About Shawnee Hills AVA
Colorado's mountain wine country encompasses the estates and tasting rooms scattered from the Front Range foothills through the central Rockies, Colorado Springs and its surrounding Pikes Peak region, Salida and the Arkansas River Valley, and the various high-country properties that don't fit neatly into the Grand Valley or West Elks appellations.
What unites these mountain wineries is the dramatic tension between their extreme growing environment and their commitment to serious wine production. At 6,000-7,500 feet above sea level, the growing season is short, frosts can arrive early, and the UV exposure is intense. The wineries that succeed here have learned to work with their environment rather than against it, choosing varietals that can ripen in a compressed season and farming methods that maximize the advantage of altitude.
The Colorado Springs wine scene has developed into a genuine weekend destination, with multiple tasting rooms serving a city of 500,000 that has historically been underserved by its wine options. Further west, the mountain communities offer more remote, appointment-focused experiences for visitors willing to seek them out.
Shawnee Hills AVA Wineries
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