Wine lovers from all over gathered this weekend in Palisade for the fourth annual Colorado Mountain Wine Fest. This event has grown a tremendous amount since it first started. Every year more and more people come to taste, buy, and, distribute wine.
Palisade, the town that hosts the festival, is known itself for having some very fine wineries. The friendly people and crisp bite of chardonnay have brought a steady flow of visitors over the years and the number of guests contiues to increase. However, Wine Fest is a whole different affair that Palisade kindly hosts.
Although Wine Fest is a weekend long event, the main occasion was Saturday and included all the wine any one person would want to taste. The festival was held at Riverbend Park and hosted over fifty-six of Colorado’s greatest wineries and their “winemakers.” Each business brought a desired amount of different types of wine for sample and sale. From ice wine to cabernets, this day had it all.
The park was packed with people from all walks of life. Many who attended were Coloradans, but many traveled from out of state to enjoy the day. Each winery had their own tent that set them apart from the next. A few vendors had as many as ten different kinds of wines while others had only just begun to create wine and therefore only had one wine available. Regardless, by the end of the day a majority of the sellers had completely sold out of their stock.
Saturday was extremely hot with no wind in sight. Some said they couldn’t handle both the heat and mixture of wines but the majority responded the same as every other year, loving it. There was plenty of shade provided by tents and beautiful trees. That sheltered people under the branches as they sat enjoying the live music, food and atmosphere.
Tickets were available online in different packages depending on the interests of the buyer. The general admission was $50 and included a tote bag with a wine glass. They also offered cheaper tickets for the nice volunteers who acted as designated drivers. Food was not included in the tickets although there were a variety of different food booths.
The local community really came together to make sure this was a successful experience for all. First National Bank, The Daily Sentinel and Cumulus Broadcasting were some of the proud sponsors of the weekend festivities. There were also a large number of workers/volunteers who helped out throughout the day.
For the guests who attended for attractions other than wine there were cheese makers, ice carvers, peach growers, artists, and jewelry stands as well. The weekend also offered seminars given by winemakers and chefs.
There is a lot to learn about wine and the process in which it is made, but for those interested in taste and fun, last Saturday at Riverbend Park in Palisade was the place to be. Some brave patrons even got into the barrels holding grapes to learn how wine was once made. All the wine offered for taste or sample was also available for sale with reasonable prices and vendors got to promote their business and spread the good word about their trade. For pictures of Wine Fest check out the Criterion’s Facebook profile.