— Global Recognition Awards has named Toilet Wine a recipient of a 2026 Global Recognition Award, awarding the Los Angeles beverage company Startup of the Year for the product decisions behind its debut wine and ready-to-drink lineup.
The award recognizes a company that established the quality of its wine before building the brand around it. Toilet Wine introduced a California rosé in a handcrafted, toilet-shaped glass bottle inspired by the Prohibition-era legend of bootleggers concealing wine in toilet tanks, using the design as an entry point rather than a substitute for what was inside.
“We wanted people to try it because of the bottle and stay because of what’s inside,” said David Shumsky, co-founder of Toilet Wine.
The company was founded by Shumsky, Eddi Rimpo and Nick Yap. Its first run of individually handcrafted bottles, produced and sold by The Blending Lab Winery in Los Angeles exclusively for the brand—is now fully committed. The next phase will bring the brand into cans, with a Yuzu Blood Orange wine-based cocktail followed by a canned rosé as Toilet Wine builds toward a broader retail launch.
Global Recognition Awards evaluates nominees using the Rasch model, a measurement method that places applicants on a single linear scale so companies excelling in different areas can be compared directly. Toilet Wine scored at the top of that scale for innovation, with the review panel reaching consensus that the brand represents a new approach to category disruption rather than a short-lived stunt.
“Toilet Wine stands out because it made the harder choices early, building quality into the product before building the brand around it,” said Alex Sterling, spokesperson for Global Recognition Awards. “That sequence is exactly what separates startups with staying power from those that fade after the first wave of attention.”
The sequencing argument is the basis of the award. Rather than sourcing an inexpensive base wine to sit behind a novelty package, the company settled the liquid first and designed the bottle second, then contracted production to an established Los Angeles winery rather than acquiring facilities of its own.
That order of operations carries commercial risk. A first edition capped by hand production cannot be scaled on demand, and the brand’s canned products enter a retail market where category growth is uneven. Toilet Wine is betting that buyers who arrive for the bottle return for the wine.
“If the drink wasn’t good, none of the rest of it would matter,” Shumsky said.
Global Recognition Awards noted that this recognition may not be the last the company receives as it continues to grow.
About Global Recognition Awards
Global Recognition Awards is an international organization that recognizes exceptional companies and individuals who have significantly contributed to their industry. Recipients are assessed against a standardized scale rather than ranked against a fixed quota, allowing companies of different sizes and sectors to be evaluated on comparable terms.
About Toilet Wine
Toilet Wine is a Los Angeles beverage brand producing California wine and wine-based cocktails. Its first edition, a limited-batch California rosé in a handcrafted toilet-shaped bottle, is now fully committed. A Yuzu Blood Orange wine-based cocktail and canned rosé will follow as the brand builds toward a broader retail launch. Toilet Wine Limited Batch Rosé is produced and sold by The Blending Lab Winery in Los Angeles, made exclusively for Toilet Wine.
Contact Info:
Name: David Shumsky
Email: Send Email
Organization: Toilet Wine
Website: https://toiletwine.com/
Release ID: 89204075
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