Volcanic Wine Awards | The Jancis Robinson Story

Colorado wine reaches new heights

Thursday 21 August 2025 • 3 min read
Sutcliffe Vineyards credit John Fielder

Experience, determination and new talent are paying off in this young wine region. Alder reports on the annual Governor’s Cup competition. Above, Sutcliffe Vineyards in Cortez, Colorado (photo by John Fielder, courtesy of the Colorado Wine Board).

Let’s get this out of the way at the start: I grew up in Colorado, and when I departed for California, I left a little bit of my heart behind in my home state. Despite my affinity for the Rocky Mountains, it took decades before I learned that Colorado has been a wine-producing state since the late 1960s, when Dr Gerald Ivancie, an...

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