Uncorking Colorado’s Wine Country (Vail Daily)
Elaine Schoch - ThePour
September 26, 2024
Here’s your guide to getting acquainted with our state’s unique wine scene
Colorado is renowned for its Rocky Mountains, world-class ski resorts, and vibrant craft beer scene that’s home to 400 breweries. However, for wine enthusiasts — or those of us in the Vail Valley looking for a quick, unique weekend getaway — Colorado is also home to two designated wine regions, American Viticultural Areas and more than 170 licensed wineries to explore, 30 of which are two hours away in Palisade.
But what do you know about Colorado wine and its regions? Most people I chat with don’t know much, so given this valley’s proximity to Palisade, the heart of Colorado wine country, let’s spend this week’s column introducing you to our state’s wine scene.
One of the most distinctive features of our wine regions is altitude. The state’s vineyards are among the highest in the world, second only to those in Argentina. Most of our vineyards sit between 4,000 and 7,000 feet above sea level. The region’s high altitude and desert climate, characterized by warm days and cool nights, create ideal conditions for grape cultivation. This environment allows the fruit to achieve full ripeness while maintaining acidity, resulting in wines with a distinctive character.
While wine is produced throughout the state, Colorado currently has two official American Viticultural Areas. The Grand Valley American Viticultural Area, the larger and more established of the two, stretches along the Colorado River between Palisade and Grand Junction. With the highest concentration of wineries in Colorado, Palisade offers an abundance of tasting opportunities.
There are too many to try to sip in one weekend, but a few musts I suggest you add to your itinerary include Colterris Winery, Bookcliff, Sauvage Spectrum, Restoration Vineyards, The Ordinary Fellow, and Carboy Winery.
The West Elks American Viticultural Area, nestled along the North Fork of the Gunnison River between Paonia and Hotchkiss, is smaller but equally promising. It’s about an hour’s drive from Palisade. Some must-sips for your itinerary are Alfred Eames Cellars, Qutori Wines and The Storm Cellar. Both Alfred Eames Cellars and The Storm Cellar were winners in the 2023 Governor’s Cup.