Colorado's Wine Country

Desert Moon Vineyards tasting room & winery is now open to the public in Englewood, CO the Front Range. The vineyards are still located in Palisade, but tours are not offered there as of now. Grapes: Merlot, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Altitude red blend, SHIVER ice wine, and Cab Sav/Merlot blend Fireside Ruby Port.

Grapes: Lemberger, Merlot, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer. Fruit Wine: Cherry, Peach, Plum. Dessert Wines: Muscat, Cherry & Chocolate. Laid back, funky atmosphere with playful wine names: T-Red a Lemberger named after the Grand Valley's dinosaur heritage and Prairie Dog Blush. "No wine snobs" is their motto.

Grapes: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot. One of the best wineries in the area, founded by a geologist who traveled five continents to find the right terroir for his vineyard.

Grapes: White Zinfandel, Riesling, Merlot, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit wines: Cherry, Plum, Blackberry, Chokecherry, Peach, Raspberry, Elderberry, Pomegranate. Other: Champagne, Mead, Port. Founded in 1978 as Colorado Mountain Vineyards, this is Colorado's oldest and largest winery. Manicured grounds and a pleasant tasting room.

Grapes: Concord. Fruit wines: Cherry, Plum. Few things go together as well as wine and chocolate. Eat homemade fudge while browsing their gourmet gift shop.

Grapes: Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot. Wine bottle shaped signs mark the way into this vineyard. Back porch with patio tables for relaxing and taking in views of the surrounding mesas.

Grapes: Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvingnon, Syrah, Sangiovese, Riesling. In front of the winery, local artist Lyle Nichols has built a giant rooster out of rusty tractor parts and other farm implements. Enjoy a high ceilinged, Tuscan-style tasting room with granite counters.

Grapes: Chardonnay, Gerwürztraminer, Merlot, Viognier, Tempranillo, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon. Dessert wines: Claret, Port. Situated in a rustic, log-faced store front in the mouth of DeBeque Canyon, this winery offers a down home, personable tasting experience.

Grapes: Semillon, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah. A gravel yard, green roofed barn and neatly-stacked wine barrels at this winery. Tours include a walk through the winery and crush pad, where they will tell you about their vineyard, harvest and winemaking processes.

Grapes: Cabernet Franc. The winery's owners, the Neals, are 4th and 5th generation Western Colorado farmers. A latticed front porch, plus polished wood counters and wine racks in the tasting room.

Other: Port. A good stop for horse lovers and port, since this winery celebrates both.

Grapes: Chardonnay, Merlot. Fruit wine: Apple, pear, strawberry-rhubarb, blueberry, cranberry. This place takes the whole "My mother was a saint" thing seriously. The winery is named after the original owner's mother, Kathryn. Large yellow Victorian building within walking distance of Grande River's tasting room. Both are easy stops off I-70 for those pressed for time who still want to sample Colorado wines. St Kathryn offers one of the largest wine gift shops in the region.

Grapes: Semillon, Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot. Fruit wines: Strawberry, Cranberry, Blueberry, Pomegranate. Dessert wines: Muscat. Part of the Talon Wine Brand family along with St. Kathryn Cellars, Confre Cellars, and Meadery of the Rockies. With a rotating wine selection of over 25 wines, chosen from among 60 Colorado wineries, this is a chance to taste a lot of different varietals in one place.

Grapes: Chardonnay, Merlot. Dessert wines: Muscat. Other: Champagne. Historic Victorian gingerbread house on a street lined with fine old homes. Visitors are greeted by a veranda and an heirloom rose garden. Inside, the floors are all polished pine wood. An old-timey cash register sits on the tasting bar.

Grapes: Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc , Semillon. Awesome summer concert series of folk, rock and jazz on the back lawn makes this winery well worth the trip. Convenient location just off I-70 for travelers who don't have time to fully explore Colorado's Wine Country.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Port, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Riesling. Owners are big believers in minimal pesticides, hand picking the fruit as well as sustainable viticulture.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot, Riesling. Other: Port. Large windows with views of the mesas frame the tasting bar. There are benches, tables and chairs surrounded by a low brick wall on the back patio.

September

Snowmass wine festival, vino & notes - a wine, food & jazz festival in woodland park, colorado mountain winefest in palisade

May

Palisade “barrel into spring” barrel tasting second weekend

July

Castle rock winefest

August

Taste of grand county wine, mesa verde country wine & art festival, corks & forks in westminster

June

Manitou springs colorado wine festival, food & wine classic in aspen, telluride wine festival, boulder food and wine festival

April

Taste of vail, palisade “barrel into spring” barrel tasting first weekend

This is strictly a list of wine events; there are many great food festivals in Colorado, as well:

November

Denver international wine festival

Grapes: Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay. Fruit wines: Wild plum, cherry, apple raspberry, sweet apple. Dessert wines: Cherry Port. Winery sits on 4th generation orchard and vineyard. In the fall, let the kids run amok in a corn maze.

Grapes: Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir. This small family-owned winery overlooks the North Fork Valley from Garvin Mesa. Terror Creek offers visitors a chance to savor Alsatian-style wines.

Grapes: Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat. You are greeted by rounded, solid oak doors and a relaxed tasting room. Tours available.

Grapes: Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer. Fruit wines: Cherry. Located in an old stone building, the tasting room is also home to the Surface Creek Gallery, which features the original works of watercolorist, Dale Russell Smith.

Winery open by appointment only. Grapes: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc. Other: Claret.

Visitors welcome by appointment. Grapes: Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sangre del Sol, Syrah. The winery boasts a cozy vaulted aging room worthy of California or France.

Other: Hard cider and Perry. Located in an old farm house in the Surface Creek Valley of Western Colorado, minutes from the Grand Mesa. An unusual chance to drink fermented pear juice.

Grapes: Chambourcin, Cayuga, Chardonnay. Other: Port, Cherry, Rose. Luxurious bed and breakfast and restaurant make this a complete wine experience.

Remote tasting room for Jack Rabbit Hill. Grapes: Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc. Natural foods store and cider house smells more like apples than wine. Try the fresh produce while tasting.

Grapes: Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc. The owners are true believers about creating organic wines, using biodynamic methods of composting. An idyllic mountain vineyard with the West Elks Range as a backdrop.

Grapes: Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Gewurztraminer. The winery and outbuildings are constructed of local field stone, giving the place an established European ambiance.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Lemberger, Pinot Noir. Other: Claret. On Main Street in historic downtown Montrose, the winery is in the middle of an art gallery. Exposed brick walls and original artwork make this a memorable visit.

Cottonwood Cellars/The Olathe Winery

Cottonwood Cellars produces the label for the Olathe Winery. Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Lemberger, Pinot Noir. Other: Claret. A prefab building with beveled glass front doors, the simple setting belies the great wine to be tasted inside.

Grapes: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon. Named for a historic bridge over the Gunnison River outside the winery's front door. The structural steel framework in their wine cave was salvaged from a local mining operation.

Grapes: Riesling. The vineyards are within sight of the Gunnison Gorge, which lies just below the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

A small family operated winery hand producing Riesling, Viognier, Merlot, Cherry and Apricot wines. We also are a tasting room for locally produced Peak Spirits distilled products.

Tour the wineries and sample the vintages in a casual atmosphere complemented by mountain or desert scenery. The free tours and tastings are laid back, informative and family friendly. Colorado's Wine Country offers many complex reds and whites for serious wine lovers. Most of these little wine towns also tend orchards, so many wineries produce an assortment of fruit and dessert wines. There are a wide variety of sweet wines and blushes to satisfy even the most inveterate sweet tooth. Please note, not every vineyard offers a tasting room, while some open by appointment only. These vineyards are included because they are still available on wine lists and are sold at area liquor stores.

other attractions

In addition to art galleries throughout the region, Colorado's Wine Country is also home to several unique art centers, museums, theater troupes, orchestras and concert halls.