Annual event showcases best wines in the state

FRANKFORT (Dec. 7, 2023) - Three Kentucky small farm wineries combined to win all five Commissioner’s Cup awards, the top prizes in the 2023 Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition and Commissioner’s Cup on Dec. 2 at the University of Kentucky South Farm in Lexington.

Reid’s Livery Winery, near Alvaton, took home its sixth and seventh Commissioner's Cup in the 11th year of the annual competition. Talon Winery, in Lexington, took home its fourth and fifth Commissioner’s Cup. Up The Creek Winery, in Burkesville, secured its fourth Commissioner’s Cup.

“I want to congratulate all of the Kentucky commercial wines that won medals, especially those that won the prestigious Commissioner's Cups,” Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles said. “Kentucky was home to the first commercial vineyard in the nation, and today it boasts 78 wineries whose products are continuing to grow in both quality and appreciation.”

The 2023 Commissioner’s Cup winning wines were:
• Best Red: Norton from Reid’s Livery Winery, Alvaton, Ky.
• Best White: Vidal Blanc from Talon Winery, Lexington, Ky.
• Best Rosé/Blush: Coyote Red from Talon Winery, Lexington, Ky.
• Best Sweet/Dessert/Fruit: Rhythm & Blues from Up The Creek Winery, Burkesville, Ky.
• Best Boutique: Norton from Reid’s Livery Winery, Alvaton, Ky.

To be eligible for the Commissioner’s Cup, a wine must be awarded a gold medal in the Commercial Wine Competition and produced from a minimum of 75 percent Kentucky-grown fruit. The 95 wines from 15 wineries that entered the competition were judged blind based on individual merit by five wine professionals from Kentucky.

In the Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition, all wines entered were judged and awarded based on clarity, varietal typicity, integration, expressiveness, complexity, and connectedness. In total, 73 medals, ranging from gold to bronze, were awarded to Kentucky wineries during this year’s competition.

For a complete list of winners and medalists in the 2023 Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition and Commissioner’s Cup, go to competition.kentuckywine.com/awards.

To help consumers discover the diverse tasting and tap rooms across the state, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has a virtual guide to the commonwealth’s wineries and craft breweries. Explore all the state has to offer with the free Drink KY® progressive web app. You can view locations in map or list format and earn rewards for your visits.

For more information about Kentucky’s grape and wine industry or to chart your own journey, go to the Department’s official interactive experience at www.drink-ky.com.