Colorado Cellars

Modern day Colorado winemaking began in 1974 when Colorado State University – with a grant from the US government – planted test plots of wine grapes throughout the ‘four corners’ area of the southwest. One of those test plots is located directly in front of our present day winery, and is the oldest commercial Colorado vineyard in existence today. The Colorado Limited Winery Act was enacted in 1977, creating Colorado Limited Winery Licenses, which required the use of Colorado grapes to make wine. Our winery was founded soon after (1978) and, although other entities had bonded as “wineries” prior to that date, our winery was the first to produce and sell Colorado wines made from Colorado grapes. Those wines were originally sold under the Colorado Mountain Vineyards brand with the Colorado Cellars brand appearing in 1986 and the Rocky Mountain Vineyards and Orchard Mesa Wine Company brands appearing in 1990.

We assisted with the creation of the Grand Valley American Viticulture Area in 1991 and the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board around the same time. By 1990, there were five Colorado wineries – today, there are over 120 – but our winery pioneered the production of virtually all the types of Colorado wines made today: varietal grape wines, fruit wines, honey wines (meads), port wines, whimsical wines (RoadKill Red), and champagne.