A dozen wines emerged as winners from the 286 wine submissions from 48 Colorado wineries for the 2023 Governor’s Cup Collection. These 12 winning wines represent the best of the best in Colorado’s wine industry which is quickly gaining national acclaim. The Grand Valley, home to the highest concentration of our state’s wineries, was just recognized in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards as the No. 3 Best Wine Region for 2023.
“Here in Colorado, we are so proud of our growing wine industry, and this competition is an exciting chance to enjoy wines crafted from top Colorado wineries. These 12 wines reflect the innovative and creative work taking place in Colorado’s thriving wine industry, and I congratulate the winners of the Governor’s Cup wine collection, with each wine showcasing local Colorado ingredients,” said Governor Jared Polis.
The Governor’s Cup is an annual competition organized by the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB), a Governor-appointed board under the Colorado Department of Agriculture. A panel of 15 highly acclaimed wine industry members — including sommeliers, chefs, writers, and wine experts from around the country — did a blind judging event in August to determine the 12 wines that make up the 2023 Collection and select the Best of Show entry.
“The Colorado wine industry continues to produce interesting and innovative wines and both new wineries and previous Governor’s Collection winners submitted very strong contenders,” said Kyle Schlachter, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. “The submissions to the competition this year showed an outstanding array of styles and varieties, and as always, extremely high quality. Congratulations to all our participating wineries!”
The winner of the 2023 Best of Show award will be officially announced during the annual Colorado Uncorked event on November 3, 2023, at the History Colorado Center. This event will be the first opportunity for the public to try all of the award-winning wines at the same time.
“This competition doesn’t just generate medals; the Governor’s Cup is followed by further marketing in which the top-scoring wines are made known and available to the public,” said judge Sarah Trubnick, founder and Beverage Director of The Barrel Room SF. “This is a powerful component of a wine competition that is not always present, and I appreciate that the board is taking steps to further support the producers in this way.”
Five wineries from previous Collections are repeat winners again this year: The Peachfork, The Storm Cellar, Sauvage Spectrum, BookCliff Vineyards, Snowy Peaks. New wineries to the collection include Dragon Meadery in Aurora, Alfred Eames Cellars in Paonia, Restoration Vineyards in Palisade, and Balistreri Vineyards in Denver.
The 12 winning wines become part of the 2023 Governor’s Cup Collection: wines designated to reflect the high quality of the Colorado wine industry. The CWIDB will use this collection in the coming year to represent Colorado at marketing opportunities in the state, across the country, and around the world. The award-winning wines will also be used for educational purposes at Colorado winemaker roundtable discussions to improve the overall quality of Colorado wines.
During the public tasting event on November 3, wines will be paired with small bites from some of Colorado’s finest chefs. Tickets for Colorado UnCorked are $65 for General Admission and $135 for the VIP experience and can be purchased at Eventbrite.
