CAVE Amateur Winemakers Competition
COMPETITION RULES & ENTRY FORM
Entry forms, fees and wine submissions are due by
Friday, October 24th, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Who can enter? The competition is open to any amateur home winemaker.
What kind of wine can be entered?
You can enter as many different fruit, honey/mead, cider, red, white, rosé, and other than standard wines (grape mixed with non-grape or wine with additives such as flavorings or spices), or fortified wines as you wish. The use of Colorado fruit or produce is highly encouraged. Wines using fruits fermented, aged, bottled, labeled, packaged, or processed in part or in whole by any commercial or licensed winery are not eligible for this competition. This does not apply to unfermented juice or grapes from commercial wineries or wine kits.
Event Format
The Amateur Winemakers Competition will be run by Monty Haltiner. Monty has over 20 years of experience in the adult beverage industry in Colorado. He became a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2007. From 2010 to 2011, he served as a retail representative of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, appointed by Governor Bill Ritter. He has volunteered to run the Wine Aroma Wheel at the Colorado Mountain Winefest and has judged amateur and professional wine competitions for several years. Monty served on the CAVE Board of Directors from 2015-2020.
Judging is done by blind tasting. Entrants will receive written comments from judges. An Awards Presentation will be held in conjunction with the VinCO Conference in January 2026.
How to enter the 2025 CAVE Amateur Winemakers Competition:
1. Entry form: Complete the entry form for all wines submitted. Include the year the wine was made and the residual sugar by %, if known. Otherwise use the appropriate term: dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. Two bottles per entry are required.
2. Fee: Each entry is $15. The first entry is free for current CAVE members. Complete the Payment Form and include the appropriate payment. Fees can be paid by check or credit card. Fees are non-refundable.
*Entry fees do not include entrance to Colorado Mountain Winefest events or registration to the 2026 VinCO Conference and Trade Show.
3. Deadline: Entry Forms, fees and wine submissions are due by Friday, October 24th, 2025, no later than 12:00 pm. All Entry Forms and fees must be sent to or dropped off at the CAVE/Winefest office. Wines can be delivered to any of the locations listed under #6. Please include a copy of the Entry Form with all wines delivered to locations other than the CAVE office.
4. Label wine samples: You must provide 2 (two) 750 ml samples of each of your entries. Labels are available on our website WineColorado.org for you to print. You will then need to firmly affix one label to each bottle. If you are using a wine kit, for ingredients please list the brand and product name as the wine ingredients.
5. Deliver entries: Wines may be delivered to any of the following locations:
- Grand Junction – Lil’ Ole’ Winemaker, 516 Main St, Grand Junction, CO, 81501970-242-3754, www.lilolewinemaker.com
- Palisade – CAVE & Colorado Winefest Office, 124 W. 3rd St, Palisade, CO, 81526 970-464-0111, www.winecolorado.org
- Denver – Bonacquisti Wine Company, 4640 N Pecos St Unit I, Denver, CO 80211, 303-477-9463, www.bonacquistiwine.com
- Aurora – The Brew Hut, 15120 E Hampden Ave, Aurora, CO 80014, 303-680-8898, brewmaster@thebrewhut.com
Clearly mark, ATTN: CAVE- Amateur Winemakers Competition
Incomplete or late entries WILL NOT be accepted
Awards Presentation and Luncheon
An Awards Presentation will be held in conjunction with the VinCO Conference in January 2026.
Entry to the competition does not include registration to the VinCO conference. Entrants are encouraged to register for VinCO to take part in the educational seminars, wine tasting and networking events during the conference. To register for VinCO: http://www.winecolorado.org/events/vinco/
Judges and Judging Criteria
Judges for the competition consist of wine industry professionals. Wines will be judged on color, clarity, aroma, taste, balance, and finish on a modified Davis 20 point scale. Wines using more than 75 percent Colorado fruit or produce will receive one additional point. Competition organizers reserve the right to reclassify any entry deemed more suitable to another category. Sparkling wine and cider will be judged within the appropriate category. Judges may refuse to taste a sample if two judges determine it to be spoiled or off. All decisions of the judges are final. Judging is not open to the public.
Medals/Certificates
Medal Winners of each category and Best of Show will be announced during the VinCO Conference and Trade in January 2025. Medals and certificates will be awarded to the winners in each wine category. Competitors will receive the judges’ comments on their wine electronically after the VinCO Conference.
Questions?
If you have questions about the Amateur Winemakers Competition or the entry process, contact the CAVE office at 970-464-0111, email info@coloradowinefest.com or fax to 970-464-0999. The CAVE office is located at 124 West 3rd Street in Palisade, CO.
Important Conditions and Details
CAVE’s Amateur Winemakers Competition is held to encourage amateur winemakers. All costs the entrant incurs related to this competition are solely the entrant’s responsibility. In submitting samples to this competition, the applicant certifies and agrees to all conditions in this document, to abide by the rules of the competition, and to accept the judges’ decisions as final. Entrant understands and agrees that CAVE may subsequently use the participating amateur winemaker’s name and/or pictures of the winemaker for publicity and/or promotional purposes without obligation or liability to the entrant.