The Grand Valley AVA is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about t ...

located in Mesa County,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, primarily in Grand Junction and

Palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade ...

. It is located roughly 200 miles West-Southwest of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The high-desert AVA - with an average elevation of between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level - is defined by the irrigated agricultural area served via canals within the Grand Valley of the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...

. The AVA was established in 1991 as the first of two

Colorado wine Colorado wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Colorado. Most of Colorado's vineyards are located on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, though an increasing number of wineries are located along the Front Range. ...

regions. The

West Elks AVA The West Elks AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Delta County, Colorado in and around the towns of Cedaredge, Hotchkiss and Paonia. It is one of two AVA's in the state. Some of the highest altitude vineyards in the northern he ...

is the second federally designated AVA in

. The AVA encompasses and contains some of the highest vineyards in the world. The terrain is varied, ranging from alluvial soils along the Colorado River to stony and loamy soils on mesas. Climate is high desert, subject to swings of temperature and wide diurnal variation. The AVA enjoys the most temperate climate within the state of Colorado, with the USDA cold hardiness zone ranging from 6 to 7. The eastern part of the AVA near the town of Palisade has consistent breezes that provide good air drainage, reducing the risk of

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a g ...

. During a typical growing season, the valley is hot, dry and sunny during the day while far cooler at night due to the arid environment. This makes for ideal fruit-growing conditions. Colorado's Grand Valley - particularly the eastern stretch - is unofficially considered 'Colorado Wine Country' and is quickly becoming a popular and sought after destination for

Enotourism Enotourism, oenotourism, wine tourism, or vinitourism refers to tourism whose purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine, often at or near the source. Where other types of tourism are often passive in nature, enotourism ca ...

because of both the growing interest in wine tourism and the abundance of natural recreational activities and scenery surrounding the area including

Colorado National Monument Colorado National Monument is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorad ...

and the

Book Cliffs The Book Cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western Colorado and eastern Utah in the western United States. They are so named because the cliffs of Cretaceous sandstone that cap many of the south-facing buttes appear simi ...

. There are around two dozen wineries/vineyards in addition to an abundance of cideries, meaderies, and orchards.

Viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, r ...

began in the area in the late 19th century. State Governor George A. Crawford planted a vineyard in the Grand Valley in 1890. To this day, most of Colorado's grape production is from the Grand Valley AVA. Vineyards in the valley are planted at elevations as high as

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. However, the continental climate somewhat limits the varieties used in grape production and not all varieties produce substantial yields. Grape varieties planted within the AVA vary widely and average yields are relatively low at about 2.5 tons/acre. Wine styles range from dry white and red wines to semi-sweet and dessert wines; and even

ice wine Ice wine (or icewine; german: Eiswein) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing for a more concentrated grape ...

. Due to the abundance of orchards in the area many growers will incorporate other local fruits - such as peaches, plums and cherries - into their sweeter wines. However, traditional

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

are two of the most popular and easily grown and known grapes in Grand Valley. In 2018,

Wine Enthusiast Magazine ''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine magazine published by Wine Enthusiast Companies in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies engages in the wine accessories, storage, information, educat ...

named

's Grand Valley AVA one of the 'Top Ten Wine Travel Destinations in the World'. In September 2019, Palisade hosted its 28th annual Colorado Mountain Winefest which was named the 'Best Wine Fest in the Nation' by

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

. Over 6,000 attended the sold-out event which showed off several hundred local wines, meads & ciders from several dozen Colorado wineries, meaderies and cideries.

References

External links

Colorado Wine

TTB AVA Map
{{Colorado River system American Viticultural Areas Colorado River Colorado wine Geography of Mesa County, Colorado 1991 establishments in Colorado