To help identify the best of the best, ASWA holds an annual wine competition, the largest in the nation focused exclusively on the wines of the East Coast. The competition covers the 17 states from Maine to Florida that border the Atlantic including Vermont, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Held in late summer, professional competition judges hail from all parts of the country and many facets of the wine trade. An awards ceremony on Capitol Hill is held every year after the completion of the competition under the auspices of the Congressional Wine Caucus. The perpetual Jefferson Loving Cup, designed by Tiffany in sterling silver, is engraved with the winning winery’s name and presented to the Best of Show entrant.