Organized annually by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, the New York Wine Classic celebrates a diverse selection of world-class wines from producers within the State.
NYWGF has partnered again with the Beverage Testing Institute (BevTest) to judge wines submitted. Scores will be awarded by BevTest’s trained sensory panel comprised of beverage directors, sommeliers, top bartenders, retail buyers, and educators.
Top award winners were announced live during a Virtual Awards Ceremony hosted by Wanda Mann held on Thursday, July 17th.

Rose Hill Vineyards
2019 Clarity Cabernet Sauvignon

Weis Vineyards Hammondsport, NY(Keuka Lake, Finger Lakes)
The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is proud to announce the following “Best of Category” winners:

Weis Vineyards 2024 Grüner Veltliner

Rose Hill Vineyards 2019 Clarity Cabernet Sauvignon

Milea Family Wines Hudson Valley Vineyards Right Bank Blanc De Blancs

Weis Vineyards 2024 Dry Rosé

Billsboro Winery 2023 Après Late Harvest

Montezuma Winery NV Crimson Queen Cranberry & Rhubarb, Finger Lakes
Scroll down for the list of “Best in Class” winners, and a link to download the full list of competition results.
The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is proud to announce the following “Best of Class” winners:
| CLASS | WINE | SCORE |
| Best Overall Chardonnay | Weis Vineyards 2024 Unoaked Chardonnay, Finger Lakes. $20 | 96 |
| Best Overall Riesling | Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery 2023 Reserve Riesling, Finger Lakes. $30 | 95 |
| Best Overall White Blend | Chateau LaFayette Reneau NV Seyval-Chardonnay, Seneca Lake. $14 | 94 |
| Best Overall Red Blend | Liberty Vineyards NV Quarter Mile Red, Lake Erie. $18 | 95 |
| Best Specialty Wine | Montezuma Winery NV Crimson Queen Cranberry & Rhubarb, New York State. $16 | 96 |
| Best Traditional Method Sparkling | Hudson Valley Vineyards NV Right Bank Blanc De Blancs, New York State. $65 | 96 |
| Best Pétillant Naturel (Pét-Nat) | Finger Lakes Community College Fresca Leyenda 2023 Pétillant Naturel, Finger Lakes. $15 | 93 |
| Best Force Carbonation/Transfer Method Sparkling | J.R. Dill Winery NV Cayuga White, Seneca Lake. $15 | 93 |
| Best Oaked Chardonnay | Chateau LaFayette Reneau 2023 Estate Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, Seneca Lake. $19 | 96 |
| Best Unoaked Chardonnay | Weis Vineyards 2024 Unoaked Chardonnay, Finger Lakes. $20 | 96 |
| Best Gewürztraminer | Adirondack Winery 2023 Million Dollar Beach Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes. $18 | 93 |
| Best Grüner Veltliner | Weis Vineyards 2024 Grüner Veltliner, Finger Lakes. $21 | 97 |
| Best Pinot Gris | Wölffer Estate Vineyard 2023 Cellar Series Pinot Gris, Long Island. $24 | 95 |
| Best Dry Riesling | Ryan William Vineyard 2023 Estate Dry Riesling, Seneca Lake. $18 | 95 |
| Best Medium Dry Riesling | Buttonwood Grove Winery 2022 Riemer Block Riesling, Cayuga Lake. $23 | 94 |
| Best Medium Sweet Riesling | Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery 2023 Reserve Riesling, Finger Lakes. $30 | 95 |
| Best Sweet Riesling | Weis Vineyards 2023 Winzer Select A Riesling, Finger Lakes. $28 | 94 |
| Best Sauvignon Blanc | Weis Vineyards 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, Finger Lakes. $24 | 96 |
| Best Vidal | Liberty Vineyards NV Vidal Blanc Select, Lake Erie. $17 | 90 |
| Best Other Vinifera White Varietal | Fjord Vineyards 2024 Estate Albariño, Hudson River Region. $28 | 95 |
| Best Other Hybrid White Varietal | Weis Vineyards 2024 Seyval Blanc, Finger Lakes. $24 | 95 |
| Best Vinifera White Blend | Pellegrini Vineyards East End Select 2022 BBQ White, North Fork of Long Island. $26 | 93 |
| Best Rosé | Weis Vineyards 2024 Dry Rosé, Finger Lakes. $20 | 95 |
| Best Cabernet Franc | Ravines Wine Cellars 2022 Estate Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes. $24 | 96 |
| Best Cabernet Sauvignon | Rose Hill Vineyards 2019 Clarity Cabernet Sauvignon, North Fork of Long Island. $150 | 97 |
| Best Lemberger/Blaufränkisch | Heron Hill Winery 2023 Ingle Vineyard Blaufränkisch, Finger Lakes. $40 | 96 |
| Best Merlot | Harbes Vineyard 2014 Proprietor’s Reserve Barrel Fermented Merlot, North Fork of Long Island. $75 | 96 |
| Best Pinot Noir | Johnson Estate Winery 2022 Freelings Creek Reserve, Pinot Noir, Lake Erie. $29 | 93 |
| Best Syrah | Hector Wine Company 2022 Syrah, Seneca Lake. $35 | 93 |
| Best Other Red Vinifera Varietal | Jason’s Vineyard 2020 Malbec, North Fork of Long Island. $35 | 95 |
| Best Red Hybrid Varietal | Johnson Estate Winery 2022 Freelings Creek Reserve Chambourcin, Lake Erie. $16 | 94 |
| Best Vinifera Red Blend | Peconic Bay Vineyards 2020 Solovyov Red Meritage, North Fork of Long Island. $55 | 95 |
| Best Late Harvest | Billsboro Winery 2023 Après, Finger Lakes. $32 | 96 |
| Best Fortified | Six Eighty Cellars 2023 Vin Doux Naturel Riesling, Cayuga Lake. $42 | 96 |
The competition is open to any wine produced in and bearing an approved New York AVA as established by the TTB.
A complete listing of New York AVAs can be found here: https://www.ttb.gov/wine/established-avas#New-York
The competition is also open to specialty wines (non-grape wines) and mead produced in New York State.
Non-grape wines and mead will have their own award and are not eligible for the Governor’s Cup round.
BevTest will use its scoring data as the basis for the Best of Category, Best of Class, and Governor’s Cup assignments thus ensuring the impartiality and credibility of the New York Wine Classic’s results from start to finish. If there are any score ties for the ‘Best of’ or Governor’s Cup Awards, BevTest would use its typicity data (i.e., which wine is more typical of the given category) to select the winner of the tie. If there is a still a tie based on typicity, BevTest would conduct a final taste-off with its senior wine panelists and editors to determine the winner. There will be only one winner for each award, each year.
The Governor’s Cup will be awarded to the wine (only grape-based wines are eligible) with the highest overall score of the competition (learn more about BevTest’s competition methodology here). The Winery of the Year award is presented to the winery with the best overall showing of their entries. Points are awarded for a wine’s score, as well as any Best of Class (varietal type – provided there are at least 7 entries of that type), Best Overall (i.e., Riesling – all sweetness levels/ Chardonnay – oaked or unoaked, etc.), Best of Category (Sparkling, White, Pink, Red, Dessert), and /or Governor’s Cup awards that the wine has earned. The winery with the highest overall score will win Winery of the Year.
BevTest’s Points-to-Medals conversion scale:
For this engagement, BevTest’s Platinum medal would be equivalent to a Double Gold medal.
You can read more about BevTest’s methodology and judging panel at: https://bevtest.com/lab/
Ship Two (2) 750 ml bottles or equivalent to:
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Top award winners will be announced live during the 2025 Classic Virtual Awards Ceremony this Summer. The complete list of individual wine results will be released following the event and published on our website.
Still have questions?
If you are a winery with questions regarding submissions reach out to BevTest’s Client Marketing Manager, Matthew Richardson, via e-mail matthew@bevtest.com or call 773-930-4080.
If you have any questions regarding this year’s competition, reach out to Jennifer Cooper, Membership & Events Manager.
Fill out the form below and Jennifer Cooper, NYWGF Membership and Events Manager, will be happy to assist you!