Western Colorado winery captures the essence of high-desert innovation with its 2024 Zweigelt.
Denver, Colorado — October 18, 2025 — Sauvage Spectrum Estate Winery & Vineyard once again proves that Colorado’s high desert is fertile ground for innovation and world-class wine. The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board (CWIDB) proudly announced Sauvage Spectrum’s 2024 Zweigelt as Best in Show and Best Red Wine at the 2025 Colorado Uncorked event, the public tasting of the Governor’s cup collection.
This year’s Governor’s Cup competition featured 251 wine submissions from 53 wineries, including entries from Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico for the first time in its history. Out of this expanded and competitive field, Sauvage Spectrum not only stood atop the red wine category but also claimed the overall sweepstakes, distinguishing the 2024 Zweigelt as the best wine currently available in Colorado until further notice.
Colorado Uncorked: A Culinary Collaboration With Distinction
At Colorado Uncorked, held on October 18th, the celebration reached new heights as Sauvage Spectrum was honored to have its 2024 Zweigelt paired with an imaginative bison tongue skewer dish crafted by The Wolf’s Tailor — Colorado’s first and only restaurant to achieve two Michelin stars. Under the direction of Caroline Clark, Director of Beverage and Hospitality, the pairing reflected a shared ethos of artistry, precision, and sustainability.
The Wolf’s Tailor operates as a creative laboratory where memory, travel, and innovation merge — a place where ideas are brought to light with intention and integrity. Their kitchen champions a zero-waste philosophy, contract farming of heirloom grains, on-site pollinator gardens, and certified sustainable foraging, with 1% of sales supporting regenerative farmland through Zero Food Print. The result is cuisine that, much like Sauvage Spectrum wines, transforms inspiration into experience — rooted in craft, driven by curiosity, and devoted to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
A Lesser Known Classic Reimagined in the High Desert
First created in 1920s Austria by Professor Fritz Zweigelt, this varietal is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. Traditionally known for its bright, peppery, fruit-forward character, Sauvage Spectrum’s 2024 Zweigelt reflects both its Old World lineage and the bold new frontier of Western Colorado terroir.
Judges noted the wine’s “ripe fruit in combination with peppery, candied quality,” praising its distinctive expression of place — a hallmark of Sauvage Spectrum’s approach. With soft tannins, lively acidity, and notes of black pepper, cinnamon, and dark chocolate, this medium-bodied red showcases how Palisade’s extreme diurnal shifts and alluvial soils bring out nuance and complexity in this rare varietal.
In The Cellar
The 2024 Zweigelt (Harry’s Upper Vineyard) was hand-harvested in the cool morning hours of September 17, 2024, by skilled seasonal vineyard workers. The clusters were processed with minimal intervention—destemmed into bins and managed with a combination of pump-overs and punch-downs to encourage gentle extraction and maintain balance. Following fermentation, the wine was drained and pressed to neutral French oak barrels, where malolactic conversion occurred prior to aging. It was racked twice for clarity and integration before being bottled early, on February 13, 2025, to preserve its lively fruit character and vibrancy..
Recognition from an Esteemed Panel
The 2025 Governor’s Cup panel brought together a distinguished group of national and regional wine professionals selected for judging — including Master Sommelier Doug Frost (MS, MW), wine writer Alder Yarrow (Vinography), and Los Angeles Times contributor Patrick Comiskey — to evaluate wines over three days at Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Hospitality Learning Center. Sauvage Spectrum’s Zweigelt earned a Double Gold Medal in the initial round before advancing to the sweepstakes, where it triumphed as the competition’s top wine, representing the pinnacle of Colorado winemaking.
In addition, the winery also received a Double Gold Medal for its 2023 Syrah, further solidifying Sauvage Spectrum’s reputation for continuously crafting wines that combine technical precision with the adventurous spirit of the West.
A Taste of Colorado’s Continued Innovation
At Sauvage Spectrum, creativity meets authenticity. The estate winery and vineyard champions sustainable practices, vertical integration, handcrafted methods, and independent distribution — avoiding grocery chains in favor of supporting local retailers and direct-to-consumer access.
“Our philosophy has always been to let the fruit and the land lead,” said Kaibab Sauvage, Co-Founder / Winegrower. “Zweigelt may be Austrian by birth, but here in Colorado’s high desert, it takes on an identity that’s entirely its own — vibrant, with a simple complexity.” Added Patric Matysiewski, Co-Founder / Winemaker.
Limited Release Availability
The 2024 Zweigelt is an extremely limited bottling, only 65 cases produced and available exclusively direct-to-consumer through the Sauvage Spectrum Tasting Room in Palisade, Colorado and direct to your doorstep via their online store.
Uncork the adventure that is Colorado wine.
Raise a glass to the state’s best — Sauvage Spectrum’s 2024 Zweigelt.
Order online: sauvagespectrum.com/shop-online
Wholesale inquiries: [email protected]
About Sauvage Spectrum Estate Winery & Vineyard
Nestled amongst the mesas and cliffs in the high desert of the Grand Valley, Sauvage Spectrum is a collaboration effort between Winegrower Kaibab Sauvage and Winemaker Patric Matysiewski. Uniting deep viticultural roots with an unrestrained approach to vinification, blending, and taste-making. Cultivating Colorado’s diverse terroir through sustainable and time-honored techniques, Sauvage Spectrum continues to redefine what’s possible in the American West.