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May 24, 2023 – When I officially announced during the May 18th Wine Board meeting that I am retiring at the end of June, there was spontaneous applause. I am not sure if that was elation that I am finally leaving, or an acknowledgement that I’ve been doing this for a long time. Probably both. And either way, thank you. Receiving CAVE’s Friend of the Colorado Wine Industry award during last January’s VinCO was a high-point of the past 23 years
I started in 2000 with lots of high ideals and great intentions of elevating the Colorado wine industry. Then the hard reality of our very competitive industry, the intricacies of government bureaucracy, all coupled with a more than healthy dose of legal complications, pruned my goals and intentions back to a modest level. In spite of the challenges, it has been a wonderful experience to work with all of you. Thank you for the great thrill and honor to be part of the Colorado wine industry for the past 23 years.
It has been a great privilege to watch this dynamic and exciting industry expand and blossom. I am very excited to see the new cultivars, styles, and trends emerging recently, as well as lots of new growers and winemakers entering the industry with passion and excitement. Although my memory has never been very sharp, I believe we had about 25 or 30 wineries in 2000. Now the Colorado industry is approaching 170, although out acreage still hovers somewhere below 1000 acres.
Applications for the CWIDB director position are now open online. This is an open, competitive process to find my replacement, with the new hire in place potentially about the time I leave. The application closes on June 12th. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to Mary Hunt, at mary.hunt@state.co.us or call 303-869-9006.
In the meantime, Kyle will still be the marketing coordinator and taking over many of the functions the director has performed (kyle.schlachter@state.co.us
Thank you all for the rewarding opportunities, experiences, and friendships over the past 23 years, all of which I will remember fondly. I will miss this industry as I ride off into the sunset toward the Puget Sound area in Washington. However, I will keep drinking the wine! I wish you all the best. Keep growing. Keep innovating. And most importantly, keep having fun doing it!
Sincerely,
Doug Caskey
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