Greetings, Michigan Wineries, and a warm welcome to the 2026 Taste Michigan Governor’s Cup!
As we enter our fourth year hosting this esteemed event, Beverage Testing Institute (BevTest) is delighted to continue our partnership with the Michigan Wine Collaborative in evaluating and scoring your outstanding wines. With over 40 years of sensory analysis expertise, we are honored to collaborate with the Michigan wine community and leverage our exposure on tastings.com to consumer readers.
As the featured critic on wine-searcher.com, our scores and ratings take center stage on their site, reaching an impressive audience of 330-plus million unique wine searches annually. Opting for the Full Review option will significantly amplify the consumer reach of your published wine reviews.
At BevTest, we remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering fair, consistent, and thoughtful reviews of your wines. We encourage you to reach out for any inquiries, insights into our process, or to explore how we can contribute to the success of your winery.
We are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to sample your current vintages and showcase your Michigan wines to our esteemed trade judges and the ever-curious consumer audience. Here's to another year of celebrating the excellence of Michigan's winemaking industry!
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There are two entry options that provide different levels of promotional tools and deliverables detailed below. Both options are for the same competition, the Taste Michigan Governor’s Cup.
Option 1 -
Competition-Only
$110/wine for non-members
$95/wine for MWC members
Includes:
- 100-point based score (no tasting note, no published review)
- Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze award certificates
- Best of Class and/or Best of Category eligibility
- Constructive criticism and feedback from trade buyers
Option 2 -
Full Published Review Option
$165/wine for non-members
$150/wine for MWC members
Includes:
- 100-point based score
- Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze award certificates
- Best of Class and/or Best of Category eligibility
- Two-year publication of review on Tastings.com for all awarded wines
- “Buy-It-Now” button that links your wines’ review page to your e-commerce solution
- Exceptional wines will be included in Tastings.com features
Full results list with final awards emailed to competition committee person at Michigan Wine Collaborative at the conclusion of the competition on June 1, 2026
Volume Discounts available for full published reviews:
- $165 each for 1-10 wines
- $155 each for 11-20 wines
- $145 each for 21+ wines
REGISTRATION DEADLINE AND RESULTS SCHEDULE
Entries are accepted and progressively reviewed starting February 15, 2026. Competition results will be distributed directly to the Michigan Wine Collaborative on May 31, 2026
Registration Deadline: March 6th
Sample Deadline: March 31st
Results Released to the Michigan Wine Collaborative: June 1st
SHIPPING
Ship Two (2) 750 ml bottles or equivalent to:
OK Imports c/o Beverage Testing Institute
4849 North Milwaukee Avenue
Suite 303
Chicago, IL 60630
Provide our contact information when filling out your airway bill.
Phone: 773-930-4080
E-mail: shipping@bevtest.com
Please note: To comply with shipping regulations and to avoid a fine, you must include ASR (Adult Signature Required) in the reference field of your airway bill and affix an ASR sticker to the outside of your package.
If you are not licensed to ship alcohol, we can help. Please reach out to shipping@bevtest.com
Our facility is temperature-controlled, you may ship as early as you like.
Competition Categories
The Competition would have the following categories and corresponding 'Best of' awards:
- Vinifera Red
- Vinifera White
- Hybrid Red
- Hybrid White
- Fortified (Port)
- Sparkling
- Fruit
- Rosé
- Sweet/Dessert (R.S. =5%)
Best of Show Awards:
- Best of Category
- Governor’s Case Winners (highest ranking overall top 4 white wines, top 4 red wines, top sparkling, top rose)
- Governor’s Cup (highest scoring beverage all around)
New awards in 2026:
Winery of the Year
- Based on highest average score from a winery across their submissions (Min. 5 entries)
Winemaker of the year
- Based on quality and distinctiveness seen across their submissions
*All wines entered must be produced and bottled by licensed Michigan wineries and have a labeled Appellation of Origin of: Michigan, a county within MI, or an approved AVA that lies within MI.