While many Colorado visitors enjoy the state's Alpine skiing and other mountain activities, only a lucky few have discovered the area's Wine tourism. And yet Colorado is home to over 70 wineries and the highest altitude vineyards in the U.S. Trips to this wine region are usually one or two day jaunts, and combine easily with any Colorado itinerary. It can be a welcome respite from skiing or mountain biking, a slower paced end to any frenetic trip. Most of the wineries are family friendly, so don't be afraid to bring the kids. Like the rest of Colorado wine country is fairly laid back and unstuffy.
A visit to wine country is an indulgence of the senses. Savor complex flavors at a spring barrel tasting. Smell the bouquet and aroma of a Colorado Pinot Noir. Taste fresh Palisade peaches or Colorado rack of lamb at a food and wine pairing. See historic Victorian towns at cherry blossom time. Stay at quaint boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts. All of this can be enjoyed while surrounded by amazing scenery, ranging from red rock mesas to snow covered mountains.
Colorado's fledgling wine industry has exploded in the last 20 years. The high desert farming town of Palisade witnessed both the birth and rebirth of the state's vineyards.
The first recorded wine production in Colorado was 1899. It was Colorado Governor George A. Crawford, the founder of Grand Junction in 1881, who first saw the Grand Valley’s potential for grape production. Crawford planted 60 acres of wine grapes and other fruit on Rapid Creek above Palisade.
PLACE TO VISIT
Palisade to Grand Junction The wineries are clustered in the town of Palisade and on Orchard Mesa. After your tour, follow Interstate 70 along the Colorado River from Palisade to the foot of the spectacular Colorado National Monument just west of Grand Junction.
Delta, Montrose, Paonia & Hotchkiss Follow US 92 west along the Gunnison River. Turn north on US 65 and stop at the wineries along Surface Creek, on the south slope of Grand Mesa , the largest flattop mountain in the world. Or, travel along the North Fork of the Gunnison River on US 92 east out of Delta and then US 133. This will take you to Hotchkiss and Paonia, where you will find yourself in the West Elks AVA.
WHAT TO DO
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.
WINE TASTING
Basics of Wine Tastings
Horizontal tasting — lineup of wines made at the same place or from the same grape.
Vertical tasting — compares different vintages of the same wine.
Blind tastings— where the variety of grape and the vintage are concealed.
Wine tastings range from light wines to dark.
Tasting flight — Refers to a selection of wines, usually between three and eight glasses, but sometimes as many as fifty, presented for the purpose of sampling and comparison.
Don't just drink wine; look, smell, taste, savor, learn and enjoy. Tasting wines is an adventure that will grow your appreciation for both wines and winemakers. Depending on the size of the winery, you may need to pay in hard cash. In theory, you can pay by credit card, but the option is usually unavailable. Colorado's Wine Country is also home to many meaderies, microbreweries and hard liquor distillers.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - There are major airports in Denver and Grand Junction, and regional airports in Aspen, Vail and Telluride.
Denver International Airport , (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN). Commonly referred to as DIA. It is located about 20 miles to the east of downtown. Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines all maintain hubs at the airport in Concourses A, B, and C respectively. Most other major domestic carriers also have service here.
Grand Junction Regional Airport , (IATA: GJT, ICAO: KGJT), otherwise known as Walker Field, is served by six airlines with nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. Some service is seasonal. For private pilots, it is also possible to fly your small plane into the airport and leave it while you tour the area. Taxi service is also available at the airport.
By car - Montrose - US 50 runs east-west through town, from Grand Junction to the west and east to Gunnison and Pueblo. US 550 comes in from Albuquerque ending at the corner of Townsend Avenue and Main Street, in Montrose.
Grand Junction, Clifton and Palisade - Palisade and Grand Junction are on Interstate 70, about 40 minutes east of the Utah border and 4 hours west of Denver. From the South, (Telluride, Delta and Montrose), drivers can travel US 50 north.
Paonia - Paonia is 70 miles from Glenwood Springs on Highway 133. If you're in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park or Curecanti National Recreation Area take Highway 92 north. From Grand Junction take Highway 50 southeast to Highway 92 east for a total of about 70 miles.
By train - Amtrak serves nearby Grand Junction with the California Zephyr , which runs daily between Emeryville (in the San Francisco Bay Area) and Chicago. Amtrak and AAA partner to run several Wine Trains between Denver and Grand Junction each spring. There is no train service to the communities in the West Elks AVA.
