Stoney Mesa Winery on Happy Hollow Road has been named recipient of two awards during 2015 that owner/operator Brett Neal says are both very meaningful to him.
One is an industry honor from the Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology (CAVE) naming Stoney Mesa “Winery of the Year.” It was presented to Neal on Jan. 21 in Grand Junction at the Vinco wine trade show.
Neal said that the award is a true honor as it makes Stoney Mesa a member in an exclusive group of top-tier Colorado wineries.
The other honor received by Stoney Mesa is not from the wine industry, but rather from Neal’s own customers, making it a most significant honor as well. It is the Best of Delta County award from readers of the Delta County Independent for 2015 as the county’s best winery. That award is also on display at Neal’s artistically appointed tasting room alongside the top industry honor from CAVE.
One of Colorado’s oldest wineries, Stoney Mesa Winery was established in 1989 by the Neal family with the purchase of a 50-acre farm in Cedaredge. They planted their first vines in 1990 and the roots of Stoney Mesa Winery took hold. Over the years, Stoney Mesa has expanded to multiple farms and also sources grapes from many local growers.
Stoney Mesa’s wines are available at 120 retail locations throughout Colorado. The production facilities include the farm, winery and tasting room on Happy Hollow Road, and also Ptarmigan Vineyards on Orchard Mesa.
The Stoney Mesa tasting room includes a small art gallery and gift shop that displays and sells the work of ten different local artists and crafts people.
Neal is the do-it-all farmer, wine maker and public face for the operations which he has been building as a local family enterprise for 26 years.