A Guide to Colorado's Extremely Underrated Wine Regions

Colorado may not be the first state you think of when you think about wine regions in the United States. It might not have the name recognition of Napa, or even Temecula, but the Centennial State was in fact once a respected winemaking area before Prohibition (when the vineyards were ripped out and replaced with orchards), and today it produces excellent, award-winning wines that are worth a taste. 

More than 1,000 acres of grapes are grown throughout the state of Colorado, where vineyards range in elevation from 4,000 to 7,000 feet—making these some of the highest growing wine producers in the world. It also means winemakers and winery owners must learn how to work with and accept the unique challenges of Colorado’s growing conditions. 

“The first thing that I let people know when they're trying Colorado wine is forget everything you think you know about what wine should be,” says CEO of Carboy Winery Kevin Webber. “What you get with our wines is a sense of place, of what makes Colorado wines unique. We grow so many different things here, and because we're not in a traditional wine establishment, we can be innovative with the varieties and the styles that we make, so that we don't have to be fettered by convention.”

The Colorado wine industry is expanding, and with that comes challenges (like unpredictable weather) and growing pains, but a sense of openness to change, the desire for an adventure, and a feeling of community is what bonds the wineries together. 

“I think my favorite aspect of Colorado wine is that it is unpretentious,” says Restoration Vineyard’s Stephanie Brauns. “The approachable nature of being in a farming community, being around a bunch of down-to-earth Coloradans and tasting people’s passions makes for an unforgettable experience.”

Today, there are more than 170 successful wineries in the Centennial State. Here’s why vino lovers shouldn’t sleep on Colorado’s growing wine scene, and where to enjoy some quality wine adventures across the state.

Littleton
Carboy, the largest winemaking operation in the state of Colorado, is based in Littleton, about 20 minutes south of downtown Denver. The production grows its Colorado wine grapes in Grand Valley, which is about three and a half hours West of Denver. Carboy is one of the original destinations to focus on growing the Colorado wine industry. Today the business hosts four locations: one in downtown Denver’s historic Capitol Hill district, the Littleton location where the production facility is located, a Breckenridge tasting room, and the Grand Valley Estate vineyard and tasting room location. Carboy’s Littleton location feels like a classy respite from the city, even though it’s just 20 minutes outside of downtown. The indoor tasting room is rustic but chic—and outdoors, there’s a beautiful view of the mountains.

Palisade
Visitors can enjoy wine al fresco in Colterris’ airy outdoor courtyard space with views of the vineyard and mountains, or indulge in an intimate indoor barrel cave tasting experience. The winery has tastings, tours, reserved tables, and is located on the Colorado river.

“Wine is a very traditional thing, right? It's been around forever,” says Keenan High, Operations Director of Colterris Winery. “So, there are certain [rules] that every winery follows which are fairly basic to a degree when it comes to making wine. But there are a couple things that make it interesting. There's a reason why there are thousands of wineries out there. You can change up little variables everywhere from temperatures, elevation, heat, soil contents—even going into hybrids and different varietals that haven't really been heard of—they produce different wines.”

Palisade
As Restoration is still a small family business, Stephanie Brauns, Wine Club Director at Restoration Vineyards, says their team gets fulfillment from connecting with and giving back to the local community. Visitors can sip their wines among an open outdoor space at this quaint feeling but sizable 10-acre farm property which is surrounded by peach and cherry orchards backed by awe-inspiring views of the Grand Mesa and Bookcliff mountains.

Estes Park
Snowy Peaks Winery is a small, family-owned and -operated winery in downtown Estes Park. Visitors can explore over 30 different Colorado boutique wines, many of which are made right in Estes Park, using 100% Colorado-grown grapes from Colorado’s Grand Valley and West Elks AVA. Stop in for a flight or glass of wine in this relaxed mountain setting—or embark on a tour of the wine-making facility, which sits right below the tasting room. Snowy Peak’s wines are handcrafted in small batches “with love and care.” It can be a great place to stop and wind down after a trek exploring nearby Rocky Mountain National Park.

Palisade
Patric Matysiewski, winemaker and co-founder of Sauvage Spectrum, says the most challenging part of growing the brand is the lack of awareness of Colorado’s wine quality. “We make really amazing wine,” says Matysiewski. “It's just getting people to taste it…we're not in this for the money. We're really satisfied when [someone] is enjoying our product and in coming on our property, visiting and seeing what agritourism is like. That's, for me, the most fulfilling part of this job.” Visitors to this scenic Palisade winery can bask among the presence of vines and wines in the indoor/outdoor tasting space showcasing views of the gorgeous Colorado nature sights.

Fort Collins
Ten Bears Winery’s winemaker William Conkling began his “fermentation career” at a brewery in Fort Collins, but always had a passion for winemaking. So, when the opportunity presented itself to jump to “hibernating” (fermenting) wine instead of beer, he did. After conducting research on which grapes would, in theory, be most successful growing on Colorado’s Front Range with its unique climate, in 2009, it was time to plant the inaugural 480 vines. In the Spring of 2012, winemaking tragedy struck—and an unnaturally warm April followed by a freeze in May caused Ten Bears to lose its first “bud break,” ruining any hopes of a harvest. But the hardiness of the grapes that do survive Colorado’s harsh variations in climate are reflected in the strong spirit of their winemakers—and today, Ten Bears is successful in making a variety of solid wines using Colorado-grown grapes with an especially celebrated selection of reds.

Paonia
Alfred Eames Cellars is a family affair—owned and operated by a father and son team. It’s located at Puesta del Sol Vineyards, three miles south of Paonia, Colorado, in the North Fork Valley of Colorado’s West Elks Viticultural Area. This spot is known for its Colorado Pinot Noir—which is made right on-site—grown in the high elevations of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Visitors shouldn’t miss the property’s wine cave.

Gunnison
Buckel Family Wine is a small, family-owned winery tucked away in Gunnison Valley at an altitude of 7,000 feet in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. The passionate on-site winemaking team wants to create handcrafted wine with “minimal intervention” in order to capture the true Colorado's singular terroir and sense of fearless boldness, accurately reflecting the land upon which it grows. The team’s specialized winemaking technique creates a lower alcohol content wine that the Buckel team feels reflects the spirit of the local land—including all of its quirks and unpredictability based on the rapidly evolving seasons. Buckel sources its grapes specifically from small farms that are known to put beneficial environmental practices first and foremost and choose grapes that are already at their optimal ripeness (which usually makes additives unnecessary, and the wines are finished with zero sugars and natural flavors).

Fort Collins
The OBC Wine Project in Fort Collins recently won double gold at the Colorado Governor’s Cup annual competition. It’s an extension of the well-known brewery Odell Brewing Company (one of the state’s most celebrated beer producers), which was already well-versed in fermentation experimentation on the beer side but delved into winemaking in 2020. It’s located in Fort Collins, adjacent to Odell Brewing Co., and features a dreamy indoor/outdoor tasting space that is open year-round.

Palisade
The 100% Colorado-grown wines of BookCliff are made from 37 acres of grapes planted and overseen with sustainable practices (think: avoiding pesticides and using as few herbicides as possible). The vineyard features 14 different varieties, which, depending on the season, can vary in condition and opportunity to create something new using adjustments in technique for fermentation or aging. Bookcliff believes Colorado grapes “express the character where they are grown” and lean into the somewhat intimidating geography. The aim is to “make a wine that is true to its varietal character, and approachable now, but also cellar well for later enjoyment.”

Denver
Long before “canned wine” became a hot trend, this woman-owned operation acted as a pioneer in the winemaking space, purposefully breaking tradition to serve a more portable and sustainable (but just as enjoyable) wine. In fact, the winery was named after a mathematical theorem aimed at creating a sense of order out of a chaotic system. Still today, one of IMT’s pillars is to lean into the opportunities that come with counterculture, operating “with no vineyard and no pretense” but serving bottled, kegged, and canned wines from local fruit that aim to reflect the personality of the winemaker and those drinking the wine. IMT is located in Denver's artsy, alternative RiNo District in an urban space that embraces the local, adventurous spirit.

Cortez
Sutcliffe’s entire legacy of success was born from a tiny vineyard planted on a whim 30 years ago. The flagship tasting room is located in the magical feeling McElmo Canyon, which is 12 miles west of Cortez between scenic Sleeping Ute Mountain and Battlerock. Every part of the winemaking process happens on-site in this isolated location—and those who visit can’t help but agree the peaceful sense of seclusion gives this spot a sort of hidden gem quality for tasting the consistently award-winning wines.

Carbondale
The innovative Aquila Cellar team makes biodynamic, unfiltered “natural” wines that are only sourced from Colorado grapes grown at the highest elevations of North America (which Aquila says have the “highest vibrations”). The name “Aquila” refers to the genus of golden eagles that roost throughout the Western Slope and is meant to be a reflection of the respect the team has for the land’s native inhabitants. The team’s forward attitude toward responsible land management and simple, minimal cellar practices emphasizes unfiltered wines that feature a sense of “freshness over richness.”

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