The American Wine Society Wine Judge Certification Program (WJCP) is the only program of its kind. Certified Wine Judges undergo three years of self study and must pass a comprehensive exam that evaluates their ability to properly taste and score all wine types—Vinifera, Native American and French-American Hybrid grapes, as well as fruit and other types of non-grape wines. Certified Wine Judges must re-qualify every five years in order to ensure their palates and skills remain at a level high enough to be certified by AWS.

AWS Certified Wine Judges are available to judge in any recognized amateur or commercial wine competition in the United States and across the globe, including AWS Amateur and Commercial Wine Competitions. In fact, many of our Certified Wine Judges have international judging experience. Using these wine judges adds credibility to your event, since entrants know their wines will receive accurate and fair evaluation by highly skilled wine judges.

To connect with any Certified Wine Judge or for additional information about the benefits of using AWS Certified Wine Judges, please contact the AWS National Office at executivedirector@americanwinesociety.org.

AWS Commercial Competition Wine Judges

AWS Certified Wine Judges