independent and highly qualified jury of experienced wine experts and scientists, led by Dr. Hermann Pilz.

The judges receive not just a few pieces of basic information (as is customary with many other awards), but extensive details about your philosophy as a producer and the unique aspects of your vineyard and cellar. Also, information on production, wine style, typical flavor profile, sustainability concepts, or who you have in mind as the target audience for the wine, and/or the price segment and distribution channel in which you have positioned the wine. The scope of the information provided to the judges does not allow for direct identification of the wine.

The judges conduct blind tastings. The wines will be discussed one last time. This will provide you with a fair and objective assessment. Another requirement of the EU standard is that each sample must be sent to a laboratory for analysis and stored there.

No, the wines are stored under the respective year of participation, but they are no longer valid. If you wish to resubmit the same wine (as a subsequent vintage, if applicable), you must enter it again.

The original document has been printed on a wooden panel. This is a special feature that is expected to remain in place in the future, provided there are no significant changes in the quality or certification of the wood.

Of course, you will receive your certificate as a PDF after the awards ceremony, or it will be available for download on the “Fair-Wine.com” website after the ceremony.

Do you have any other questions?

Contact us today and let our experts advise you. We are happy to assist you in addressing all your concerns and providing you with the best possible support.

Contact Fair Wine