Surry Alumni Earn Wine Star Award Nominations
Three Surry Community College alumni were nominated for Wine Enthusiast's 27th Annual Wine Star Awards.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Wine
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Katy Kidd, Matheson Worrell, and Elizabeth Higley were nominated for major international awards in Wine Enthusiast's 27th Annual Wine Star Awards, which honor contributions to the wine and spirits industry. Kidd and Worrell were nominated together for Winemaker of the Year, and Higley was nominated for Innovator of the Year.
Why it matters
The nominations highlight the growing role of North Carolina winemakers and the educational ties between the state's wine industry and Surry Community College. Finalists were judged on impact, commercial success, brand vision, and trendsetting.
Three nominees were recognized in the 27th Annual Wine Star Awards, with Kidd and Worrell's Dynamis vineyards sitting at 1,640 feet above sea level in the Swan Creek AVA. Winners have not yet been named, and the selection was made by the executive media team.
The players
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast is a long-running wine and spirits magazine that produces the annual Wine Star Awards.
Elizabeth Higley
Elizabeth Higley is co-head winemaker at Windsor Run Cellars in Hamptonville and helped establish the North Carolina Winegrowers Collective.
Katy Kidd
Katy Kidd is a winemaker and co-founder of Dynamis Estate Wines in Jonesville, North Carolina.
Matheson Worrell
Matheson Worrell is a winemaker and co-founder of Dynamis Estate Wines in Jonesville, North Carolina.
The details
Nominees were submitted by full-time and contributing divisions of the Wine Enthusiast media team, and the executive media team chose the finalists. Kidd and Worrell co-founded Dynamis Estate Wines in Jonesville, which supports Surry Community College with barrel donations and discounts, while Higley directs all proceeds from her Demarcation Wine Co. label to a Wine Education Scholarship at the college.
Timeline
November 7, 2026: Surry Community College alumni nominations announced.
January 2027: Winners to be celebrated at the annual black-tie gala.
Culture Shift
The nominations reflect the long-running Wine Star Awards series, now in its 27th year, which recognizes individual and company contributions to the wine industry. North Carolina's emergence as a nominee-producing wine region shows how regional winemaking is gaining national recognition.
North Carolina wine lovers can follow the award winners through Wine Enthusiast's Best of Year issue and the January 2027 gala. The nominations also highlight Surry Community College's wine education programs for students interested in the industry.
The takeaway
Nominations like these show how regional education and local collaboration can strengthen a state's wine industry. Readers interested in North Carolina wine can follow the awards and the Winegrowers Collective to track its growth.
What happens next
Winners will be featured in Wine Enthusiast's Best of Year issue and celebrated at a black-tie gala in January 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on the Wine section for additional context on North Carolina's winemaking community.
More information
Learn more about wine education opportunities through Surry Community College wine program information.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mt. Airy News.
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