LOCAL BUBBLIES Centennial champagnes that sparkle bright

Local Toast

Skip the Champagne and salute 2022 with COLORADO’S NEW BUBBLIES

By John Lehndorff

with your retailer for bubbly choices that offer a taste of high-altitude effervescence.

YES, VIRGINIA, champagne really is bottled in Colorado, not to mention a toast-worthy lineup of sparkling wines.

“Five years ago, there were only two or three wineries making sparkling wines. Now there are at least twenty and there’s a real demand for those wines,” says Kyle Schlachter, Marketing Coordinator for the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board which, represents the state’s wineries.

Colorado’s wine star has been rising over the past decade, but its sparkling wines have flown under the radar.

It is just the beginning of a bubbly boom.

“These wineries have just had a few vintages. I can foresee Colorado soon being known as a sparkling wine producing region,” Schlachter says.

Start your tasting with the following bubblies but remember that these wineries—like most Colorado producers—bottle small quantities of their wines, especially the sparkling ones. Check

PHOTO: COURTESYPURGATORY CELLARS

More Colorado BUBBLIES

Carboy Rosé La La La Sparkling Rosé Wine

carboywinery.com

Red Fox Cellars Freestone Sparkling Peach

redfoxcellars.com

Kingman Wine Estates Red DemiSec Sparkling Wine

kingmanwine.com COLORADO CELLARS TRINITY CHAMPAGNE Colorado Cellars Winery in Palisade has been making its semi-dry, oaky sparkling wine for so long it legally gets to call itself “champagne,” despite French objections. It tastes like Champagne, too. coloradocellars.com

BUCKEL FAMILY WINE SPARKLING ROSÉ Using Palisade-grown Syrah grapes, the Buckel Family bottles a refreshing, naturally carbonated rosé. buckelfamilywine.com

SAUVAGE SPECTRUM SPARKLET ROSÉ Grand Valley-based Sauvage Spectrum winery offers three varieties of Sparklet sparkling wines. Sparklet Rosé is balanced and approachable, Sparklet Extra Dry is dry and smooth and Sparklet Off Dry offers a fruitier taste. sauvagespectrum.com

PURGATORY CELLARS INDULGENCE ROSÉ The winery’s lightly bubbly Indulgence Rosé is made with Colorado-grown Black Moscato grapes. Known for making some wines in amphora clay vessels, Purgatory Cellars hosts tasting rooms in Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock. purgatorycellarscolorado.com

PHOTO: COURTESY SAUVAGE SPECTRUM