Three Palisade wineries were among the latest winners of the Governor’s Cup Collection, an annual competition honoring 12 wines produced by the Colorado wine industry.

“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,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “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.”

Sauvage Spectrum Winery received double gold awards for its 2022 malbec and 2022 teroldego wines. Peachfork Orchards and Vineyards received a double gold award for its pear apple wine. Restoration Vineyards received a gold award for its 2022 sauvignon blanc. 

The Storm Cellar in Hotchkiss and Alfred Eames Cellars in Paonia also submitted winning wines.

Most of the wines select for the Governor’s Cup Collection were made with grapes grown in the Grand Valley.

A total of 12 wines were selected for the 2023 Governor’s Cup Collection. The winner of the best of show award will be announced during the Colorado Uncorked event set for Nov. 3 at the History Colorado Center in Denver. All 12 wines will be served at the event and paired with small bites prepared by Colorado chefs.

A panel of 15 wine industry members conducted a blind tasting event to evaluate a total of 286 submissions from 48 Colorado wineries. The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board organizes the annual competition.

“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.”

The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board will use the 12 winning wines of the Governor’s Cup Collection to promote the state’s wine industry through marketing opportunities around the world.