Officials behind the independent wine award known as the Russian Wine Awards have announced that applications for the main nominations in its fifth season will not be accepted beyond the posted deadline. The decision comes as organizers finalize the intake phase and prepare for the next step in the judging process, signaling a shift toward evaluation by a dedicated jury rather than ongoing submissions.
During a lunch with journalists at Padron, a Moscow restaurant, Vlada Lesnichenko, one of the event’s coordinators, explained that the team has completed collecting submissions from bars and restaurants. After the technical processing of those lists, the award jury will begin a thorough review of the entries, focusing on the quality, diversity, and presentation of the wine selections. This pause in new submissions underscores the transition from collection to critique and recognition, with the jury ready to assess the evolving wine lists against a clear set of criteria.
Another organizer, Maria Goreslavskaya, reminded attendees that the award welcomes wines not only from Russia but from other regions as well. The message stressed that the competition values freedom of choice and fair competition, aiming to celebrate broad popularity and distribution of Russian wines while also acknowledging merit and distinction among wines from neighboring regions and beyond.
Lesnichenko highlighted the season’s reach, noting that approximately 400 applications had been received. He drew attention to the widening geographic footprint, illustrating participation that spans from Kaliningrad in the west to Vladivostok in the east, and even highlighting entries from smaller cities such as Svetlogorsk. The jury will evaluate the wine lists across established categories that recognize both selection and service, including Best wine bar list, Best selection of wines by the glass, Best classic list, Best national restaurant list, Best original list, and Best selection of Russian wines. For the first time in the award’s history, a new nomination was introduced: Best Sommelier, reflecting a growing emphasis on the craft and expertise behind wine service.
“The aim is to identify the best sommelier, the author of the list that he created and refined over the course of a year,” Lesnichenko stated, underscoring the commitment to recognizing individual expertise and the ability to curate a compelling wine program. The judging will award between one and three stars, with scores reflecting not only the intrinsic quality of the wines but also the execution of wine service, including how glasses are poured and presented.
A second new nomination for the fifth season is Wine Routes of Russia. Submissions will be accepted through September, and Elena Porma, who conceived and organizes this nomination, noted that Russian wineries interested in promoting regional tourism can participate for the first time in the award’s history. She explained that tourism is a powerful catalyst for the appeal of Russian winemaking and a significant driver of regional economies today, linking viticulture to culture, hospitality, and local commerce.
The Russian Wine Awards began in 2017 and have evolved into a benchmark event that spotlights excellence across tasting experiences and service standards in the wine hospitality sector. In 2023, more than 450 restaurants and wine bars from various Russian cities and the CIS joined as participants in the fourth edition. This season’s expansion signals the growing influence of the awards, reinforcing their role in elevating both the variety of wine offerings and the quality of guest experiences across the national landscape and the broader wine community. (Source: Russian Wine Awards overview)