Sparkling Wine Gold & Silver Medal Winners on the Central Coast

July means it’s time for the California Mid-state Fair in Paso Robles, and with that comes some serious wine competition! Not only does the fair stock great local wines for folks to enjoy throughout the event (including a delicious Frozé that’s perfect for the heat), but there are also wine-themed nights at the fair, and a storied wine, spirits, and home winemaking competition.

Central Coast Wine & Sparkling Wine at the California Mid-State Fair:

All during the fair, the Krush 92.5 radio station broadcasts live at Mission Square with various winemakers and other wine peeps to showcase their wineries.
Gold Medal winners and wine industry winners are invited to pour at a special walk-around wine tasting at the Mission Square Stage on the first Friday of the fair. This Wine Industry Awards & Tasting night also features an awards presentation.
Great Central Coast wines are also poured at the Silo, and the Cattlemen & Farmers Day during the fair.
An Evening of Music & Wine is typically the last weekend of the fair. This is set up in the concert arena with tables that groups decorate, and dress-up to match, as part of a friendly competition. Many Central Coast wines can be bought by the bottle for your table, or by the glass for your seats.

There are two main wine competitions at the summer California fairs: the Central Coast Wine Competition, and the Orange County Fair Wine Competition. Keep reading to see the GOLD winners in both of these!

2026 Sparkling Wine Gold Medal Winners

1. PasoSecco Winery in Paso Robles (online only)

Congratulations to PasoSecco! They won Double Gold, Best Sparkling & Best of Class for their Cinsecco Sparkling Cinsault Rosé! They are a fun brand that makes Sparkling Wine in the Charmat method, like it is made in Prosecco, Italy.

Find PasoSecco’s Sparkling Cinsault Rosé, Sauvysecco Extra Brut Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling Grenache Blanc online, or at select retail locations on the Central Coast.

The Charmat Method is how sparkling wine is made in the Prosecco region of Italy, sometimes called tank method. This is an easier way to make sparkling wine than the traditional method used in Champagne, France. It involves This involves conducting the secondary fermentation in large tanks, and then pressurized bottling, according to the winemaker’s taste preference. This results in a crisper, fruitier profile that is typically served young instead of aging.

2. Rava Winery in Paso Robles

Rava Winery also deserve accolades! They won Double Gold & Best of Class, non-vintage Sparkling Wine for their Sparkling Muscat. Their Sparkling Grenache Blanc also got Gold, and all three of these got Gold in the OC Fair:

Rava Winery is Paso Robles’ first winery to specialize in estate grown, sparkling wines crafted in the méthode champenoise style, and also made in-house. They currently make 9 different sparklers, plus a Sparkling Negro Amaro. Opened in 2017, Rava Winery is located in the El Pomar American Viticulture Area (inside the bigger, Paso Robles AVA), which is south east of the town of Paso. The Gold winners this year are the Rava Sparkling Blanc De Noir, made from Pinot Noir AND the Rava Sparkling Albarino.

Details: all Sparkling Wines produced entirely in-house

See the Paso Eastside Bubbles Trail.

3. Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery on Paso’s Eastside

2022 Sparkling Blanc de Blancs – Best of Class & Double Gold. The 2022 Sparkling Blanc de Blancs from Steinbeck Vineyards is a lively, limited-production Chardonnay sparkling wine that shines with crisp citrus, fresh orchard fruit, and elegant bubbles—perfect for celebrating any occasion.

Details: all Sparkling Wines produced entirely in-house

See the Paso Eastside Bubbles Trail.

4. Laetitia Winery in Arroyo Grande

This year, Laetitia’s Double Gold winner is the Laetitia Sparkling Cuvée M, made from 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Noir.

Laetitia Vineyards & Winery in Arroyo Grande is the original Sparkling Wine House on the Central Coast. Its sparkling heritage goes back to the early 80s, when it was produced at the same location by Maison Deutz, a Champagne maker in France. Since taking it over in 1997, Laetitia has been the Grande Dame of sparkling wine on the central coast, with 7 different sparkling bottlings at various times of the year. The Laetitia Non-vintage Brut Cuvée got silver in 2025, Gold in 2024, and Double Gold in 2022.

Details: all Sparkling Wines produced entirely in-house

See the Edna Valley & Arroyo Grande Bubbles Trail.