This Rocky Mountain State Is Known for Outdoor Adventure but It’s Hiding a Lesser-known Wine Region

While American wine doesn’t have the same storied history as, say, Bordeaux or the Rheingau, our viticultural areas are nothing to sniff at. There’s, of course, Napa Valley with almost 170 years of production, as well as other California wine regions like Sonoma and the Central Coast. And in recent years, burgeoning wine hot spots have popped up across the country in places like Oregon, Virginia, Texas, and the New York Finger Lakes. But wine connoisseurs often overlook one Western state that’s better known for its ski slopes than its vintages: Colorado.

Wine grapes have been grown in the Centennial State since 1890, but production wasn’t in full swing until the late 1970s. Now, there are over 150 wineries spread throughout Colorado, and the state plays host to events such as the Colorado Governor’s Cup and festivals like the Colorado Mountain Winefest. About 80 percent of all of Colorado’s grapes are sourced from the Grand Valley American Viticultural Area, located between Grand Junction and Palisade, in the state’s Western Slope—one of Travel & Leisure’s Best Places to Go in 2025. Clearly, something amazing is happening out there.

“Our goal was to put Colorado on the map and prove that we could make amazing wine from this region,” said Kevin Webber, CEO of Carboy Winery. Webber owns two vineyards in the Grand Valley AVA, totaling around 32 acres. “There is an adventurous nature to Colorado wines that are fun and lively, and they are never the same year to year.”

At first glance Colorado seems like an unusual place to grow wine. Here, vignerons must contend with harsher climates, higher altitudes, and constantly fluctuating temperatures—but that’s only pushed growers to be more creative. Many have cultivated cold-hardy varietals that also grow well in hot, warm desert climes. The growing seasons are shorter here, but the combination of hot, sunny days, whipping mountain winds, 6,800 feet of elevation, and rocky alkaline soil make for a truly interesting and unique terroir.

“We are all pushing the envelope and exploring what Colorado wine is and what it could be. The challenges and grit it takes to make it through a single season here make this region very endearing,” said Patric Matysiewski, the winemaker and cofounder of Sauvage Spectrum Estate Winery & Vineyard.

Colorado has a relatively young wine scene but generates around two percent of all wine sold in the U.S.  Riesling, cabernet franc, malbec, teroldego, and viognier are beacons of the state’s wine scene. Interest in agrotourism has also skyrocketed, and the picturesque peaks of the Western Slope have become a popular tourist destination. Wineries are even popping up in destinations like the Front Range and other parts of the state where grapes cannot be grown.

“Wines should and do taste different everywhere and reflect what is unique about the growing region,” said Webber. “We call this the Wild West of American wine, and Colorado wines are an adventure.”

Here are some of our favorite wineries across the Centennial State.