Colorado wines - a well kept secret

Vineyards in Colorado is only the highest elevation in the United States. And reflect the Colorado wines from these grapes heights in the region. In the Grand Valley AVA is the area most of the vineyards to approximately 4,500 meters within Delta County in the southeast of Grand Junction is located on the west elk AVA, the vineyards are about 1,000 feet higher, with the highest at a 6400 feet high.

This dry mesa country is not where you find the suspectVineyards and wineries. But to focus only on the winery and the vineyards surrounding it, and you could be in California. Turn around and look over to the vines on the mesas and you know that you are somewhere else.

Colorado wines are not known at the national level because it is one of the best kept secrets in the world of wine. Little is known of the two American Viticultural Areas of Colorado, the Grand Valley AVA and the West Elks AVA. The Grand Valley has drawn attention tofor the red and the West Elks for its white wines.

Colorado has a variety of terrain, topography and climate. It is the gentle western slope, where the grape has found a home. Found in predominantly wine-growing in the Grand Valley, west of Grand Junction to Palisades, Delta and Montrose County, and in the Four Corners region. The growing season is slightly shorter than in California, but the sun is not a problem at this level and the greater proportion ofUV light with the warm days has a positive effect on the wine when combined with the cool nights in the region.

Very few wines are, you are confronted here by less than commercial quality. Most of them are interesting, if not identical with the same cultivated varieties in Europe or California. And some are award winning and a very good standard. Some have strange names like Tyrannosaurus hush Red to the poorly named Lemberger grape variety (also known as "Gamay" in Germany). ButForget the name, you will find this a good example of the extraordinary diversity.

You will find the Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Grand Valley, all good quality, but I'm completely taken by the Riesling and Gewurtztraminer from the west elk growing area. You will find this a solid effort with good aromatics. Even the wines of almost 3% residual sugar were not particularly sweet. Pinot Noir, which goes bad in the Grand Valley has a new home in the foundhigher elevation of the West Region moose.

Colorado wines are now gradually from wine connoisseurs and the secret of this wine producing region to be discovered, gets out. The Colorado wine industry begins to mature and the wines are produced here, to raise their quality every year. The tourists leave on the western slope you will find not only the wines that are attractive, but also the beautiful scenery and landscapes that they can from the surveyvarious family-owned wineries encounter them.