The Expovina Wine Trophy is the professional competition behind the famous Weinschiffe. Every summer a jury of over 150 experts blind-tastes more than a thousand wines from around the world and awards gold, silver and a range of special prizes. You don't taste here yourself, it's a judging, not a public event. But the award-winning wines reappear in autumn at the Weinschiffe on Bürkliplatz, and that is where you can try them.
- What
- International wine competition
- Expert jury, blind-tasted to OIV standards
- Judging
- 6 to 8 July 2026
- Results on 10 August, awards ceremony on 31 August
- Where
- Technopark Zurich
- Zurich West
- Scale
- Over 150 experts
- At the last edition over 1500 wines, 25 countries, 21 categories
How the Wine Trophy works
Wine merchants registered in Switzerland submit their wines. The jury then tastes blind, without label or price, and scores to the internationally recognised OIV standards. Only what is in the glass counts. The judging spans the full spectrum, from Swiss growths to international origins, split into numerous categories by colour, style and provenance.
The awards
It is not only the top that gets recognised, but also value for money and specialities.
- Gold and silverThe highest awards per category
- Best value winnersBest quality relative to price
- Regional best-ofTop wines per origin
- Special prizesOrganic, rosé, Piwi, natural, no- and low-alcohol
The 2026 schedule
- Wine registration1 March to 20 May 2026
- Wine delivery9 to 11 June 2026
- Tasting and judging6 to 8 July 2026, Technopark Zurich
- Results10 August 2026
- Awards ceremony31 August 2026
What it means for wine fans
The Wine Trophy is your cheat sheet for autumn. If you want to know which bottles convinced a professional jury, look at the award-winning wines and seek them out at the Expovina Weinschiffe. A gold or silver sticker at the stand is no guarantee of your taste, but a good starting point when the choice overwhelms you.
The Expovina Wine Trophy 2026 judging runs from 6 to 8 July at Technopark Zurich, the awards ceremony follows on 31 August. All details on the competition at Expovina. As of 16.06.2026.