Enjoy Colorado Wines

Announcing! One of the Best Kept Secrets in the World of Wine... Do you remember hearing that the best wines are now coming from California? Forget everything you've heard about California wine and listen, on my summer vacation I discovered one of the best wine growing areas in the United States. And it's not on the West Coast. As it happens, my daughter asked me to take a trip with her to look at a piece of property on the Western Slope of Colorado that she and her husband were interested in. She needed my expertise with evaluating the condition of the business that accompanied the house and land. "Just what is this business?" I asked her. She replied that it was a vineyard. I had to think of that for a moment. I have my college degree in horticulture and a vineyard has always been my dream. But I would have never expected this of my daughter. She knew that I have planted grapes wherever I've lived. A few grapevines in the backyard, one or two growing up the side of the house, or a couple hundred to experiment with when I've had the land to do it. Now, I was being told that she wanted to live my dream come true. I questioned her as we drove across the Rocky Mountains towards her new dream. Things like, "Do you know what this is going to take?" "Have you seen me struggle to get my grapes to grow under the Colorado Front Range conditions?" As we came down in altitude, entering the Western Slope fruit growing area, I began to understand her desire to own a vineyard and expand it to support a small winery. This area is truly a fruit growing delight. Vineyards and orchards flowing over the mesas of the Colorado Western Slope region. Cherries, peaches, apples, and of course grapes. Unlike the eastern side of Colorado, the Western Slope has a climate that is conducive to growing all sorts of fruit crops. The noble European grape, V. vinifera, is well adapted to this fruit growing region. Now listen closely! The wines I found being made in the small family wineries of the Colorado Western Slope turned out to be pure gems! Why? Because of the warm days and cool nights of this region. This climate is perfect for growing grapes and making award winning wines. There are also two American Viticulture Areas: the Grand Valley AVA and the West Elks AVA along the Colorado Western Slope. Each producing distinctive wines because of their slightly different climatic conditions. In Delta County, a cooler climate, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Gew