Carboy Winery of Littleton, CO, is accusing a Washington winemaker of concealing from clients that it produced contaminated wine due to gross mismanagement and unsanitary practices. The winery has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Alexandria Nicole Cellars of Prosser., Wash., violated a contract by supplying substandard “polluted” wine.

At the Western Colorado Research Center near Orchard Mesa, a new experiment is underway that could change how vineyards operate in sunny regions. Colorado State University is leading research on agrivoltaics—the practice of combining agriculture with solar power generation.

Wine lovers are inherently intrigued by terroir, for great wine regions are defined not only by their talented winemakers, but also by the landscapes that come to represent style and personality. What then of Colorado’s high desert plains?

Colorado’s wine industry has steadily blossomed into a small but vibrant industry with over 150 wineries. Though relatively young compared to its European and Californian counterparts, Colorado showcases a diversity of high-quality wines. Every glass of Colorado wine offers more than flavor, it carries a story.

After four years of knocking on the door of Colorado’s Governor’s Cup Collection, Palisade’s Sauvage Spectrum Estate Winery & Vineyard nabbed the Best of Show. The winery had made the “top wines” group in the Governor’s Cup Collection in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Of the 12 wines selected to comprise the 2025 Governor’s Cup Collection, Sauvage Spectrum received the Best in Show award for its 2024 Zweigelt (tsvai-gelt).

I’m finally home for a few days, and a chance to catch up and review some of the best new releases from a few of my favorite Colorado wineries. Many of you will find these notes ‘academic’, in as much as you don’t believe you can get the wines. Yet you can! All of these small family-owned businesses need our support, and can ship directly to most states.

Grape phylloxera, is an aphidlike insect that attacks grapevines with devastating effects. In Colorado, where wine is a US$3.9 billion industry, phylloxera poses a significant threat. In 2015, several vineyards on Colorado’s Western Slope observed that groups of their vines were not thriving.

Alex Castillo-Llamas is always on the move. He grew up as a migrant farm laborer, then helped open his family’s prestigious California winery. Now he is bringing that experience and work ethic to the hills above Hotchkiss, where he operates Fallen Mountain Wines. We had a chance to tour the property on an ATV, taste their wines and hear their stories.

There was a time less than a quarter-century ago when judges would turn their noses up at wines from Colorado, said Julie Balistreri of Balistreri Vineyards, a family operation based in Denver. The reputation of Colorado wine wasn’t always kind.

Centennial State wineries keep winning international awards and landing on prestigious and selective wine lists. Colorado is becoming the next California, but our wineries remain unpretentious and welcoming. Travelers can meet the winemakers and growers while relaxing by the vines.