The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB), a division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, has announced the 12 wines chosen for the 2025 Governor’s Cup Wine Collection. This year’s collection includes seven red and five white wines from nine different wineries across Colorado.
For the first time, the competition accepted entries from outside Colorado, including Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico. Out of 251 submissions from 53 wineries—including eight from Idaho, one from Arizona, and one meadery from New Mexico—judges awarded 22 Double Gold medals, 17 Gold medals, 131 Silver medals, and 68 Bronze medals.
“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.”
The event also brings back separate awards for Best Red Wine and Best White Wine. The winners will be revealed at Colorado Uncorked on October 18 at The History Colorado Center in Denver. This public event is the only occasion where all winning wines can be sampled together.
Judging was conducted blind by a panel of 16 professionals that included local sommeliers as well as national wine writers and experts. Among them were Caroline Clark (Director of Beverage + Hospitality at Id Est), Doug Frost (Master of Wine and Master Sommelier), Scott Thomas (Wine Director at Restaurant Olivia in Denver), and Tonya Pitts (sommelier and reviewer at Wine Enthusiast Magazine). A full list of judges is available at https://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.”
According to CWIDB officials, this year saw record recognition for quality with ten additional Double Gold medals awarded beyond those selected for the main collection. Judges also named Kold Prairie Mead’s Ethereal as Best Mead outside of Governor’s Cup honors.
Schlachter added: “The judges were very impressed with the high quality of Colorado wines this year — evidenced by the record number of Double Gold wines. These 12 wines should excite all wine lovers in Colorado and beyond.”
Tickets for Colorado Uncorked are available at https://coloradowine.com/uncorked/, priced at $75 ($81.88 including fees) for General Admission or $145 ($156.57 including fees) for VIP access; early bird discounts apply through August 31.
Of note among this year’s winners are four wineries repeating their distinction from last year’s collection; three others have been recognized in prior years; Blanchard Family Wines (Denver) and Mesa Winds Winery (Hotchkiss) join as first-time honorees.
The full list of winning wineries includes:
– Blanchard Family Wines
– Carboy Winery
– Continental Divide Winery
– Fox Fire Farms
– Mesa Winds Winery
– Sauvage Spectrum
– Stone Cottage Cellars
– The Peachfork
– The Storm Cellar
Details about all award-winning entries can be found online along with information about upcoming events related to this year’s Governor’s Cup Collection.
