Tuesday, January 26, 2021

2021 VinCO Awards of Excellence Announced


The Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE) just finished their annual VinCO Conference, which took place January 18-22 virtually for the first time ever, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. VinCO is the region's premier grape growing and winemaking conference and brings together top experts in enology, viticulture, and marketing.

This year's conference brought together over 20 speakers virtually from around the country to speak specifically to the wine and grape growing industry about topics ranging from tasting room best practices and Covid-era marketing tips to wine chemistry and vineyard management. VinCO also featured panel discussions, virtual wine tastings and almost 20 educational seminars.

"We felt it was incredibly important to find a way to host VinCO this January after the year our industry experienced in 2020. This unique conference brings together winemakers and grape growers from all over the country. It gives attendees the opportunity to learn and collaborate towards improving and expanding Colorado's growing industry," says Cassidee Shull, CAVE Executive Director.

The highlight of the conference are the Awards of Excellence, in which the CAVE members nominate the Grape Grower of the Year, Winery of the Year, and Friend of the Colorado Wine Industry. This year's awards were presented to:

Bennett Price
2020 Grape Grower of the Year 

Price is one of the original pioneers of Colorado wines and is responsible for many of the wineries here today. Over the past 40 years, Bennett Price through his vineyard management company, installed vineyards, managed vineyards and sold vineyard supplies, making grape growing a reality in the Grand Valley. Bennett is one of the trailblazers of the Colorado wine industry starting in the 1980's planting the first commercial vineyard on East Orchard Mesa, the Danny Bracken Vineyard. Bennett helped many people get their start in the wine industry by installing their vineyards in the Grand Valley, such as Plum Creek Cellars, Grande River Vineyards and Canyon Wind Cellars. He worked tirelessly planting thousands of vines driven by his enthusiasm to see the wine industry grow in Colorado. Bennett is also proof that hard work in the vineyard and drinking a glass of wine leads to longtime health!

Maison La Belle Vie Winery
2020 Winery of the Year 

Maison La Belle Vie means "House of the Beautiful Life" and owner John Barbier's smile is known for brightening up a room, making his guests feel right at home. Mr Barbier is also known for saying "life is too short for cheap wine" so to that end he makes sure his wines are high quality and come from quality grapes. The winery has grown since it first opened and has expanded into an event center and food establishment. Friday Burger nights are very popular! The winery has an atmosphere that embodies both country funk and french elegance. Mr. Barbier has always promoted Colorado wine along with his wines at farmers markets, festivals and events. During the shutdown, he took virtual wine tastings one step further with his cooking demos and pairings.

Monty Haltiner
2020 Friend of the Colorado Wine Industry


Monty is a true friend of all aspects of the Colorado wine industry. Throughout his six years as a CAVE Board Member and three years as a Colorado Wine Industry Development Board member, Monty has worked furiously to assist and support various committees and the activities of these organizations. As president of CAVE, he diligently pursued all items and actions benefiting CAVE and the industry. Haltiner has devoted his time as the Coordinator of the CAVE Amateur Winemaker Competition, growing the program over the years. He also served on the Winefest Committee, bringing many new and inventive seminars to the organization's largest fundraiser, including the Wine Aroma Wheel and blind tastings.

The 2021 VinCO Conference also featured the Awards Presentation of the Amateur Winemaker Competition that took place last fall. With over 110 entries, medal winners were recognized for their exceptional wines over the new virtual platform. Kathleen Ondrus took home the Best of Show award with her 2019 Peach Blueberry wine making her a back to back Best of Show winner in the CAVE Amateur Winemaker Competition.
Click here to view the full 2020 Competition Results.