Ten Bears Winery

by Vino & Notes | Feb 25, 2014

Ten Bears Winery officially opened in 2007, with the vineyard planting to follow in 2009. It is named after the road that borders the east side of the estate. (Ten Bears Winery sounded better than County Road 23E Winery.)

Our winemaker, William Conkling, with a background in Biology, Chemistry, and Geology, began his fermentation career in 1999 working in Quality Assurance for one of the local breweries in Fort Collins, but he always maintained a passion for winemaking. After 7 years at the brewery he decided it was time to take his hobby to the next, and legal, level. After finishing the winery construction in 2006, the next step was licensing and approvals, and in just under a year we were ready for the first grape harvest. Using grapes from Colorado’s Western Slope we made our first Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and with Washington grapes we made our first Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

After a couple of years of research, into what types of grapes to plant on the Front Range, we had finally found what we believed would be the best varietals to plant in our unique climate, the Marquette and La Crescent. Both are cold hardy hybrids developed by the University of Minnesota with the Marquette producing a wonderful red wine and the La Crescent an amazing white. With lots of help from family and friends we managed to plant 480 vines in May of 2009, with minimal soil disruption, to maintain the native flora. Hopes of a small harvest were quickly dashed in the Spring of 2012 due to an unnaturally warm April followed by a freeze in May which caused us to lose the first bud break, but the outlook is good for future harvests, so we will keep our fingers crossed, and keep a look out for Ten Bears Winery Larimer County Estate Bottled Marquette and La Crescent in the near future.

Ten Bears Winery
5114 County Road 23E
Laporte, CO 80535

phone: (970)566-4043

Turquoise Mesa Winery

by Vino & Notes | Feb 21, 2014

We are a family owned, boutique winery in Broomfield, Colorado. Though we are known for our big red blends and unusual selections, we offer a wide variety handcrafted red and white wines, using the finest Colorado grapes from the western slope.

We produce limited case amounts, so come in and see us, but be sure to stock up on your favorites!

Two Swedes Glögg

by Vino & Notes | Apr 25, 2022

Two Swedes Glögg

Brought together by an insatiable appetite for music, ice hockey and fine alcohol of all kinds, the two Swedes, Ulrik (Rik) and Per-Magnus (PM) met in Colorado in 1996. They were both born and raised in Sweden in the 1960s and emigrated separately to the US of A in the 1990s. Enjoying what the US had to offer, the two Swedes eventually felt that something was missing, something that couldn’t be had at IKEA (or at least not of decent quality) : Glögg, the winter warmer, the reason for Christmas being so much fun growing up!

Glögg was soon to had at any time during the winter and Ric and PM finally decided to bring the tradition stateside.Two Swedes and their families hope you will enjoy the tradition of glögg, and glögg related activities, as much as they do! Skål!

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