West Elks Wine Trail

Pairing the Best of Colorado Wine with the Best of Colorado Cuisine

August 2-4, 2019

The Wineries of the West Elks Wine Country invite you to a special weekend of touring, premium wine tasting and winemakers’ dinners during the Annual West Elks Wine Trail. Set your own route for a fun and relaxing day or weekend and come home with delicious wine and memories.

The wineries are ready to introduce you to the Colorado wine and cuisine grown from this unique region.

Start your West Elks Wine Trail tour by stopping by any of the West Elk Wineries in the Paonia/Hotchkiss area to pick up your trail map for the weekend. Each winery will feature food and wine pairings, with a focus on local foods. The winemakers have selected two favorite foods to complement their wines, and will give you the recipes just for stopping by. The wine tasting rooms will offer a wide variety of activities from vineyard tours, art displays, barrel tastings, winemakers’ dinners, food pairings, mountain views and more.

We invite and encourage you to purchase wines from the winemakers. Many of the vintages from this region are only available at the wineries and are extremely limited. There are several events and dinners associated with the West Elks Wine Trail.

Wine Trail Activities

The Storm Cellar (14139 Runzel Gulch Rd, Hotchkiss) is hosting their only open house of the season, Friday through Sunday from 12-4pm. Drop-in tastings at the vineyard.

Friday, August 2

The Storm Cellar: The Forage Sisters will be creating the Winemaker’s Harvest Dinner! 6pm. $90. Reservations – online. 14139 Runzel Gulch, Hotchkiss

Saturday, August 3

Black Bridge Winery: Complementary samples of wood-fired pizza, Taste of the Vineyards Wagon Tours, barrel tasting. 11am-6pm. 15836 Black Bridge Rd, Paonia

Delicious Orchards: Enjoy a BBQ at Big B’s. Everybody’s favorite Paonia singer/songwriter, Gabrielle Louise with her trio! Starting at 12pm. 39126 HWY 133, Paonia

Stone Cottage Cellars: Gourmet Barrel Tasting and Food & Wine Pairing. 2 seatings: 4pm and 6:30pm. $75. Reservations – online. 41716 Reds Rd, Paonia

Alfred Eames Cellars: Basque Wine Trail Dinner and Flamenco Guitar Concert. 5:30pm. $85. Reservations – 970.527.6290. 11931 4050 Rd, Paonia

Leroux Creek Vineyards: Chef and winemaker Yvon Gros will create a dinner as a tribute to Alain Chapel. 6:30pm. Reservations – 970.872.4746. 12388 3100 Rd, Hotchkiss

Azura Cellars: Tapas at Twilight. 7pm. $85. Reservations – 970.390.4251. 16764 Farmers Mine Rd, Paonia

Sunday, August 4

Azura Cellars: Complimentary sailing on the Azura pond. Try your hand. Easy. No experience necessary. 16764 Farmers Mine Rd, Paonia

The West Elks AVA is notably home to vineyards planted at the highest elevation in the Northern Hemisphere. The intense sunlight, warm days and cool nights produce grapes that are ideally suited for creating distinctive Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Gamay, Cayuga and Chambourcin. Additionally, local winemakers craft wines from Colorado-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmina and Tempranillo. Vintners produce wines in all styles from beautifully dry, crisp whites, to robust, meaty reds, sweet and delicious port-style dessert wines and hard apple cider.

Just a stone’s throw from Grand Junction (1.5 hours) and Montrose (1 hour) a beautiful drive over Kebler Pass from Crested Butte (1.25 hours) or a foray over McClure pass from Aspen (2.25 hours), Carbondale (1.5 hours) Glenwood Springs (2 hours), and Redstone (45 minutes), the West Elks Wine Trail offers a refreshing food and wine getaway with plenty of additional diversions to leave you relaxed and yet rejuvenated to enjoy summer. Join us the first weekend in August and savor our wine and food pairings along with lovely North Fork Valley scenery.

For lodging check paoniachamber.com.

West Elks Wine Trail Endless Endeavor image

West Elks Wine Trail Stone Cottage image

Join us for our second wine dinner in the vineyard during the West Elks Wine Trail weekend, featuring a high-elevation, asado-style menu, brought to you by the Forage Sisters!

We'll be pouring selections of our 2018 white wines and rosés with you over a four-course, asado-style, open-fire dinner, with your hosts, winemakers and sommeliers, Jayme and Steve.

THE MENU

The Appetizer Hour

A surprise selection of light, seasonal, passed appetizers

2018 Rosé of Pinot Gris
Seasonal, Spiked Fruit Otter Pops

The Seated Vineyard Dinner

ON THE TABLE

Freshly baked sourdough with farm butter

COURSE ONE

Mini Empanadas | sweet corn, garden peppers, squash, with red chimichurri and microgreens

2018 Chardonnay

COURSE TWO

Summer Salad | farm greens, coal carrots, local soft cheese, toasted sunflower seeds, herbs and their flowers, and lemon vinaigrette

2018 Sauvignon Blanc

COURSE THREE

Grilled Whole Chicken | green chimichurri
Whole Citrus Rainbow Trout | chive lemon cream
Farm Vegetables | fire veggies, smashed garlic potatoes

2018 Dry Riesling

COURSE FOUR

Vanilla Custard | burnt peach, caramel almond crumble, edible flowers
Cold Brew | fresh cream

2018 Reserve Riesling

NOTES

Please let us know in advance, if you have any allergies or dietary restraints.
Wear appropriate vineyard attire – no high heels. We will be walking and dining on semi-coarse terrain. We recommend bringing a light jacket, hat, and sunscreen.
Please be aware that Runzel Gulch Road has two dramatic switchbacks, and that parking at the winery is limited. We encourage locals to carpool, in order to save space.
Be respectful of our neighbors and yield to downhill traffic. Drive slowly and carefully, since there are blind spots along this dirt road.
This is a working farm, so we are unable to accommodate children or pets at this event.

FORAGE SISTERS | Nicole Carrillo & Mirasol Gomez

Nicole and Mirasol formed Forage Sisters out of a shared love for curating events focused on food from local, Western Slope farms. Their "seed-to-farm-to-table" cuisine is inspired by their backgrounds of Italian and Argentinian earthen and simplistic styles of food, their love for sustainable living, and their love for people, community, and gathering.

In addition to crafting hyper-local, seasonally driven cuisine, these chefs are also skilled event planners and farmers. They source their products from Nicole and her husband's 18-acre farm, Deer Tree Farm & Agroforest, and other local farms, including Cedar Springs Farm and Gray Acres Farm. They enjoy cooking asado-style, an Argentine way of cooking food over an open flame, which you will enjoy with us at this outdoor dinner.

Wine Trail Gourmet Barrel Tasting and Food & Wine Pairing

2 Seatings: 4pm and 6:30pm

Starting with a brief vineyard and cellar tour, followed by an in-depth cellar tasting right from the barrels. The event continues with a vineyard, seated food & wine pairing (cellar during rain days) including five deliciously grown hand-selected local Stone Cottage wine pours paired with hand-selected catered pairings to create a unique dining experience.

Brent and Karen Helleckson, owners and winemakers, provide an interesting dialogue through the pairings for a beautiful, scenic, culinary event.

Special discount offered with purchase of wines to participants of the tasting.

Reservations required; 20 tickets per seating

Visit the Stone Cottage shop page and scroll down to the "2019 Gourmet Barrel Tasting and Food & Wine Pairing" section and select either the August 3 4pm or 6:30pm image to make the reservation or call 970.527.3444.

Alfred Eames Cellars and Pam’s Jammin’ Present Their Annual Wine Trail Dinner and Flamenco Guitar Concert

Saturday, August 3, 2018, Starting with Appetizers by the Pond at 5:30pm

11931 4050 Rd.
Paonia, CO

Eames and Pam took a trip to Seattle and stopped on the way in Winnamucca, Nevada. They had the pleasure of dining in a Basque restaurant. All guests were seated at long tables, when lots of delicious food courses are brought, one right after the other, which just fit Pam's way of cooking to a T. So, Basque food was her choice this year.

Appetizers on the Pond Deck at 5:30pm:

Tray of Veggies, Spanish Chorizo, Nuts, Cheeses and Quince Jam
Mussels and Sausage
Empanada Gallega (Tuna Empanada)
Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp in Garlic-Infused oil)

Next, guests will take their seats by the kitchen and enjoy a 45 minute Flamenco guitar concert with Javier de la Costa. Then with David Sheppard and Ellen Hutto providing music ambiance, Pam and Eames will feed you again:

SOUP CHOICES:

Porrusalda (Basque Vegetable Soup, hot) or
Ajo Blanco (Cold Almond Soup)

Basque Salad, Green Salad with Vinaigrette served with table bowls filled with these additions: Jamon Serrano, Hard Boiled Eggs, Tomatoes and Basque Beans.

THE MAIN COURSE CHOICES:

Basque Lamb, cooked in Yogurt, Spices and Peppers or
Chicken Basquaise, Chicken Baked with Sweet Piperade or
Bacalao al Pil Pil: Cod with Chiles

All served with: Alubias de Tolosa Stew (Beans and Stuff) and Vegetarian Paella

DESSERT CHOICES:

Poached Pears with Sorbet or
Baked Apple Tart with Thyme Custard Sauce or
Basque Baked Cheesecake with Jubilee Chocolate Sauce and Churros (Fried Breads)

We will have wine suggestions for each course. The cost is $85/plate. This includes the concert, dinner music, food and wine. It does not include the tip, but we are sure you will be so pleased with the service you will want to spoil our staff and musicians.

SPACE IS LIMITED, so please reserve early by calling 970-527-6290 or 970-250-7630- (Pam's voice, text) or 970-527-3269 (Eames) or emailing Pam.

West Elks Wine Trail