Paul Kushner
Colorado may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about wine, but the state has quietly built a wine scene worth paying attention to. With over 100 commercial wineries spread across the state, from mountain towns to busy city neighborhoods, there is a lot to see and taste here. The Rocky Mountains bring warm days, cool nights, and low humidity, conditions that help grow wine grapes with the kind of complex character needed to produce award-winning bottles. Colorado also sits at an average altitude of about 6,800 feet above sea level, making it the highest contiguous state in the US, and that elevation plays a big role in how the grapes grow and how the wine turns out.
The state has two official American Viticultural Areas, the Grand Valley AVA and the West Elks AVA, which together account for about 90 percent of Colorado’s wine production. Whether you are a longtime wine lover or just getting started, this list of wineries in Colorado gives you a great place to begin planning your next trip.
#30 – Mountain Spirit Winery
Mountain Spirit Winery is a family-owned and operated boutique winery located in the Upper Arkansas River Valley near Salida, Colorado, sitting at an elevation of 8,200 feet. The winery sits on five acres of farmland surrounded by apple orchards and stunning views of 14,000-foot mountain peaks, making it one of the more scenic winery settings in the state. Because of its high elevation, the winery sources its grapes from Western Slope vineyards in Colorado, and currently produces around 2,700 cases of wine each year. The lineup includes both grape wines and fruit wines, with some unique blends that set it apart from more traditional wineries. Free tastings are available, and case discounts are offered to those who buy in bulk. Visitors can also enjoy winery tours that walk through the winemaking process.
#29 – Sweet Heart Winery
Sweet Heart Winery is an eight-acre winery and event center located in Loveland, Colorado, sitting at the base of the Rocky Mountains along a scenic riverfront setting. The winery produces hand-crafted, small-lot wines using grapes sourced from some of California’s finest growing regions, with a current lineup of seven reds and five whites. The tasting room is open most days of the week, giving both locals and out-of-town visitors a relaxed spot to try wine flights while taking in the surrounding mountain views. Beyond wine tasting, the property is a popular venue for weddings, corporate gatherings, and private events, with a private barrel room that can accommodate groups of up to 200 people. The winery also offers a wine club with priority access and special pricing for members. It has been recognized as one of the top wineries in Northern Colorado by several local publications.
#28 – Blue Beryl Winery
Located at the base of Mt. Garfield in Palisade, Colorado, Blue Beryl Winery is a small boutique estate winery with a story that feels genuinely personal. It is owned and operated by a mother-daughter team, with winemaker Courtney having grown up on the very property where the vineyard now sits. She began managing the vines in 2011, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University in 2017, and produced her first wine under the Blue Beryl name in 2019. What makes this place stand out is that Courtney does it all, from growing and harvesting the grapes to designing the bottle labels herself. The winery focuses on traditional dry wines with a local Palisade character. Visitors often praise the tasting room for its modern feel and stunning views of the surrounding cliffs and mountains, making it a spot that is easy to remember.
#27 – Bigsby’s Folly
Bigsby’s Folly is a full-production craft winery and restaurant located at 3563 Wazee Street in Denver’s River North Art District, also known as RiNo. It is housed in a beautifully restored historic building that features 30-foot ceilings and a Roaring 20s-inspired atmosphere that makes it stand out from most wineries in the state. The winery sources its grapes from well-regarded vineyards in California and focuses on making wine that is both approachable and well-crafted. Guests can enjoy wine by the taste, glass, or bottle, along with a full food menu and weekend brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays. One of the more popular offerings here is the private blending session, where visitors get to create and take home their own custom bottle. With over 7,000 square feet of space and four distinctive dining areas, it also works well as an event venue for groups ranging from 12 to over 300 people.
#26 – Peachfork Orchards & Vineyard
Peachfork Orchards & Vineyard is a family-owned estate winery located in Palisade, Colorado, sitting high on the Colorado Plateau. What makes this place unique is that it is both an orchard and a winery, growing apples, peaches, pears, and wine grapes all on the same property. The sunny days and cool nights of the area create great growing conditions, and the results show in the quality of their estate wines. Several of their wines have picked up notable awards, including Double Gold and Gold wins at the Colorado Governors Cup. The tasting room is open most days of the week, and during August, visitors can enjoy a u-pick fruit experience on the grounds. It is the kind of place that gives you a well-rounded look at what Colorado agriculture and winemaking can produce together in one spot.
#25 – Sutcliffe Vineyards
Sutcliffe Vineyards is a 36-acre estate winery located in McElmo Canyon, about 12 miles west of Cortez in Southwest Colorado. It sits at 5,340 feet above sea level, surrounded by the Sleeping Ute Mountain and the dramatic cliffs of Battlerock, making it one of the more striking settings you will find at any winery in the state. The vineyard grows Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petit Verdot, with all grapes hand-picked and processed on site. It has earned a strong reputation for quality, with multiple wines scoring 90 points or higher from Wine Enthusiast, and recognition as one of the top 500 wine producers in the United States. Visitors can book guided vineyard tours, seated tastings, and curated food and wine pairing experiences. The winery also has a second tasting room in downtown Durango for those who cannot make the trip out to the canyon.
#24 – Silver Vines Winery
Silver Vines Winery is a family-owned winery with two locations in Colorado, one in Olde Town Arvada and another in downtown Boulder. It operates as a full-production winery with its own tanks, barrels, and wine equipment all on site. The winery sources grapes from Colorado, California, and Washington growers each harvest season, and ages its wines in French oak barrels. It has picked up several awards at both the New York Wine Competition and the International San Francisco Wine Competition, earning Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. The tasting room is open seven days a week, where guests can try wine flights, order by the glass, or take bottles home. For those who visit regularly, the winery offers a wine club with three membership levels that include monthly or bi-monthly bottles and discounts on purchases.
#23 – Blanchard Family Wines
Blanchard Family Wines is a family-owned winery with Colorado locations in Denver and Golden, as well as its original home base in Healdsburg, California. The Denver tasting room is located inside the Dairy Block in the LoDo neighborhood, making it a convenient stop in one of the city’s most well-known areas. The winery focuses on small-batch, limited-production wines sourced from top vineyards in Sonoma Valley, California, as well as select Colorado appellations. Guests can build their own wine flight, pair a bottle with a cheese and charcuterie board, or pick up a bottle to take home. The winery also carries a wide selection of wines from other Colorado producers, making it a good spot to get a broader taste of what the state has to offer.
#22 – Colorado Cellars Winery
Colorado Cellars Winery holds the title of being Colorado’s oldest, largest, and most award-winning winery, located in Palisade. It is a fully family-owned and operated business where winemaking is truly a way of life, as the team grows their own grapes and fruit, keeps bees for honey wine, and personally makes, bottles, and even delivers their wines. The winery produces a wide range of options including grape wines, fruit wines, meads, port, and champagne, giving visitors plenty to try during a tasting. With over a thousand winemaking awards earned over the years, it has built a strong reputation not just in Colorado but on a national level, having been picked by Wine Business Monthly as one of America’s largest independent wineries. The tasting room offers both indoor and outdoor seating, making it a comfortable stop no matter the season.
#21 – Fox Fire Farms Winery
Fox Fire Farms Winery is the only commercial vineyard and winery in the Durango and Pagosa Springs area, located in Ignacio, Colorado. It sits on a 910-acre livestock farm at an elevation of 6,500 feet, making it one of the few wineries in the western United States producing wine from cold climate hybrid grape varieties. The vineyard grows unique varieties such as Marquette, Corot Noir, Traminette, Brianna, Petite Pearl, and Vignoles, which are specially suited to handle low temperatures and high elevation growing conditions. The winery has built a strong reputation for quality, earning multiple awards at state and national wine competitions over the years. From June through September, the farm hosts Friday Night events featuring live music and food trucks, making it a fun outing for all kinds of visitors.
#20 – Graystone Winery
Graystone Winery is a small boutique winery located in Clifton, Colorado, just outside of Palisade, and is part of the Grand Valley AVA. What makes this winery truly stand out is that it is the only Port house in Colorado, focusing entirely on producing port wines rather than the more common table wines found at other wineries in the state. Their lineup features ruby red ports as well as Lipizzan, a unique white port, all of which develop complex aromas and flavors that pair well with cheeses, nuts, and chocolate. The winery grows Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes on its vineyards. Visitors are greeted by a charming tasting room with a distinctive purple door and detailed stonework. Beyond tastings, the winery also has a gift shop and participates in local events such as the Grand Valley AVA’s Barrel into Spring and the Colorado Mountain Wine Festival.
#19 – The Ordinary Fellow
The Ordinary Fellow is a family-owned craft winery located in downtown Palisade, Colorado, set inside a converted historic peach packing shed in the heart of the Grand Valley AVA. The winery focuses on small-batch, minimal-intervention wines made from classic French varietals, with grapes sourced from regeneratively farmed vineyards in Southwest Colorado and Utah that are never sprayed and always hand-harvested. Their wines have gained national and international recognition, appearing on the wine lists of Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury resorts across the country. The tasting room features a large shaded patio with views of the Grand Valley, and rotating local food trucks are frequently on site. The winery also offers a wine club with quarterly pick-up events held at unique locations around Colorado.
#18 – Sauvage Spectrum
Sauvage Spectrum is a 100% estate-grown and bottled winery located in Palisade, Colorado, within the Grand Valley AVA. The winery grows over 26 grape varietals across 60 acres of vineyard, with all grapes hand-harvested and processed on site with minimal interference in the cellar. It has built a strong reputation as Colorado’s original sparkling wine producer, using techniques borrowed from Champagne, Prosecco, and even the beer industry to create a style that is uniquely its own. Beyond sparkling wines, the winery also produces a growing lineup of still red and white blends. All wines are organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Visitors get a one-of-a-kind tasting experience inside the production facility itself, surrounded by working equipment and vineyards. Winery tours, wine club memberships, and bottle purchases are all available on site.
#17 – Restoration Vineyards
Restoration Vineyards is a family-owned 10-acre vineyard and winery located in Palisade, Colorado, on East Orchard Mesa above the Colorado River. The property grows six grape varieties on site including Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon, with all wines crafted exclusively from estate-grown and neighboring vineyard grapes. The winery has earned strong recognition within the Colorado wine industry, having been named Colorado Winery of the Year by the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology. Beyond the wines, the property is well known for its large outdoor patio and lawn area with views of the Grand Mesa and Bookcliff mountains, as well as its popular Band in the Barrel summer concert series that brings free live music to the vineyard.
#16 – Aspen Peak Cellars
Aspen Peak Cellars is an award-winning winery and bistro located in Bailey, Colorado, sitting alongside the North Fork of the South Platte River in the foothills, less than an hour from downtown Denver. The winery produces around 1,700 cases of handcrafted wine each year from grapes sourced from well-regarded growing regions across the country. Beyond the wine, it operates a full-service bistro with a lunch and dinner menu, a Tuscan-style indoor dining room, a covered deck, and a popular outdoor riverside seating area known locally as Bailey Beach. Live music runs every Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 PM year-round, making it as much a community gathering spot as a winery. It was named 2025 Colorado Winery of the Year by the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology, one of the highest honors in the state’s wine industry.
#15 – Talon Wines at The Meadery
Talon Wines at The Meadery is a one-stop winery destination located in Palisade, Colorado, that operates under three distinct labels all under one roof. The Talon Winery label covers traditional grape wines made primarily from locally grown Grand Valley grapes, the St. Kathryn Cellars label focuses on fruit and botanical wines including a well-known lavender wine made with organic locally sourced lavender buds, and the Meadery of the Rockies label offers a wide range of meads or honey wines, making it Colorado’s original meadery. With over 25 wines across all three labels, the winery offers one of the broadest selections you will find anywhere in the Grand Valley. Visitors can enjoy wine flights, charcuterie boards, and production tours that walk through the entire winemaking process.
#14 – Storm Cellar
Storm Cellar is a boutique estate winery located in Hotchkiss, Colorado, sitting on Sunshine Mesa at nearly 6,000 feet above sea level within the West Elks AVA. The winery focuses exclusively on dry, aromatic white, rosé, and sparkling wines, all grown regeneratively and crafted with minimal intervention from grape to bottle. The property is based at the historic Redstone Vineyard and is fully solar powered as of 2026. Since releasing its first wines in 2019, the winery has gained significant national attention, earning features in the Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator, and Forbes, among others. It was also named Colorado Winery of the Year by the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology. During the warmer months, the winery hosts chef-driven multi-course dinners, brunches, and pop-up events that highlight the produce of the North Fork Valley.
#13 – Grande River Vineyards
Grande River Vineyards is one of Colorado’s most established wineries, located in Palisade at the base of the Little Bookcliff mountain range near the Colorado River. It was the fifth winery to be licensed in the state, first planting vines in 1987 and fermenting its first wine in 1990. The winery produces award-winning, hand-crafted wines in traditional styles using Colorado-grown grapes, with a lineup that includes classic Bordeaux and Rhone varietals as well as dry whites. It currently produces around 5,000 cases of wine per year and operates as a solar-powered facility. The tasting room has an old-world feel and is surrounded by vineyards and gardens, making it a comfortable spot to try a flight or pick up a bottle. The winery also hosts a popular Live in the Grapevines summer concert series and is available as a private event venue for weddings and group gatherings.
#12 – Colterris Estate Winery
Colterris Estate Winery is Colorado’s largest estate-grown winery, located in Palisade within the Grand Valley AVA. The name itself combines “Col” for Colorado and the Latin word “terris” meaning land, reflecting their identity as a truly Colorado-rooted operation. With over 75 acres of vineyards situated along the Colorado River between 4,800 and 5,000 feet in elevation, every wine produced here comes from 100% Colorado-grown estate grapes. The winery focuses primarily on Bordeaux-style wines, with its Cabernet Sauvignon and white wines consistently drawing strong attention from visitors. Colterris operates three tasting room locations in Palisade, including the riverside production site and the Overlook location with panoramic valley views of vineyards, orchards, and lavender gardens. Visitors can choose from reserved seated tastings, wine cave tastings, and winery tours.
#11 – Whitewater Hill Vineyards
Whitewater Hill Vineyards is a family-owned winery located in Grand Junction, Colorado, perched atop its namesake hill with commanding views of the vineyards and the dramatic Bookcliffs. The winery grows its grapes in mineral-rich soils at 4,600 feet elevation and produces all of its wines from 100% Colorado-grown fruit, covering a wide range from dry whites and reds to semi-sweet and dessert options. One of its more unique offerings is an ice wine, made from grapes frozen while still on the vine, making it one of the very few Colorado wineries to produce this style. All tastings are attended, meaning staff guides every visitor through the winemaking process and tasting notes personally. The winery is also dog-friendly and offers a shaded outdoor patio with valley views.
#10 – Bookcliff Vineyards
Bookcliff Vineyards is a family-owned winery with two locations in Colorado, a production winery and tasting room in Boulder and a separate tasting room in Palisade with panoramic views of the vineyards and valley. The winery farms 37 acres planted with 14 different grape varieties in Palisade, including both classic Bordeaux and Rhone varietals as well as less common varieties like Graciano and Souzao. All wines are produced from 100% Colorado-grown grapes using sustainable farming practices, with no pesticides and compost used in place of chemical fertilizers. The winery produces around 4,000 cases per year and has built a strong reputation over the years, having won the Colorado Governor’s Cup on multiple occasions. The Boulder tasting room also hosts winery dinners, wine classes, and private events in its barrel room. A behind-the-scenes winery tour is available for those who want a closer look at the production process.
#9 – Varaison Vineyards and Winery
Varaison Vineyards and Winery is a family-owned estate winery located in Palisade, Colorado, with a tasting room set inside the only brick Victorian home in town. The winery takes an Old World approach to winemaking, focusing on single varietal, single vineyard, and single vintage wines with no blending, allowing each wine to fully express its grape variety and Colorado terroir. The property spans over 17 acres of vineyards within the Grand Valley AVA and produces wines without the use of pesticides or herbicides. Beyond the tasting room, the property features a heritage rose garden with over 1,400 Old English David Austin roses, an event pavilion, and a fire pit and patio area.
#8 – Maison la Belle Vie Winery and Eatery
Maison la Belle Vie, which translates from French as “House of Beautiful Life,” is a 4.5-acre vineyard, winery, and eatery located in Palisade, Colorado. The vineyard was planted in 2004 and grows several varietals including Muscat and Marechal Foch as its two estate wines, along with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Rosé, and blends. The winery takes a minimalist approach to winemaking, using the old practice of dry-farming to add complexity and flavor to the fruit while keeping the wines as natural as possible. One of its more unique offerings is Vin de Peche, a recipe passed down through generations since the 1800s. The property features a large outdoor patio with vineyard views, an indoor bistro, and an event and wedding venue. Visitors can enjoy wine tastings, food from the eatery, and seasonal multi-course pairing dinners throughout the year.
#7 – Hermosa Vineyards
Hermosa Vineyards is a small, family-owned boutique winery located in Palisade, Colorado, within the Grand Valley AVA. The winery is fully dedicated to producing the highest quality wines from grapes grown in the high mountain desert of western Colorado, with all wines made in very limited quantities. Rather than focusing on volume or name recognition, the winery’s goal is simply to be one of the best, putting careful attention into every aspect of grape growing and wine production. The tasting room is cozy and low-key, giving visitors a personal and unhurried experience that stands apart from larger commercial operations in the area. Visitors frequently praise the depth of knowledge on offer during tastings and the precision that goes into each varietal. While the wines are priced a bit higher than nearby wineries, most guests feel the quality fully justifies the cost. It is widely regarded as one of Palisade’s hidden gems.
#6 – Carboy Winery
Carboy Winery is one of Colorado’s most recognized and fastest-growing wine producers, with tasting room locations in Littleton, Denver, Palisade, and Breckenridge, and a fifth location planned for Colorado Springs in summer 2026. The flagship and primary production facility is based in Littleton, where the winery first launched in 2016. Carboy sources grapes from its own estate vineyards in the Grand Valley AVA in Palisade as well as from other prominent growing regions, crafting wines that are then vinted, blended, and aged to create their lineup. The winery has also built one of the most ambitious sparkling wine programs in Colorado, operating a dedicated Charmat facility in Palisade that ranks among the largest of its kind in the country.
#5 – Snowy Peaks Winery
Snowy Peaks Winery is a small, family-owned winery located in the heart of downtown Estes Park, Colorado, making it one of the few wineries in the state situated right at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The winery produces its own award-winning, handcrafted wines using only Colorado-grown grapes, with a lineup that includes Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, and Riesling among others, and also carries a selection of wines from other Colorado boutique producers. Visitors can build their own tasting flight of five wines and pair them with locally made artisan cheeses, chocolates, and gourmet foods available in the tasting room. The winery is notably family-friendly, with a designated play area for kids and fruit ciders for non-wine drinkers.
#4 – The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey
The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey is located on the peaceful grounds of the Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City, Colorado, set against the backdrop of the Wet Mountains. The winery has been open since July 2002 and has gone on to win over 1,000 awards and medals in prestigious international wine competitions. Every wine is hand-crafted on the property from crushing to bottling. The tasting room is housed in an Arts and Crafts cottage built in 1911 and has been voted Best Front Range Tasting Room by Colorado Vine. Beyond wine tastings, the property features a tree-shaded park with picnic tables, a well-stocked gift shop with items from around the state and beyond, and an annual harvest festival held on the last weekend of September each year.
#3 – Two Rivers Winery & Chateau
Two Rivers Winery and Chateau is a family-owned winery located in the Redlands area of Grand Junction, Colorado, sitting on 15 acres with the Colorado National Monument as its backdrop on one side and the Grand Valley on the other. The property includes 11 acres of vineyards growing Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and other varietals, and currently produces around 14,000 cases of wine per year. Beyond the tasting room, the property functions as a full agritourism destination, offering lodging in a French country chateau-style inn with 10 rooms, a conference and event center that seats up to 150 guests, and an outdoor pavilion suitable for weddings and receptions. Throughout the year the winery hosts outdoor concerts, winemaker dinners, and barrel tastings. Visitors can also tour the production facility and purchase wines directly from the tasting room.
#2 – Carlson Vineyards
Carlson Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery located on East Orchard Mesa above Palisade, Colorado, producing over 10,000 cases of wine each year and making it one of the bigger producers in the state. The winery is well known for its wide range of both grape wines and fruit wines, with the fruit wines made from 100% whole locally grown fruit including peaches, cherries, plums, pears, and apples. Grape wine options include Riesling, Merlot, Gewurztraminer, Lemberger, and several fun blends with names like Laughing Cat and Cougar Run. Tastings are free and no reservations are required, giving it a casual and welcoming feel that has made it a long-time local favorite. The winery has two locations, the main winery and tasting room in Palisade and a second tasting room in downtown Grand Junction. It has won hundreds of awards locally, nationally, and internationally over the years.
#1 – Balistreri Vineyards
Balistreri Vineyards is a family-owned and operated all-natural winery located just ten minutes north of downtown Denver, Colorado. What sets it apart from most other wineries in the state is its strict commitment to natural winemaking, producing wines with no sulfites, no additives, and no filtering or fining. Most grapes are sourced from Colorado, with all fruit hand-picked and fermented using natural yeasts before aging in American oak barrels for approximately one year. The tasting room offers a generous lineup of over 20 handcrafted wines covering reds, whites, and dessert styles. Beyond wine, the property also features a full restaurant serving seasonal and locally sourced dishes, a wine cellar, lush gardens, and a ballroom that can host events for over 250 guests. The winery regularly hosts community events throughout the year including harvest parties, live music, and wine dinners.
Where Mountain Climate Meets Colorado Wine Culture
Colorado wineries have built a strong reputation by growing grapes in high-altitude regions with sunny days, cool nights, and dry air. These conditions help grapes develop balanced acidity and bold flavor, giving many Colorado wines a fresh and crisp character. The Western Slope remains the heart of the state’s wine scene because of its longer growing season and vineyard-friendly climate. Many wineries use locally grown grapes for small-batch wines that reflect the region’s landscape and changing seasons.
Many Colorado wineries also focus on creative winemaking styles that set the state apart from larger wine regions. Visitors can find everything from classic reds and whites to fruit wines made with local peaches and cherries. Tasting rooms are often designed with mountain views, outdoor patios, and relaxed settings that attract both tourists and locals. Wine trails, seasonal festivals, and vineyard events have helped wineries become an important part of Colorado’s tourism and food culture.
FAQs About Colorado Wineries
What is the best season to visit wineries in Colorado?
Fall is a favorite time because vineyards are active during harvest season, and many wineries host tastings and outdoor events.
Are Colorado wineries family-friendly?
Some wineries welcome families and offer outdoor seating, picnic areas, or live music events, though policies can vary by location.
Do Colorado wineries only sell wine made from grapes?
No. Some wineries also produce fruit wines, dessert wines, and specialty blends using locally grown ingredients.
Can visitors tour vineyards in Colorado?
Yes. Many wineries offer guided vineyard walks, cellar tours, and wine tasting experiences throughout the year.
Are reservations required for Colorado winery tastings?
Some wineries accept walk-ins, while others recommend reservations during weekends, holidays, and festival seasons.
