LITTLETON, Colo. — As we toast to a new year and approach Valentine's Day, Colorado winemakers hope you'll consider celebrating with one of their offerings. You're in good company this week with Carboy Winery, which is uncorking the alpine experience.
Carboy started in 2016 with a mission to produce high-quality wines with Colorado-grown grapes.
"Colorado's been known for beer," said Kevin Webber, Carboy's CEO. "It's starting to be known for craft distilling. But this wine industry has been growing leaps and bounds over the last five years, and we really want people to get excited about it."
Together with winemaker Tyzok Wharton, they've introduced some of the region's most impressive creations.
"Everything from still red wine, still white wine, sparkling wine, wine seltzer," said Webber. "This year we're going to be doing a dessert wine. So, we'll add that to the forte."
Many of the grapes come from vineyards near Palisade, but the growing cycle is unique every year, and largely dependent on Colorado's unpredictable weather.
"I always liken Colorado wine to what Colorado is known for, which is adventure," said Webber. "Because every year it's going to be something different."
He said Carboy's 2017 Cab Franc set the standard for them, and it was their first produced with native Colorado crop. But, the real up-and-comer is their Teroldego, an alpine varietal that suits our climate well.
"Teroldego we just produced this last year for the first time," said Webber. "It just won the Governor's Cup, and is a new upcoming varietal that has a lot of promise both here in Colorado and in California, just because it's more approachable. It as a more robust style."
They also have high hopes for the fizzier side of the business, with seltzers and sparkling wines becoming everyday drinkers.
"Certainly a lot of the wine grapes that we grow here lend themselves to making great sparkling wine because they're higher acidity," said Webber. "They're higher floral and aromatic."
The only thing they don't want you to taste is the pretentious nature that sometimes accompanies wine. So, relax when you have a glass and learn a little about the possibilities Colorado's palette can open.
"We always wanted it to be a place where people who know a lot about wine can come and sit down right next to someone who's a novice and both leave having a great experience," said Webber.
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