RULES

1. Eligibility: commercial wines that are made in the counties of: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba. Any bottled wine labeled with the above counties as their main source of grapes, even if bottled out of the area, is eligible for entry.
2. A copy of the completed entry form with the fees must be received at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds by Friday, April 14th, 2023.
3. All wines must be received at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds at 175 Fairgrounds Drive in Petaluma between April 17th and 21st, 2023. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, we are closed from 12-1 p.m. for lunch daily.
4. All Best of Show, Sweepstakes, Best of County, Best of Class, and Double Gold winning winery brands are required to send one case of the winning wine (sent wine becomes the property of the Sonoma-Marin Fair and will not be returned) to be poured during the NOTG wine tasting at the 2023 Sonoma-Marin Fair (we do not require staff to pour at the event). Gold Medal Wines are encouraged to participate; additional information to follow. Wineries must comply with this requirement to receive recognition for their award. Wine to be provided by winery at their expense.

ENTRY QUALIFICATIONS

• There is no limit to the number of entries per winery.
• There is no limit to the number of vintages of the same variety a winery may enter.
• The same wine (although marketed under a different label) may not be entered in more than one category. However, a winery may submit multiple entries in the same category.
• Wines entered must be available for commercial sale prior to the start of judging, April 27th, 2023.

JUDGING OF WINES

• Wines will be evaluated and scored blindly by a panel of qualified judges; the judges’ decision is final.
• The competition reserves the right to re-classify wine entries.
• The competition is not responsible for errors in entries.

AWARDS

Judges will award Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards as well as Best of Show, Sweepstakes: Best Red, Blush/Rose, Sparkling, White, Sweet and Fortified; Best of Class, Best of County and Winemaker of the Competition Awards.  Best of Show and Winemaker of the Competition will receive plaques. Certificates Will be awarded to Sweepstakes: Best Red, Blush/Rose, Sparkling, White, Sweet and Fortified; Best of Class, Best of County. Bottle medallions will be awarded to Double Gold, Gold wines; Silver wines.  Best of Show is awarded to one wine recognized to possess characteristics of the highest quality overall.

Following the judging, wineries will be notified of any awards won. All medal award-winning wineries required for the public tasting, mentioned on #4 of the rules, will be contacted to schedule pouring.

ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

Entry Information: There is a $60 per entry fee.  Please enter online or you may send the entry fee and forms to  Sonoma-Marin Fair at 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma, CA  94952.  Entry deadline is April 14th, 2023.

Wines:  Send six (6) 750 ml bottles per entry and a copy of the entry form to the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma, CA  94952.  Wines are to be delivered to the Administration Building between the dates of April 17th and 21st, 2023.  Office hours are 8-Noon and 1-5pm, Monday-Friday. If wine is to be delivered outside of these dates, please notify the fair office prior to delivery.  No wine will be accepted for which carrier charges have not been prepaid.  All wines become the property of the Sonoma-Marin Fair.  Surplus bottles will be used in the North of the Gate Fair display and poured in the Wine Garden.