The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB), part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, proudly announces the top 12 wines selected to represent the Colorado wine industry as the 2025 Governor’s Cup Wine Collection. The 2025 Governor’s Cup Collection consists of the top scoring Colorado wines – seven red and five white – from nine different wineries.
This year’s competition included 251 wine submissions from 53 wineries, including 43 Colorado wineries and meaderies. For the first time, the competition was expanded to include wines from Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico. Submissions from outside of Colorado included eight Idaho wineries, one Arizona winery, and one New Mexico meadery. This was the first year non-Colorado producers were invited to participate. In total, 22 Double Gold medals, 17 Gold medals, 131 Silver medals, 68 Bronze medals were awarded.
“This year began a new chapter for the competition, since we received entries from wineries across the Intermountain West — Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico — which gave judges a wider regional perspective and allowed Colorado wines to stand out on an even broader stage,” said Kyle Schlachter, Executive Director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. “The resulting Governor’s Cup Collection is a stunning showcase of excellence, with standout selections ranging from Aromella to Zweigelt.”
Returning this year are the Best Red Wine and Best White Wine awards (several previous years featured only one Best of Show wine). These winning wines will be announced during the annual Colorado Uncorked event on October 18, at The History Colorado Center. This event will be the only opportunity for the public to try all of the award-winning wines at the same time.
The Governor’s Cup competition is judged through a blind tasting, meaning that judges only know the grape variety or category of a wine and the vintage, but not the producer or any other identifying information. The 16-person judging panel was made up of Colorado sommeliers and wine professionals, as well as highly acclaimed wine writers and wine experts from around the country.
Notable judges included:
- Caroline Clark, Director of Beverage + Hospitality at Id Est who operates Basta, The Wolf’s Tailor, Brutø, OK Yeah, Dry Storage, and Hey Kiddo in Colorado;
- Doug Frost, Master of Wine and Master Sommelier;
- Scott Thomas, Wine Director at Restaurant Olivia in Denver; and
- Tonya Pitts, sommelier and wine reviewer at Wine Enthusiast Magazine
The full list of judges can be found at ColoradoWine.com/governors-cup.
"Kudos to the adventurous winemakers and grape growers who aren't afraid to experiment with lesser known varieties that have real potential in our climate,” said judge Caroline Clark. “It's abundantly clear that these approaches will define the region. It was a joy to taste through the 2025 submissions and envision a not-too-distant future where bright, balanced, and concentrated Colorado wine takes its place on the world stage.”
The CWIDB uses the Governor’s Cup Collection to represent Colorado wine around the state and across the country. The award-winning wines will also be used for educational purposes at Colorado winemaker roundtable discussions to recognize and improve the overall quality of Colorado wines.
“The judges were very impressed with the high quality of Colorado wines this year — evidenced by the record number of Double Gold wines,” added Schlachter. “These 12 wines should excite all wine lovers in Colorado and beyond.”
The competition and quality were so exceptional that ten additional wines earned Double Gold medals, and the judges recognized a Best Mead (Kold Prairie Mead’s Ethereal) outside of the Governor’s Cup Collection honors.
For an opportunity to taste all 12 wines in the 2025 Governor’s Cup collection, you can attend the Colorado Uncorked event, which pairs the winning wines with small bites from some of Colorado’s finest chefs.
Tickets for Colorado Uncorked are $75 ($81.88 including fees) for General Admission and $145 ($156.57 including fees) for the VIP experience and can be purchased at ColoradoWine.com. The VIP experience includes early entry, access to the VIP-only area, and additional samples of library wines along with more food options. Early Bird pricing of $65 ($71.21 including fees) for General Admission tickets is available through August 31. Complete information can be found at Uncorked - Colorado Wine.
Of the nine wineries represented, four repeat the distinction of being in the Governor's Cup Collection from the 2024 Collection. They join three wineries recognized in previous years’ Collections, as well as two wineries, Blanchard Family Wines and Mesa Winds Winery, honored for the very first time.
2025 Colorado Governor’s Cup Collection
Blanchard Family Wines (Denver)
2024 Zweigelt, Grand Valley AVA
Carboy Winery (Littleton, Denver, Breckenridge, and Palisade)
2022 Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley AVA
Continental Divide Winery (Fairplay)
2023 Rkatsiteli, Grand Valley AVA
Fox Fire Farms (Ignacio)
2024 Aromella, Colorado
Mesa Winds Winery (Hotchkiss)
2023 Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley AVA
2023 Petit Verdot, Grand Valley AVA
Sauvage Spectrum (Palisade)
2024 Zweigelt, Grand Valley AVA
Stone Cottage Cellars (Paonia)
2022 Petite Sirah, Grand Valley AVA
2024 Pinot Gris, West Elks AVA
The Peachfork (Palisade)
2023 Chambourcin, Grand Valley AVA
The Storm Cellar (Hotchkiss)
2024 Albariño, Grand Valley AVA
2023 Grüner Veltliner, Grand Valley AVA
Colorado Uncorked Event Information
Saturday, October 18, 2025
VIP Entrance: 6:00 p.m.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
History Colorado Center
1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
Ticket prices and more information at ColoradoWine.com/Uncorked
Images of the wines selected for the 2025 Governor’s Cup Collection.
View all medals awarded at the competition.
