Calgary Stampede | Stampede Cellar Showdown International Wine Competition

Building on the success of our inaugural event, the Calgary Stampede is thrilled to announce the return of the international wine competition, the Stampede Cellar Showdown, for 2025! This competition will once again celebrate and highlight the finest wines from both Canada and around the world, reinforcing the Stampede's dedication to agriculture and the Agri-Food industry.

The Stampede Cellar Showdown will take place March 1-3, 2025 in the BMO Centre at Stampede Park. Please check back soon for information on entries.

Due to the nature of this event, the competition will not be open to the public.

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Showcasing the Best-of-the-Best

The Calgary Stampede Cellar Showdown is open to all products from Canadian and International wine producers and distributors that are registered within the Province of Alberta. The competition portion will take place prior to Stampede – with the winning wines earning a spot to be showcased at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth! Stampede guests will get to enjoy swirling, sniffing and sipping these award winning wines as part of their festival experience. For winning wineries and distributors, recognition will also include the opportunity to feature their award-winning wines at retail outlets and restaurants with the Stampede Cellar Champion labelling.

In the Stampede’s commitment to highlighting regional producers, the Canadian Wine industry will be showcased in the competition with its own class of recognition and prizing.

Sharing the Story from Grape to Glass

This high-profile competition is aligned with the Stampede’s Agri-Food Vision, connecting the Agri-Food and Beverage industry to Calgarians and southern Albertans by facilitating signature programs and building understanding of grape to glass between regional food and beverage producers and consumers.

Important Dates

Why Enter?

Why Should You Enter the Stampede Cellar Showdown?

Enter for the Opportunity to:

• Be part of the Stampede Cellar Showdown, a world-class international wine competition adjudicated by local and internationally recognized officials, with a trusted and reliable competition format to prove the quality of your product.
• Have your wine named the Calgary Stampede Champion. This distinction comes with prizes befitting a Stampede Champion including bronze trophy sculptures and belt buckles.
• Be featured at the Calgary Stampede’s hottest kick-off party, Stampede Cellar Uncorked.
• Be featured at the Stampede Cellar Champion Wine Experience, the most attractive food & beverage venue on Stampede Park from July 4-13, 2025.
• Have your wine celebrated in select Calgary Stampede venues such as ranahans, The Lazy S, Bar Ninteen Twelve, 30X Saloon, The Big Four Roadhouse, and Western Oasis.
• Showcase your wines at year-round Calgary Stampede events.
• Leverage Stampede Cellar Championship branding in retail point of purchase and restaurant environments through exclusive marketing packages provided by the Calgary Stampede.
• Play a part in the important conversations and education about primary agricultural production and the process of turning grapes into glasses of wines for consumers to enjoy.
• Promote your wines to external clients that use the BMO Centre, western Canada’s largest convention centre, for their corporate and special events.

Entry Details

Entries for all competing wines are to be submitted through https://starofshow.com/competition_entry?comp=cswine25
An entry fee of $75 per wine is due at the time of online entry. There will be a $15 Early Bird Discount applied to entries submitted by 11:59 pm MST January 20, 2025. The final deadline for entering is February 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm MST.
The maximum number of entries accepted for the 2025 competition will be capped at 1,500. There is no limit on the number of wines or classes an entrant may submit (unless the maximum number of entries is reached prior to your submission)
No wine may be entered more than once in the same year, even if it is marketed under different labels. However, different vintages of the same wine may be entered.

The following Entry Requirements must be met by all entries competing in the Stampede Cellar Showdown:

Wine must currently be distributed on and off premise in the province of Alberta by a licensed wholesale distributor. Wines entering the competition may be produced anywhere in the world. Types of products eligible for entry include still wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines, fruit wines and mead.
Winery must have a designated, licensed Canadian distributor or be self-distributed by a Canadian winery.
All wine entries must be registered with Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)
The specific vintage of all wine entries must be commercially available in the Alberta marketplace at or near the suggested wholesale price listed on the entry form.

Participation Guidelines

It is the responsibility of the winery to ensure all requirements have been met. Incomplete entries will not be refunded.

1. A fully completed entry form including all applicable wine information must be submitted
through the online entry system by the specified deadline. Entry fee(s) must be paid in full at
the time of submission.
2. Required samples must be received at Stampede Park within the specified delivery timeframe. The required samples include four bottles of 750 ml wine, four bottles of 375 ml wine, eight bottles of 200 ml wine or six 355 ml cans. It is important to send one container of wine for each day of the competition so that fresh samples can be served to each judging panel, with one extra container available in the event that a bottle or can is unusable. Please direct inquiries about sample size requirements to wine@ calgarystampede.com. Only entries in bottles, cans, or sealed bag in a box format will be accepted. Kegs are not accepted for judging.
3. All wines entered in the competition should have stock available for potential inclusion on
Calgary Stampede wine lists for feature during Stampede 2024 and throughout the year. Please note that, year-round wine offering oppertunities (including the 10 days of Stampede) will be primarily granted to the winning wines, however placement of wine will be at the Calgary Stampede’s discretion to optimize the producers’ benefits.
4. Wines that are successful at the Stampede Cellar Showdown will be invited to participate in Stampede Cellar Uncorked on May 31, 2025. This includes the Grand Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, and all Top Award winners in addition to Double Gold and Gold medal recipients. If the suppliers with winning wines choose to participate, they will be required to cover the cost of two cases of product. The product to be poured will be purchased by Calgary Stampede and invoiced to the winery/agent at cost price as per AGLC mandated requirements. Participation in Uncorked is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged for all winners as this opportunity will be incredibly beneficial to the winning wines.

Competition Process & Overview

Over the course of a rigorous three-day process, our expert judging panels will engage in meticulously controlled blind tastings to evaluate every wine and determine its eligibility for a medal. To ensure a fair, unbiased assessment, the judges are provided with no information regarding the producer of each wine. This guarantees that each wine is evaluated on its own merits, with equality and impartiality at the forefront of the judging process.

The judging of our competition will be divided into three phases:

PHASE 1: THE MEDAL ROUND

During the first round of the competition, each of the wines entered will be initially tasted by one of the multiple panels of five judges. The wines will be served in flights of no more than 12 wines. The wines will be grouped by the competition class which is determined by colour, grape, region, style, vintage and price. The judges will consider each wine in the flight and decide whether the entry deserve Double Gold, Gold, Silver, Bronze or No Medal. The lead judge in each panel will facilitate the discussion and ultimately determine each wine’s medal status following the panel’s collaboration.

Wines awarded at least a Gold medal in Phase One will advance to Phase Two – Double Gold Round to have its medal status confirmed by a second judging panel. Wines that receive a Silver, Bronze or No Medal distinction in Phase One will not be eligible to continue on in the competition. Their award designation is final. However, Silver medal wines may be in contention for a Top Award if they are the favourite in their category. Ties between two Silver medal wines will need to be broken to confirm the Top Award recipient.

PHASE 2: THE DOUBLE GOLD ROUND

All entries awarded at least a Gold medal are re-flighted and tasted by a new panel of judges. The judges are not aware of the wines’ result from Phase One. The tasting process is repeated, and the judges award their own rating to each wine. Any wine that receives a Double Gold medal will advance to Phase Three – Champion Round. The medal designation each wine receives in Phase Two replaces it’s Phase One result. This second tasting provides confirmation that an entry is deserving of the medal it received in Phase One of the competition.

If a wine was awarded a Gold medal in Phase One, the judges in Phase Two may lower the wine's award to a Silver medal instead. Conversely, the judges may elevate a Gold medal wine to a Double Gold medal and the wine will advance to Phase Three. If a Gold medal wine re-tasted in Phase Two is awarded a rating consistent with its Phase One result, it will be confirmed as a Gold medal wine and will not be tasted again in Phase Three.

PHASE 3: THE CHAMPION ROUND

All entries awarded a Double Gold medal following Phase Two will advance to Phase Three. They will be re-flighted and tasted by a Super Panel of judges. Wines can either be demoted to a Gold or remain a Double Gold in Phase Three.

The Super Panel's favourite wines in Phase Three will be named the Stampede Cellar Showdown Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, respectively. If two wines in contention for the same award are rated identically, the judges must arbitrarily break the tie. The judges’ decision to choose one wine over another to break a tie must be accompanied by a written explanation as the wines will continue to have the same rating at the conclusion of the competition.

After the Champion Round, the Super Panel will be assigned the task of breaking any ties for wines in contention for a Top Award. To be eligible for a Top Award a wine must have received at least a Silver medal and be the favourite in its category or award group. Any ties between two eligible wines with identical rating will be arbitrarily broken by the Super Panel. A written explanation must accompany the decision to break each tie for Top Awards. A list of all Top Awards can be found in the Appendix of this document.

Judges

The competition judges will be drawn from the supplier, wholesale, retail, and restaurant branches of the wine trade on both the local, national, and international levels. Judges are selected based on their credentials, as well as their overall knowledge and reputation within the local and national wine community, at the discretion of the International Wine Competition management. Superintendents and umpires will also be appointed to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the competition.

CHECK BACK SOON FOR A LIST OF OUR 2025 JUDGES!

Prizes

Stampede Cellar Showdown prizes are befitting of Calgary Stampede Champions! Your wine could win:

Bronze Trophy Sculptures

Our Calgary Stampede Rodeo and Rangeland Derby Champions are gifted beautifully crafted western bronzes that are thoughtfully created by extremely talented artists. The top wines from our 2025 Stampede Cellar Showdown will be deserving of a similar honor. The Calgary Stampede looks forward to presenting uniquely curated bronze trophies at our wine competition to combine novelty with tradition. Our overall Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion wines will take home a bronze trophy sculpture.

Champion Belt Buckles

The greatest accomplishments in our western culture are awarded with a belt buckle to be displayed or proudly worn by the champion who earned it. The top wines from each of our classes will be presented trophy belt buckles, just like champions in the rodeo arena! Belt buckles are attractive, functional and unique awards. The most successful wines in of the Stampede Cellar Showdown will be awarded a trophy belt buckle for achieving the highest honor in their respective categories.

Inscribed Medals

The prestigious designation awarded to a wine based on its own merit will be acknowledged with a metal medallion representing either a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Double Gold distinction. Each entry has the opportunity to leave the Stampede Cellar Showdown with a physical decoration demonstrating its own quality.

Handbook

Digital Awards and Downloads

The Calgary Stampede provides digital assets for Stampede Cellar Showdown participants to use in promoting their award-winning wine(s). Agents/wineries should choose the medal that corresponds with the award won by a specific wine (double gold, gold, silver or bronze). Downloadable wine bottle neck tags are available for use by any Stampede Cellar Showdown Champions. Please note, these digital/downloadable assets are the only approved format in which the Calgary Stampede's logo may be used to market your wine.