Beverage Trade Network Announces First-Round Judges for the 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards
America’s leading Master Sommeliers, wine directors and hospitality buyers will judge the ninth edition of the competition in Chicago.
Beverage Trade Network has announced the first group of judges for the 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards, its international wine competition focused on the U.S. on-premise market.
The ninth edition will be judged in Chicago on May 24, 2027. The panel will bring together Master Sommeliers, wine directors, beverage directors, and senior hospitality professionals responsible for selecting wines and managing beverage programs across leading U.S. restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups.
First-Round Judges Announced
The confirmed judges include:
Jennifer Huether MS — Master Sommelier, DipWSET and Director of Education at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Nevada
Jesse Becker MS — Master Sommelier and Illinois Portfolio Director for The German Wine Collection
Mark Guillaudeu MS — Master Sommelier
Tyler Alden MS — Director of Food and Beverage at Willows Lodge
Michelle Federschmidt — Executive Beverage Director at Hogsalt
Jesse Hiney — Regional Director of Operations for Roka Akor Chicagoland
Ryan Hoffman — Wine and Spirits Director
Rachael Lowe — Portfolio Development Manager at AMI Group
Michael Marsico — Senior Area Director at Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk
Sutton McElroy — Wine Director at The Oakville Grill & Cellar
Steven Minor — Corporate Beverage Director at Starwood Hotels
Shaina Nestor — Senior Restaurant Operations Leader at Gibsons Restaurant Group
Torrence O’Haire — Corporate Beverage Director at Gage Hospitality Group
Jelena Prodan — Partner and Beverage Director at SMG Restaurants
Paul Solomon — Director of Operations at Virant Restaurants, overseeing Vistro Prime and Petite Vie
Jared Sowinski — Director of Beverage at Upward Projects Restaurant Group
Jeff Van Ham — Sommelier and Server/Store Trainer at Steak 48
Marsha Wright — Corporate Wine Director at DineAmic Hospitality
Additional judges will be announced as Beverage Trade Network continues to develop the 2027 panel.
A Competition Created for the On-Premise Market
Beverage Trade Network created the Sommeliers Choice Awards to identify wines that sommeliers and beverage buyers would confidently list, serve, and recommend.
The competition evaluates wines from the perspective of professionals who make real purchasing decisions. Judges understand that an excellent restaurant wine must deliver more than technical quality. It must work with food, offer the right value, fit a particular service format, and make commercial sense for the operator.
Every wine is evaluated for:
- Quality
- Value
- Packaging
- Food pairability
- Typicity
- Overall on-premise suitability
Judges consider where the wine belongs on a wine list, which dishes it could complement, how it should be positioned and whether they would feel confident recommending it to a guest.
New Commercial Insight for 2027
The ninth edition will provide entrants with more detailed feedback and greater transparency.
Every wine will receive:
- A detailed score breakdown
- Constructive recommendations on how to improve the wine
- Guidance on how to market and sell the wine
- Channel Fit recommendations
- A serving-format recommendation
- A Buyer Market Intelligence Report
- The names of the judges who evaluated the entry
Serving recommendations will identify whether a wine is best suited to by-the-glass, by-the-bottle or single-serve placement.
Channel Fit will indicate the type of hospitality business where the judges believe the wine may have the strongest opportunity. These channels may include fine-dining restaurants, premium-casual venues, wine bars, hotels, resorts, private clubs, airlines, cruise lines, catering programs, and event venues.
The 2027 competition will also introduce dedicated recognition for alternative formats through Single-Serve Wine of the Year and Single-Serve Wine Producer of the Year.
Supporting Producers and Buyers
For wineries, importers, and distributors, the Sommeliers Choice Awards provide an opportunity to have wines evaluated by professionals who understand the U.S. hospitality market.
The resulting scores, medals, and commercial feedback can support distributor presentations, restaurant buyer meetings, sales materials, and market-development planning.
For sommeliers and wine buyers, the winners provide a qualified starting point for discovering products that have already been assessed for restaurant suitability. The 2027 winners platform will allow buyers to browse wines by serving format and recommended hospitality channel, making the results a more practical sourcing resource.
About Beverage Trade Network
Beverage Trade Network is a global media, events and business-development organization serving the wine, beer, spirits and beverage industries.
Through its international competitions, trade shows, conferences, media platforms and buyer-development programs, BTN connects producers, brand owners, importers, distributors, retailers and hospitality buyers across key markets.
In addition to the Sommeliers Choice Awards, Beverage Trade Network organizes the Bartender Spirits Awards, USA Wine Ratings, USA Spirits Ratings, USA Beer Ratings, London Wine Competition, London Spirits Competition, London Beer Competition and the International Bulk Wine and Spirits Show.
The 2027 Sommeliers Choice Awards judging will take place in Chicago on May 24, with winners announced on June 10, 2027.
