When our beer-loving governor declared this week Colorado Wine Week (June 5–11), area winos rejoiced. It’s a big deal when the most powerful politician in the state stands up for the local juice. Still, there’s a whole lot of PR and tasting to do along the Front Range before the masses start ordering Colorado wine. [...]
Category: "Vineyards"
A beginner’s guide to tasting wine in Boulder
Boulder is a lot of things. Hippy haven. Foodie epicenter. Outdoor mecca. Liberal island. Beer town. College town.
A culinary overload in Vancouver
When traveling, it’s easy to become a little obsessed with the food culture of a city. At least for someone like me who tends to have a one-track mind. So during my first trip to Vancouver, I went into culinary overload. Sure, I hit plenty of non-gustatory sights. There was a beautiful morning spent bicycling [...]
Alfred Eames Cellars
It’s rather unfortunate that Alfred Eames Cellars doesn’t have a public tasting room. With one of the only European-style wine cellars in Colorado, it’s truly a treat to stroll through the cavernous barrel room and stop into Alfred Eames’ library filled with a few hundred of his favorite bottles. It’s not to say a tour [...]
Anemoi Wines
Canyon Wind Cellars is one of the mainstays in the Colorado wine industry, having produced solid, Old World-style Bordeaux-style estate wines since 1996. Fifteen years later marked the time for a new guard of family grapes. Proprietors Jay and Jennifer Christianson released the first wine of the family’s second wine brand, Anemoi, in September 2011. The [...]
Augustina’s Winery
Gussie has a style. It’s not fine wine. It’s not pretentious. It’s totally Boulder. Winemaker and owner Marianne Walter (anyone who knows her, calls her Gussie) founded Augustina’s Winery in 1997, and she’s been making affordable, easy-drinking porch pounders in north Boulder ever since. In fact she even adds a simply phrase to one of [...]
Balistreri Vineyards
There is one thing to note before heading into the Balistreri Vineyards tasting room: The Denver winery has a never-ending wine list. Seriously. On any given day there may be four Merlots, a few Cabs, dessert wines, some whites and a fruit offering or three at the bar. The free sampling can easily include more [...]
Bijou Creek Vineyards
Bijou Creek Vineyards, 18969 County Road 11, Fort Morgan, 970-542-9538
Black Bridge Winery
Black Bridge Winery, 15836 Black Bridge Road, Hotchkiss, 970.527-6838 More: Reviews
Bonacquisti Wine Company
We can thank a radio station switch to country music for the birth of the award-winning Bonacquisti Wine Company in northwest Denver that is part of the Front Range Wine Trail. Paul Bonacquisti was working as a disc jockey during a format changeover in 2005 and essentially got shown the door rather than being asked [...]
BookCliff Vineyards
Old historical photographs will show you that John Garlich wasn’t crazy to plant vines on three Palisade properties in 1995. Around the turn into the 20th century, the area in the Grand Valley was known as Vinelands. And the photos show an area plush with vineyards that had long since been pulled up. Garlich, a [...]
Boulder Creek Winery
The 2006 VIP reserve at Boulder Creek Winery won a Jefferson Cup from esteemed critic Doug Frost in 2010, giving this boutique winery a ton of cache in the local market. The invitational competition featured 700 wines from around the U.S., and just 10 received this distinction including this 50/50 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon mix. [...]
Canyon Wind Cellars
There are two aspects that make Canyon Wind Cellars unique in Colorado. First, its birthday is in 1991, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the state. It is also an estate winery, meaning that all growing, winemaking and bottling are done on site at the Palisade vineyard. It appears Canyon Wind is the [...]
Carlson Vineyards
Twenty-two years in the business makes Carlson Vineyards one of Colorado’s most mature vineyards. It’s fitting it’s located in Palisade, which has been the pulse of the local industry for decades. After planting their first grapes in 1981 on East Orchard Mesa, Parker and Mary Carlson established the vineyard in 1988 out of a vintage [...]
Colorado Cellars Winery
There’s something to be said about being the first. In 1978, Colorado Cellars became the first commercial winery in the state to produce wine from Western Slope grapes, making its production the original Colorado product. Today, it remains the state’s longest continuously operating winery in Colorado, and also the largest with more than 20,000 cases [...]
Colorado wine road trip: Day 1
We had a few free days in the middle of the week, so it seemed a trip to the heart of Colorado wine country was in order. Sam and I made the three-hour drive to Palisade yesterday, enjoying the beautiful mesas and desert landscape of the Western Slope.
Colorado wine road trip: Day 2
We decided to put some more miles on Sam’s Subaru, heading south from Grand Junction into the West Elks AVA and surrounding areas. It was a good decision. We’ll be providing more in-depth stories from the trip in the next week, but until then, here are some observations and tidbits we picked up during the [...]
Colorado wine road trip: Day 3
Day three of our epic (okay, more like entertaining) mid-week jaunt to the Western Slope to hang out in Colorado’s wine country was our most brief. While the wine tasting and overeating was surely fun, Denver and real life beckoned. So after a super greasy breakfast at Starvin Arvin’s, we paid a quick visit to [...]
Colorado Winery Row
Just a few months into 2010, three Western Slope wineries came to a realization: There are more wine drinkers in Denver than there are in Palisade. Luckily, in 2006, the Bonacquisti Wine Co. found some industrial space on the outskirts of the city to set up a full-operation winery. The other three wineries — Garfield [...]
Colorado’s wine trails
Memory recall can be an important factor in tasting wine. If you have had the pleasure of overlooking a vineyard while enjoying its Riesling on a hot summer day, it’s a safe bet that particular wine will always hold a special place on your palate. Visiting wineries and vineyards is a fantastic way to learn [...]
Colterris Wines
Not long before producing its first wine, this vineyard had some pretty special guests: First Lady Michelle Obama and her kids. They were visiting for the main attraction, however, the High Country Orchards peach trees. Maybe if they swing through during a campaign stop in a few years, they’ll pack a case of Colterris wines [...]
Confre Cellars
Confre Cellars, a producer of fruit wines, was sold and transitioned into the Talon Wine Brands label owned by Glenn Foster. Talon is in the process phasing this label out. Confre Cellars, 455 Kokopelli Blvd, Unit A, Fruita, 970.464.1300
Cottonwood Cellars & The Olathe Winery
In the early 1990s, Olathe was known for corn. It still is today, but we can thank Diana and Keith Read for adding a little diversity. The couple opened Cottonwood Cellars in 1994, expanding the reach of the tiny Western Slope hamlet’s agriculture into the grape growing world. Two other winery operations have joined in [...]
Creekside Cellars
Creekside Cellars, 28036 Highway 74, Evergreen, 303.674.5460 More: Reviews News & More
DeBeque Canyon Winery
Founded by local wine legend Bennett Price, DeBeque Canyon Winery opened in 1997 but has truly been in the works since the early 1980s. Price, the owner and winemaker, is credited with helping plant most of the early acerage of Colorado vineyards, including helping Steve Rhodes get his notable S. Rhodes label off the ground [...]
Desert Moon Vineyards
Desert Moon Vineyards, 12656 E. Jamison Place #12, Englewood, 303-990-9463 More: News Social media: Facebook Twitter: DesertMoonVin
Desert Sun Vineyards: Redefining small batch
When you hear a winery owner say something like, “We bought our small acreage, and after witnessing the growth of the wine industry in Colorado, decided to join in the fun.” The date stamp is usually circa 2011. The bandwagon has been getting more full in the local wine industry with new vintners and entrepreneurs [...]
Dithyramb Winery
It’s noted often that the Colorado wine industry, as it stands today, has grown from almost nothing since 1990. With more than 70 vineyards and wineries in operation today, to say it’s been a rapid rise is an understatement. Perhaps there is no better representation of unexpected growth than Dithyramb Winery. Sean and Candice Bundy [...]
Four Corners Region wine trail
Way out in the southwest corner of the state is one of the premier, if unknown, growing regions in Colorado. The Four Corners Region is centered around Cortez, but we’ll suggest Durango is the capital and makes a handy starting spot for a wine adventure. While there are limited vineyards in the southwest corner of [...]
Fox Fire Farms
Fox Fire Farms, 5733 County Road 321, Ignacio, 970-563-4675 More: News and Mentions
Front Range Wine Trail
The Front Range Wine Trail consists of more than two dozen urban and suburban wineries that stretch from Loveland and Estes Park down to Canon City just outside of Colorado Springs. Denver and Boulder have the highest concentration. Often there is a small tasting fee that is usually waived with the purchase of a bottle. [...]
Garfield Estates Vineyard & Cellars
Jeff Carr seems to always be ahead of the Colorado winemaking rush. He started Garfield Estates Vineyard and Cellars more than a decade ago with the idea that the 11 acres (which has since expanded to 17) of grapes planted on the vineyard could prove, once and for all, that Colorado had the soil, weather [...]
Garrett Estate Cellars
The first aspect that is noticeable about Garrett Estates Cellars is its size. With just a 2008 and 2009 vintage under its belt, it already is growing grapes on 35 acres. With plans of adding to that total, the Olathe winery has the potential to become the largest estate winery in the state. Whether that [...]
Get your Colorado wine taste on in Denver
Sure, the full Colorado wine tasting experience usually requires a trip to Palisade or another Western Slope location, but leaving Denver is not a requisite to enjoying local wine. Four full-scale wineries and a handful of tasting rooms all boast Denver addresses, meaning it may only take a quick cab ride to get to the [...]
Grande River Vineyards
Owned by Stephen and Naomi Smith, Grande River Vineyards is perhaps the most visible Colorado winery in the state. Heading west along I-70 at the entrance to Palisade means a pass by of its giant sign just a few yards from the highway. It’s one of the busiest tasting rooms for that reason alone. It [...]
Guy Drew Vineyards
Cortez is known throughout the United States as a tourist destination. It’s home to Mesa Verde—the national park highlighting the cave dwellings of the ancient Anasazi—and is just a short drive from the Four Corners monument. And if Guy Drew has a say it in, it’ll become Colorado’s next hot wine region. Guy Drew Vineyards [...]
Heart of Colorado Wine Country Trail
Some wine trails are bigger than others. The Heart of Colorado Wine Country Trail is one of them. This massive collection of wineries and vineyards covers the two American Viticultural Areas in Colorado and everything inbetween. Plan on a few days to truly explore. The trail starts just west of Glenwood Springs, which is the [...]
Hermosa Vineyards
Hermosa Vineyards, 3269 3/4C Road, Palisade, 970 434.8766 More: Reviews News and mentions
Honey Jack Meadery
Honey Jack Meadry, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, 11755 Airport Way, Broomfield, 303-746-0193. For more: Honey Jack news Honey Jack reviews
Infinite Monkey Theorem winery
Infinite Monkey Theorem has accomplished something that pretty much no other Colorado winery can complain: saturation. At least in Denver. With his wine on more than 80 restaurant lists in the Denver metro area, winemaker and owner Ben Parsons has created a buzz—not too shabby considering 2008 was Infinite Monkey’s first vintage. Infinite Monkey produced [...]
Jack Rabbit Hill winery
Jack Rabbit Hill winery, 26567 North Road, Hotchkiss, 970.835.3677 More: Reviews
Kahil Winery
Fly fishing and wine. At first thought, these two don’t seem like typical partners. So it may seem a little counterintuitive to see a chail dry fly adorned to the bottles of one of the state’s newest wineries Kahil Winery. Winemaker Tyrel Lawson needs just one sentence to make the marriage of ideas seem as [...]
Leroux Creek Vineyards: Going hybrid
A funny thing happened on the way to starting a winery for Yvon Gros. The Frenchman found a way to be different, very different: By planting hybrids on his four-acre property that is home to Leroux Creek Vineyards in Hotchkiss on the western outskirts of the West Elks AVA. He started planting in 2004 and [...]
Liliputian Winery
The friends who made the tasting room pitch happened to be the proprietors of Leroux Creek Vineyards, and the Fairbanks seemed happy to oblige.
Only the idea snowballed.
Maison La Belle Vie
The heart of Colorado’s wine country features myriad personalities. There are farmers, retirees, outdoor enthusiasts and at least one colorful Frenchman. John Barbier is nothing without his heritage. Speaking with a heavy accent, he talks food, wine, life and more at the drop of a hat. He also happens to be a Palisade winemaker, producing [...]
Meadery of the Rockies
Founded in 1995, Meadery of the Rockies is a honey wine producer in the heart of Palisade. It was originally named the Rocky Mountain Meadery, and Glenn Foster of Talon Wine Brands bought the winery in 2008 and folded it into his comprehensive wine portfolio that also includes Talon Wines and St. Kathyrn Cellars. Winemaker: [...]
Mesa Park Vineyards
The story of Mesa Park Vineyards is one that seems to become more prevalent in the region. Family visits the Western Slope from the Metro Area, falls in love with the mesas, weather and small-town living, then buys a vineyard. Okay, this doesn’t happen all that often, but that’s the tale Brooke Webb will tell [...]
Mountain View Winery
Mountain View Winery sits on a property that is part fruit orchard, part grape vineyard, which would explain why one of its wines is part apple, part grape. The Ash Mesa is an interesting blend of apple wine and chardonnay and just one of the aspects that makes this Olathe vineyard unique. Owner Michael Young [...]
Redstone Meadery
Redstone Meadery, 4700 Pearl Street, 2A, Boulder, 720-406-1215 More: Reviews News
Reeder Mesa Vineyards
Reeder Mesa Vineyards has an endearing Colorado quality about it. The vineyard atop its namesake mesa has a one-dog welcoming committee that makes you feel at home as soon as you pull up to the tasting room. When parking your car, Trooper will sprint the hundred yards down the dirt driveway from the family house [...]
Settembre Cellars
Housed in a quiet Boulder neighborhood, Settembre Cellars is one of the smallest wineries in the state. It produces small batches of single varietal (often single vineyard) wines focusing on Syrah, dry Riesling, Sangiovese, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Total production annually is generally 500 cases, and bottles of each offering are individually numbered (1/428, as [...]
Skates and sips: A perfect winter daytime date at Evergreen Lake and Creekside Cellars
When was the last time you threw on a pair of ice skates? It’s not surprising if you say 10 years or more. As a quick reminder, the awkwardness on ice can make for the start of a perfect daytime date, whether it’s your first or five hundred and first. Lest we forget the classic [...]
Snowy Peaks Winery
Estes Park is known for a few things, namely it being the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and having elk stroll into town and hang out on the golf course. There’s also the matter of a hotel made famous in a certain Stephen King movie. And there’s some wine, too. Snowy Peaks Winery set [...]
Spas, green chili, wine and skiing: A weekend retreat to New Mexico
It’s generally not easy for a spa to be unique. Sure, some fall more into a luxe category that others, but the menus remain constant: massage, facials, head treatments and perhaps a complimentary glass of wine or tea while you wait. That is until you find a spot such as Ten Thousand Waves spa and [...]
Spruce Mountain Meadery
Spruce Mountain Meadery, 1218 Yarnell Drive, Larkspur, 719.351.4909
St. Kathryn Cellars
Fred Strothman decided he wanted to build a winery that, in party, would serve as a memorial for his mother, Kathryn. So he along with wife Connie planted grapes atop East Orchard Mesa in 1995, setting the stage for St. Kathryn Cellars, a winery that features still and fruit offerings. While they waited for the [...]
Stone Cottage Cellars
If the city of Boulder stayed small, Stone Cottage Cellars may never have been born. Brent and Karen Helleckson, a couple with Midwestern farming roots, spent a decade the People’s Republic before realizing they wanted to get away from the bustle and raise their children in a rural setting. In the early 1990s, they started [...]
Stoney Mesa Winery
Stoney Mesa Winery, 16199 Happy Hollow Road, Cedaredge, 970.856-9463 | Social media: Facebook More: Reviews
Sutcliffe Vineyards
There are certainly a few things to notice about Sutcliffe Vineyards that set it a part. For one, it’s a mostly estate vineyard in Cortez, making it just one of two to claim that distinction (Guy Drew being the other). Beyond that, however, it’s the approach to making and growing that begins to really tell the story. [...]
Talon Wine Brands
The name begins to tell the story: Talon Wine Brands. The last word being the operative descriptor. This Colorado wine producer is a conglomeration of four separate Colorado labels brought under one roof by Glenn Foster. It’s a mega brand, by local standards. Seems kind of California-like to house so many labels folded into one [...]
The four new things I learned about Colorado wine country
Sometimes travel writing becomes more of a race than an actual pleasant journey. On Halloween weekend, I spent a hair more than 36 hours in Palisade and the Grand Valley, meeting with more than a half dozen wineries along the way and leaving myself so strapped for time, I ate fast food. Twice. Add that [...]
The three best spots for a wine picnic in Palisade
Is there any activity more quintessential in wine country than a picnic with a cold bottle of white wine? Methinks not. Bringing a backpack filled with cheese and crackers, and a few fresh mozzarella and basil sandwiches to pair with a delightful Viognier is simply heaven. While Palisade still could use a cheese shop in [...]
The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey
The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey, 3011 E US Hwy 50, Canon City, 877.HCA.WINE
The Winos Best Front Range Winery: Dithryamb Winery (readers choice)
It didn’t take long for Candice and Sean Bundy to turn their suburban winery into a Colorado favorite. The owners of Dithyramb Winery, based out of their Centennial home, just started selling wine commercially a little more than a year ago and have already established themselves as local favorites.
The Winos Best Front Range Winery: Settembre Cellars (editors choice)
Wine geeks love exclusivity, which is part of the draw to Settembre Cellars. It’s a tiny operation in Boulder produce the best wines along the Front Range. The dry Riesling is the standout. That is until you’ve tried on of Settembre Cellars Syrahs. The Cabs and Chardonnays are no slouch, either.
The Winos Best Place to Sleep in Wine Country: Sutcliffe Vineyards (editors pick)
John Sutcliffe has one of the most distinguished personalities in the Colorado wine business. His British accent and love for food and wine come through in every conversation, which in large part makes his vineyard the best spot to sleep in wine country. Sutcliffe Vineyards is waaay out in Cortez, much closer to the Four [...]
The Winos Best Place to Sleep in Wine Country: Wine Country Inn (readers pick)
When the Wine Country Inn opened in 2008, it finally brought the town of Palisade a legitimate bed base, offering 78 rooms that compliment the handful of established bed and breakfasts already in town. The family-owned hotel, located along I-70, is within a 10-minute walk of downtown Palisade and three wineries, and offers nosh small [...]
The Winos Best Use of an Urban Space: Colorado Winery Row (readers and editors pick)
It’s safe to say that there are more wine drinkers in Denver then, say, Palisade. That simple fact can make it difficult for any number of the state’s wineries trying to get Coloradans hooked on their wines. Sure, a tasting room along I-70 in Palisade bustles with tourists coming from Texas, the Midwest, California and [...]
The Winos Best Western Slope Winery: Alfred Eames Cellars (readers choice)
It was almost a shock to see that Alfred Eames Cellars won the popular vote. Not for any reasons regarding quality, more so because this tucked away gem high in the mountains of Paonia doesn’t have a tasting room and seems to have little presence in the consumer’s mind.
The Winos Best Western Slope Winery: Garfield Estates Vineyard & Winery (editors pick)
When we look for a standout Colorado winery along the Western Slope, we look for style, consistency and a great property to enjoy those first two attributes. Garfield Estates Vineyard & Winery hits on all.
The Winos Most Fun Tasting Room: DeBeque Canyon Winery barrel room (editors pick)
Bennett Price is as integral a part of the early stages of the Colorado wine industry as anyone else. He’s helped plant many of the vineyards and worked with various wineries over the decades, and could probably write a history book about the industry. That’s why getting him to show off his DeBeque Canyon Winery [...]
The Winos Most Fun Tasting Room: Tie between Two Rivers and Carlson Vineyards (readers picks)
It’s not a surprise that these two tasting rooms tied among readers’ votes. Both Carlson Vineyards and Two Rivers Winery are two of the most known and respected brands in Colorado wine. Their respective tasting rooms (for very different reasons) are a likely culprit to any brand loyalty they’ve built. At Carlson, visitors travel up [...]
The Winos Top Winery in Colorado: Alfred Eames Cellars (editors choice)
Let’s just say the readers got it wrong. Alfred Eames Cellars wasn’t the just best winery on the Western Slope; it’s the best in the entire state. How did this winery in the middle of nowhere get to being this good?
The Winos Top Winery in Colorado: Bonacquisti Wine Co. (readers choice)
Paul Bonacquisti has cemented himself into Northwest Denver culture. The former radio DJ turned winemaker has built a perfect example of what an urban winery can be. It’s equal parts gritty and fancy, and it anchors the best $20 tasting experience in Colorado that is Colorado Winery Row. His Bonacquisti Wine Co. produces a lineup [...]
Trail Ridge Winery
Trail Ridge Winery is now closed. Winemaker Tim Merrick has since opened Zephyr Cellars in Loveland.
Turquoise Mesa Winery: A hard-to-find Broomfield gem
Sometimes it’s difficult to find a winery on the windy mountain roads of, say, Paonia. That’s cake compared to tracking down Broomfield’s own winery, Turquoise Mesa. While just a mile or so from the First Bank Center and smack in the middle of the ever-so-populated Highway 36 corridor, Turquoise is seriously off the beaten track. It’s [...]
Two Rivers Winery & Chateau
It’s a simple task, finding something unique about Two Rivers Vineyard & Chateau. The name gives that away. This property on the eastern edge of Grand Junction, a good 20 minutes or so away from the heart of Palisade and most of the state’s vineyards, showcases a gorgeous chateau nestled against a backdrop of Colorado [...]
Varaison Vineyards
Just a few blocks from the central downtown of Palisade stands a century-old Victorian home with rows of seemingly unkempt vines in its backyard. Welcome to Varaison Vineyards, where abnormal to the local wine industry is normal. Ron West, winemaker, owner and science geek, has been operating the family winery since planting the first part [...]
Verso Cellars
Verso Cellars, 4640 Pecos St., Denver, 303-587-9740 Secondary tasting room: 63 Cooper Creek Way No. 2, Winter Park, 970-726-9430 Social media Facebook More: Reviews News
Vino Salida Wine Cellars
To winemaker/owner Steve Flynn, the town of Salida thrives on the sense of community. Since 2003, he has been making wine as an amateur, often calling on friends to help stomp the grapes. When it was time to go professional and open Vino Salida in 2009, he figured what better way to make the winery [...]
Whitewater Hill Vineyards & Winery
Nancy Janes and John Behrs have split up their spousal duties pretty well. Behrs tends the grape vines. Janes takes the grapes and makes the wine for Whitewater Hill Vineyard. The result is a popular Grand Junction operation that took root in 1998 (literally) with the winery starting in 2004. With 37 acres spread across [...]
Wine, spirits, art and peaches: 36 hours in Palisade
There’s more to Palisade than wine and peaches. The Western Slope hamlet offers mountain biking and hiking trails, geological wonders, a distillery and brewery, art galleries and even a few good spots to grab a bite. Not bad for a teeny mountain town three-and-a-half hours from Denver. I usually come for the vino, but after [...]
Winemaker travels: Boulder Creek’s Thompsons explore Provence
Jackie and I spent about five days in Provence in a small village named Taradeau. It is located in the wine area known as Collines du Haut Pays. Provence is made up of several different wine areas that contain more than 600 different wineries. In France, it’s all about the terroir, or the local area [...]
Woody Creek Cellars
Woody Creek Cellars, Woody Creek Community Store, Woody Creek 970.922.2342
Zephyr Cellars
Zephyr Cellars, 982 Windom Place, Loveland, 970-635-0949 Winemaker: Tim Merrick More: News