NOTE: This post was updated June 2022 to include the most up-to-date information.
You may know Fort Collins as the Napa Valley of craft beer, but did you know we have our own little wine country right here, too? Crafted from grapes, fruit and honey, our local winemakers and blenders are creating some of the state’s best wines, and many are also working on the mead renaissance to bring back the world’s oldest alcoholic libation.
We rounded up the essential wines and meads made right here in Northern Colorado so you can track down sprawling vineyards, small family meaderies, and beautiful tasting rooms. Keep reading to learn more about each one and find your new favorite.
Blendings at The Hillside Vineyard
Fort Collins | Facebook
Photo courtesy of Blendings at The Hillside Vineyard
Located in Fort Collins and open to the public, this unique wine bar and hands-on winery pours a regularly rotating selection of some of the state’s, the country’s and the world’s best wines alongside their own unique blends. They also invite patrons to blend their own custom wines so you can learn about unique wine tastes, experiment with blending, and get your creation bottled with your own custom label. For full details, hours and reservation information, click here.
Blue Mountain Vineyards
Berthoud | Facebook
Nestled against the foothills of the Indian Peaks Wilderness and Rocky Mountain National Park, Blue Mountain Vineyards is a small, local operation producing wines as jaw-dropping as their natural landscape. When you visit the winery for an open or private tasting, you can taste signature blends, reds and whites, and you can also explore extensive gardens cultivated on site by the team.
Hunters Moon Meadery
Severance | Facebook
Using honey from their own hives (they have more than 60!), the family team behind Hunters Moon crafts honey wines with natural ingredients like wild Rocky Mountain huckleberries, organic lemons and spices like whole cloves and saffron. They brew in small batches from 5-260 gallons, so their flavors—like Earl Greg with Earl Grey Tea, Kona Mikala with Kona coffee, and Moon Dance Cherry with Rocky Mountain Bing Cherries—are excellent every single time. To see this operation in action, you can even book a private tour of the meadery!
Laughing Leprechaun Meadery
Loveland | Facebook
Run by Guy McConnell—of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse fame—Laughing Leprechaun Meadery has been generating buzz in Loveland for a few years now. Made by fermenting honey with water, Laughing Leprechaun mead includes ingredients like Cranberry Blossom honey, Mesquite honey and coffee to create flavors people already love. The team is also getting all their bees in a row to open a brick and mortar location in Loveland. For updates on the mead and the meadery, follow the team on Facebook here.
Miracle Stag Meadery
Loveland | Facebook
Photo courtesy of Bela Kerkay via Miracle Stag Meadery
Cellar Master and Meadmaker Árpád László Kovács founded Miracle Stag Meadery in Loveland in 2012 with the purpose of making mead of the highest quality. Proud of our bountiful surroundings, Laz uses several Colorado ingredients to create 10 different mead varieties representing five different styles. If you have questions about mead, Laz is your man and Miracle Stag is your meadery. To find out where you can purchase these bottles, click here.
The OBC Wine Project
Fort Collins | Facebook
After 30 years of brewing award-winning craft beer, Odell Brewing is trying their hand at wine making — and the result is just as good as we could have anticipated from this talented team. The OBC Wine Project is dedicated to the exploration of unique flavor profiles in the world of wine. A wine story told by craft beer makers, the project was born out of the brewery’s shared passion for the art of winemaking. You can taste their creations on draft, in bottle, or in can at their taproom and winery in Fort Collins — or pick up their premium canned wines, including Rosé with Bubbles, Pinot Gris, and Red Blend, plus a refreshing Guava Spritz, throughout Colorado!
Snowy Peaks Winery
Estes Park | Facebook
In the Snowy Peaks tasting room, you can enjoy samples of their award-winning, handcrafted wines as well as select wines from some of Colorado’s best boutique wineries. It costs just $9 to sample five wines and each Snowy Peaks selection is made from grapes grown here in Colorado, including Merlot, Syrah, Viognier and Riesling. For more information on the food menu, the kids’ playroom and more, click here.
Sweet Heart Winery
Loveland | Facebook
Photo courtesy of Sweet Heart Winery
Built from the belief that wine draws us together, Sweet Heart Winery is an intimate winery headquartered in the Sweetheart City. This family team kicked off their garage hobby in 2010 and has grown the operation into an 8-acre winery and event center. Using grapes from both California and Colorado, they craft wines that reflect all the love and dedication put into them. For information on visiting the tasting room, click here.
Ten Bears Winery
Laporte | Facebook
At Ten Bears Winery, the small, local team grows their own Colorado grapes, the winemaker selects only the best, then they produce smooth, flavorful, handcrafted wines using French Oak Aging and their exclusive Winter Hibernation Process. This dedication has resulted in nearly 30 different wines and ciders ranging from whites and rosés to red and dessert wines. You can get a taste for Ten Bears in the remodeled tasting room, open to the public Tuesday through Saturday. For full details, click here.
Do you have a winery or meadery to add?
Tell us about it in the comments below!
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