A new contender has been crowned the champion at the annual Colorado Uncorked event. Colorado Uncorked is the premiere event of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB), which is part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Of the 14 wines selected to comprise the 2024 Governor’s Cup Collection, OBC Wine Project received the Best in Show award for its 2023 Colorado Red.
The Colorado Red is made from a blend of Cabernet Franc (63 percent), Chambourcin (25 percent) and Teroldego (12 percent). Each of these cultivars has made appearances in previous years’ Governor’s Cup Collections as individual varietal wines, but this is the first time this unique blend was submitted to the competition.
“We have many passionate and creative winemakers and grape growers producing award-winning wine all over our state. The judges were greatly impressed with the unique blend of the 2023 Colorado Red, not only for its aromas and flavors, but for the story the blend tells,” says Kyle Schlachter, CWIDB executive director. “Cabernet Franc is perhaps one of our best-known and highly acclaimed grape cultivars in Colorado, and more recently, Teroldego and Chambourcin have been more widely planted in Colorado and been recognized in the recent Governor’s Cup competitions.”
OBC Wine Project is located in Fort Collins. With 30 years of fermentation experience on the beer side of their operation, Odell Brewing Company, the team at OBC was inspired to start a winery in 2020. Their wines are available at many retail wine shops and liquor stores throughout Colorado and at their wine bar next to their brewery in Fort Collins.
The Governor’s Cup is an annual competition organized by the Governor-appointed CWIDB. This year’s competition included 302 wine submissions from 52 Colorado wineries and 14 finalists, two more than in every year prior.
The competition was judged by a panel of 15 highly acclaimed wine industry members, including sommeliers, chefs, writers and wine experts from Colorado and around the country. In August, the judges participated in a blind tasting, and the top-scoring wines were announced as the 2024 Governor’s Cup Collection in September. The Best in Show winner, the highest-rated wine, is announced annually at Colorado Uncorked.
What they’re saying:
“OBC’s Colorado Red is a blend that showcases Colorado-grown Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin and Teroldego. Using grapes exclusively sourced from Palisade, it exemplifies the unique qualities of the Western Slope’s terroir, where vineyards thrive in the high-altitude climate” – The Denver Post
“Hundreds of wine lovers got to sniff, swirl and sip Colorado’s best wines from 14 double gold winners of the 2024 Governor’s Cup Collection. More than 300 entries were judged by sommeliers, winemakers and wine writers.” – The Denver Gazette
2024 Colorado Governor’s Cup Collection
The wines that make up the 2024 Governor’s Cup Collection reflect the high quality of the Colorado wine industry. The CWIDB will use this collection in the coming year to represent Colorado via 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.
2024 Colorado Governor’s Cup Collection
- Alfred Eames Cellars (Paonia)
- 2019 Collage (Red Blend), Colorado
- 2019 Sangre del Sol (Red Blend), Colorado
- Carboy Winery (Littleton, Denver, Breckenridge, and Palisade)
- 2021 Chambourcin, Grand Valley AVA
- Fox Fire Farms (Ignacio)
- 2023 Fox Fire Red (Corot Noir), Colorado
- OBC Wine Project (Fort Collins)
- 2023 Colorado Red (Red Blend), Grand Valley AVA
- Restoration Vineyards (Palisade)
- 2023 Gewürztraminer, Grand Valley AVA
- Sauvage Spectrum (Palisade)
- 2023 Teroldego, Grand Valley AVA
- Bodega Dessert Wine, Grand Valley AVA
- Snowy Peaks Winery (Estes Park)
- 2023 Albariño, Grand Valley AVA
- 2022 Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley AVA
- The Peachfork (Palisade)
- Sarge‘s Sweet Red Blend, Grand Valley AVA
- The Storm Cellar (Hotchkiss)
- 2023 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Colorado
- 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Grand Valley AVA
- Whitewater Hill Vineyards (Grand Junction)
- 2023 Moscato, Grand Valley AVA