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Chef Wayne – Videos and RecipesWine Tasting 101Did You Know? -- Wine CountryDid You Know? – Enstrom’s CandiesColorado Wines: What We’re Making
 
  GRAND VALLEY WINE TRIPPING By Lora Finnegan
That's what I love about Colorado's Grand Valley wine country. Sure, these winemakers take their product seriously, but they're also friendly and approachable, like their wines. Just outside Grand Junction, over a dozen wineries cluster on the mesas and alongside the Colorado River. But this wine region is small enough that you can tour it all in a day. So I've downloaded my route map, and planned out a driving route that hits the highlights. Leaving Grand Junction, I head south across the Colorado River on 32 Road/Highway 141 and drive onto the mesa. Carlson Vineyards is my first stop, where it's easy to get Parker Carlson talking about what it was like opening one of the first wineries here in the 1980s. "Those early days of winemaking were so much fun, it didn't
Continuing along the back roads, I find more small, family-run wineries, each with its own charm: Colorado Cellars, DeBeque Canyon Winery and Amber Ridge Vineyards. I swirl and – reluctantly – spit (hey, I am driving) smooth and supple Chardonnays and Merlots, chatting with the folks who staff the tasting room – often owners or winemakers. The route then dips down into the rustic town of Palisade, where more wineries bunch along G Road/Old Highway 6 like grapes on a stem. I take a side jog to Canyon Wind Cellars to taste some big-bodied Cabs and peek inside the valley's only underground wine storage (cool!). Then on to nearby Confre Cellars, St. Kathryn Cellars and the Rocky Mountain Meadery (making honey-based wines). At Garfield Estates, run by a couple of former tech execs who decided winemaking was a lot more fun than the dot-com world, I find a Fumé Blanc to die for – crisp and citrusy. Off another side road, Grande River Vineyards offers a free tour that takes visitors right into the vine rows to taste various
At Plum Creek Cellars, I ask owner Doug Phillips how wine grapes can thrive in this altitude, 4,700 feet and above. After he patiently explains valley microclimates – how the rocky cliffs and Colorado River help to moderate swings in temperature that can damage the crops – I think I get it. But when I ask about the giant rooster sculpture that stands outside his tasting room, he just shrugs as if to say, "Why not?" Farther down the road in tiny Clifton, there's tiny Graystone Winery, focusing on port; a side trip south on Highway 50 finds relative newcomers Reeder Mesa Vineyards in Whitewater and Whitewater Hill Vineyards in Orchard Mesa. A longer detour, west of Grand Junction, brings me to one last bit of whimsy – the grand French chateau-style tasting room of Two Rivers Winery. And, I think, "Hey, why not?" If you can name a wine after a prairie dog and display a giant rooster sculpture, then heck, anything goes. One thing's for sure: in the Grand Valley wine country, they're not afraid to have a little fun. If you go: Events: Colorado Mountain Wine Fest is held in Palisade the third weekend in September; call 800-704-3667 or visit www.coloradowinefest.com for more information. Wineries: Except where noted, wineries are southeast of Grand Junction, clustered around Palisade. Click here for a list of area wineries and contact information. |
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