North Fork Uncorked

Enjoy Father’s Day Weekend with a Tasting of New Releases from West Elks Wineries of Western Colorado.

Colorado’s summer season is here, and to celebrate, the winemakers of Paonia and Hotchkiss, CO invite you to come to the beautiful North Fork Valley and taste their newly released wines at North Fork Uncorked. Festivities, hosted by each of the wineries of the West Elks AVA, will be held throughout the area. North Fork Uncorked is two days of exciting events featuring wine and food pairings, barrel tastings, music, picnics, and winemaker dinners. Fun activities for everyone. Visit westelksava.com for details.

Alongside the area’s farmers, artisanal cheese-makers, micro-brewers, hard cider producers, chefs, bee keepers, and Slow Food-ies, local winemakers hand-craft limited quantity, artisanal wines. Because grape growing conditions in the mountains of Western Colorado are severe, production is extremely limited. This, combined with a tenacious devotion to quality, makes wine availability very limited. Many of the wineries offer their cuvees only out of their tasting rooms and sell out of popular vintages early each summer.

Notably, the West Elks AVA is home to vineyards planted at the highest elevation in the Northern Hemisphere. The intense sunlight, warm days and cool nights produce grapes that are ideally suited for creating distinctive Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cayuga and Chambourcin. Additionally, local winemakers craft wines from Colorado-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Carmina, and Tempranillo. Vintners produce wines in all styles from beautifully dry, crisp whites, to robust, meaty reds, sweet and delicious port-style dessert wines, and hard apple cider.

Just a stone’s throw from Grand Junction (1.5 hours) and Montrose (1 hour) a beautiful drive over Kebler Pass from Crested Butte (1.25 hours) or a foray over McClure pass from Aspen (2.25 hours), Carbondale (1.5 hours) Glenwood Springs (2 hours), and Redstone (45 minutes), North Fork Uncorked offers a refreshing food and wine getaway with plenty of additional diversions to leave you relaxed, rejuvenated and ready for summer. Join us this Father’s Day and celebrate our new, limited releases and enjoy warm, down to earth hospitality.

Participating wineries include: 5680’ (970) 527-6476, Alfred Eames Cellars (970) 527-3269, Azura Cellars (970) 390-4251, Black Bridge Winery (970) 527-6838, Leroux Creek Vineyards (970) 872-4746, Mesa Winds Farm & Winery (970) 250-4788, Stone Cottage Cellars (970) 527-3444, Terror Creek Winery (970) 527-3484 and North Fork Cellars at Delicious Orchards (970) 527-1110.

For general information on North Fork Uncorked, call (970) 527-3444 or visit westelksava.com.

For lodging check paoniachamber.com.