Let’s make it official: Colorado is an amazing place to eat and drink. With more than 120 craft breweries, 100-plus wineries and a growing list of award-winning chefs opening restaurants, your culinary Colorado vacation will be a rich one.
Colorado breweries produce more barrels of beer annually than any other state, and most breweries offer tours of their facilities as well as beer tastings. The Front Range, including Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs, is where much of Colorado’s brewing takes place, but the mountains and Western Slope also have their share of craft-beer makers.
Some of Colorado’s best-known breweries — and favorites of those who like brewery tours — include New Belgium Brewing Company, Odell Brewing Co., Great Divide Brewing Company and Wynkoop Brewing Company. Other award-winning Colorado microbreweries with tours include Breckenridge Brewery, Left Hand Brewing, Steamworks Brewing, Avery Brewing Company and Boulder Beer Company.
Wine connoisseurs are increasingly drawn to Colorado’s growing list of award-winning wineries. Most offer free tours and tastings, and several host scenic picnics in their vineyards throughout the warmer months. Ideal for a romantic getaway, Colorado’s Western Slope near the towns of Palisade and Grand Junction is known as Colorado’s wine country, but you can plan a trip to almost any part of Colorado and find a wine trail to follow.
We’re also upping the yum-factor in Colorado restaurants. Colorado does farm-to-table better cuisine than just about anywhere else. Restaurants strive not only to source vegetables and meats from local farmers, but many are also starting to grow backyard gardens and purchase farmland to fill out their menus.
Colorado’s Southwest location means Mexican cuisine is also a major influence. The state has taken the best parts of this cuisine and made it its own — with the star being green chile. This pork-filled stew, often smothered over burritos, is a must-taste for visitors.
Our beer, our wine and our restaurants are just some of the reasons gourmands the world over are finding Colorado vacation ideas tastier than ever.
