Colorado Uncorked Showcases the 2023 Governor’s Cup Selections

This event offers a chance to sip and savor some of the most acclaimed wines in the state

October 24, 2023

Anne Hebert,

Photo: Colorado Department of Agriculture

The History Colorado Center and the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board will host this year’s Colorado Uncorked event on November 3 at 7:00 pm. The event offers an opportunity to sample this year’s wines selected as the best representations of the Colorado wine industry. Small bite appetizers prepared by some of our state’s most acclaimed chefs will be served. The 2023 winners were selected by a panel of 15 judges comprised of sommeliers, winemakers, and wine writers from across the country. The chosen wines in this year’s collection feature Colorado grapes, pears, apples, and honey.

Photo: Colorado Department of Agriculture

Colorado’s vineyards are predominantly located in the temperate, high elevation river valleys and mesas in Mesa and Delta counties. The warm daylight hours of intense, high-altitude sunshine, followed by cool evenings helps the wine-making fruit to mature and build natural sugars while retaining the acids crucial to premium winemaking. This gives wines the characteristic qualities from where they originate and makes Colorado wine unique. Thriving wineries are now found in all parts of our state and they consistently win national and international awards.

Photo: Colorado Department of Agriculture

The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board is a semi-independent state board within the Colorado Department of Agriculture that encourages and promotes agricultural and enological research and experimentation. The board is tasked with developing maximum yields from lands suitable to the production of grapes for commercial wine production, promoting the marketing of wines and wine grapes produced in our state, promoting responsible consumption of wine, and integrating our wine industry as a part of the state’s tourism program. The board also serves as a resource for Colorado’s wine industry.

Photo: Colorado Department of Agriculture

“This year, there were 286 wine submissions from 48 Colorado wineries. The wine selection process is an arduous one that involves a day and a half of blind testing by the panel of judges,” explains Colorado Wine Industry Development Board Executive Director, Kyle Schlachter. Only the top 12 wines from the list of high scoring gold medalists become part of the Governor’s Cup collection. The eagerly anticipated award for the ‘Best in Show’ wine will be announced during the evening’s festivities.

Photo: Colorado Department of Agriculture

“Colorado Uncorked promotes the high quality and diversity of the types of wine manufactured in our state giving attendees the only opportunity to sample this year’s winners in the same evening,” says Schlachter. “Each year, Uncorked is extremely well-attended and tickets sell at a brisk pace.”

To purchase tickets, please visit the Colorado Wine website.