As winemakers from California, France, Oregon and more traveled from afar to set up for the Taste of Vail festival, Colorado wineries packed up their vehicles and merely drove a few hours to make themselves known at this year’s event.
Perched above the Colorado River, surrounded by Palisade’s prized peach orchards, you’ll discover Restoration Vineyards, where co-owners Linda and Gary Brauns grow six varieties of grapes across 10 acres opening to stellar views of the Book Cliffs.
Alexandria Fox relies on Colorado mead and wine festivals to share (and sell) her locally made mead. Fox is the owner of Dragon Meadery, an Aurora craft meadmaker that is only open by appointment. The mead is also carried in select bottle stores, restaurants and wineries on the Front Range, but Colorado wine festivals allow her to reach eager new customers.
Mom Juice, is thrilled to announce its official launch in Target stores across Colorado and North Carolina. This expansion brings the brand’s low-sugar, ingredient-transparent wines to the two co-founders’ home states.
There is no shortage of wine competitions across the country, but the Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology’s annual Amateur Winemakers Competition isn’t just about the awards for home winemakers. It’s about learning to make better wine. Amateur winemakers and the contest judges all gathered in a conference room at the Grand Junction Convention Center during this year’s VinCO conference in January to hear the winners announced, but also to get feedback from the panel of judges.
The Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE), is proud to announce that CAVE’s Executive Director, Cassidee Shull, has been recognized as a 2024 Leader in Agriculture Honoree by the Denver Business Journal for her role in advancing Colorado’s wine industry.
The beginning of March marked one year since supermarkets and other large chain stores in Colorado started selling wine because Coloradans passed a ballot measure that expanded grocery liquor licenses to include it.
One year ago this month, Colorado’s Proposition 125 went into effect, allowing grocery stores across the state to sell wine.
Local wine and liquor stores said the impacts were immediate, as customers shifted their spending elsewhere. Clif Louis, owner of Cherry Creek’s The Vineyard Wine Shop, said his sales over the last year are down 36% compared to before the change.
Elevation is everything in Colorado. The state boasts an average altitude of about 6,800 feet above sea level, making it the highest contiguous state in the United States. It follows that wineries in the Centennial State are similarly elevated—in both the literal and figurative sense.
The year is 1860. Thousands of miners are pouring into Colorado each week, perhaps pausing on arrival after an arduous journey to look out upon the Rocky Mountains. But these miners aren’t here for the scenery. Instead, they are hoping to get lucky, find gold, and strike it rich
Each year, The Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE) presents an Award of Excellence for Winery of the Year. This year, Restoration Vineyards in Palisade earned the distinction. “We are honored to be recognized by our peers, many of whom have inspired us. It’s great to be contributing towards increasing the visibility of Colorado wine,” says Gary Brauns, owner and “chief restoration officer.”
Each year, a panel of 15 highly acclaimed wine industry members — including sommeliers, chefs, writers and wine experts from around the country — participate in a blind judging event to determine the 12 wines that make up the 2023 Governor’s Cup Collection. These are world class wines with Colorado terroir.
