Save the date!

The 2nd Annual Stampede Cellar Showdown is tentatively booked for March 1-3, 2025.

More information coming soon!

• Entries for all competing wines are to be submitted through https://www.enofileonline.com/

• 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 15, 2024. The final deadline for entering is February 5, 2024 at 11:59 pm MST.

• The maximum number of entries accepted for the 2024 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.

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

• A fully completed entry form with, including all applicable wine information must be submitted through the online entry system, Enofile (www.enofileonline.com), by the specified deadline. Entry fee(s) must be paid in full at the time of submission.

• Required samples must be received at Stampede Park within the specified delivery timeframe. The required samples include four (4) bottles of 750 ml of wine or the volumetric equivalent. Only entries in bottles, cans, or sealed bag in a box format will be accepted. Kegs are not accepted for judging.

• 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.

• All wine entered must be registered in Alberta and a receipt of purchase in Alberta must be provided to the Stampede on delivery.

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

Assessing individual quality

During the tasting process, judges assess each wine individually, without making direct comparisons to other entries within the flight. In this phase, judges determine the wines deserving of a gold, silver, or bronze medal based on their individual merits.

PHASE 2: THE SEMI-FINALS

Determining category winners

The wines progressing to the semi-finals will be divided into their respective groups and evaluated equally, regardless of wine variety. Judges will sample all wines within their designated group and individually rank their top fifteen overall selections through a confidential voting process. The fifteen highest-ranked wines from each group will proceed to the Super Panel for further evaluation.

PHASE 3: THE SUPER PANEL

Declaring the champions

The judges in the Super Panel will convene to evaluate all advancing wines and determine six Top Awards. To ensure fairness, judges on the Super Panel will receive all the wines simultaneously, irrespective of variety. Judges will sample all the wines and rank their top ten overall selections through a secret ballot, identifying the Grand Champion & Reserve Grand Champion. Additionally, judges will independently score their votes for the Top Red Wine, Top White Wine, Top Sparkling Wine, Top Dessert Wine, Top Fortified Wine and Top Fruit or Flavoured Wine.

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.

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 2024 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 Top Canadian Wine, Top Value Wine, Top Red Wine, Top White Wine, Top Sparkling Wine, Top Dessert Wine, Top Fortified Wine and Top Fruit or Flavored Wine will be awarded a trophy belt buckle for achieving the highest honor in their respective categories.

Stampede Cellar Showdown Class Champions, Reserve Class Champions and Canadian Class Champions will also receive a belt buckle.

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.

Please review the 2024 Stampede Cellar Showdown Handbook below.

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.

Downloadable Medals

Double Gold Medal

Gold Medal

Silver Medal

Bronze Medal

Champion Neck Tags

Grand Champion Wine

Reserve Grand Champion

Champion Red Wine

Champion White Wine

Champion Sparkling Wine

Champion Sweet Wine

Champion Fortified Wine

Champion Fruit Wine

Champion Mead

Top Canadian Wine

Top Value Wine

Class Champion

Reserve Class Champion

Canadian Class Champion

Interested in learning more about the Calgary Stampede's first International Wine Competition? 

The Stampede Cellar Showdown is new and exciting! Alberta's wine industry wants to know more. Here are some of the excellent questions that agents and winemakers have been asking about the new program.