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.

Let’s get this out of the way at the start: I grew up in Colorado, and when I departed for California, I left a little bit of my heart behind in my home state. Despite my affinity for the Rocky Mountains, it took decades before I learned that Colorado has been a wine-producing state since the late 1960s.