Sip The Stories Of The Grand Valley: Spotlight With Barrel Into Spring
Colorado wine is rich with stories — the history of a long-standing vineyard, the tenacity of a family-owned winery, the grapes and the ground that nourished them, the intentionally-crafted wood barrel that held the wine for years.
“Wine always has a story to tell,” Cassidee Shull, executive director of Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE), believes.
Barrel Into Spring offers guests from near and far an opportunity to have a unique, intimate experience with winemakers. Along this self-guided wine tour through the Grand Valley, you will stop at seven wineries, collecting stamps in your provided passport. There are two opportunities to experience this event; first on April 22-23 and again on May 13-14. Each weekend will include seven different wineries. Many of the wineries are family run or have generational roots, and they are welcoming visitors to be a part of their growing community.
“The wineries will be pouring a myriad of barrel samples,” says Shull. The wine samples will be special previews of wines yet to be bottled. All the tastings will be expertly paired with foods from chefs, restaurants and food trucks. “We’ve opened up our barrel tastings this year to wineries outside of the Grand Valley,” Shull shares. In May, The Peachfork is partnering with Chill Switch Wines, giving guests the opportunity to experience grapes from outside Mesa County and the Grand Valley.
“We’ve been growing grapes and making wine for quite some time — the first grapes were planted in the late 1800s here on the Western Slope,” says Shull. A vibrant community began to gather around the art of winemaking in the 1970-80s, and the industry has exploded since. Now, Colorado is home to over 170 wineries and cideries. The growers and makers continue to make the state proud by cultivating community, carrying on the stories of winemaking, caring for the environment and wining national awards and accolades.
The Grand Valley is a special place for winemakers and wine lovers. Colorado boasts two AVAs (or American Viticultural Areas), and over 80% of the grapes grown in the state of Colorado are grown in Palisade. “We have what we kindly refer to as our million-dollar breeze that blows in through the De Beque Canyon,” Shull explains, “We have these amazing, very warm days and cool nights that help all of the fruit grow phenomenally. off the vines.”
Photos courtesy of Barrel into Spring.
The vineyards and wineries wait to be explored and experienced, and Barrel into Spring is the perfect time to do so. If you collect all seven stamps from each winery, you will be entered in a drawing to win a case of Colorado wine — a bottle or two one bottle from each featured winery. There are many options for transportation, including Palisade PediCabs, Grand Valley Grapes & Grains Adventures, Pali-Tours, JR’s Carriage Service, Absolute Prestige among others.
Expect to be wowed by the beauty of Colorado blooms in the spring. Barrel Into Spring is a wonderful way to step into the new season, and will surely leave you with a story to cherish.
Tickets are available beginning February 27. Purchase tickets here.
April 22-23 Featured Wineries:
TWP Winery and Farmhouse ft. Evolve Wines
This spotlight is a sponsored partnership.