Top 100 red wines of Colorado

Discovering the wine region of Colorado

Colorado is a state in the western United States, bordered by New Mexico to the South and Wyoming to the North. Colorado's vineyards are among the highest in the world, reaching altitudes of 2135 m in the Rocky Mountains. They rival even the famous Andean vineyards of Argentina. Grapes grown at this altitude produce wine with vibrant, intense colors and aromas created by the intense sunlight and cool nights.

Colorado's best wines are made from grape varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Riesling and Chardonnay. The state covers just under 270,000 square miles of land between latitudes 37°N and 41°N, from the Rockies to the eastern lowlands. Colorado's Climate is typically continental; the nearest large bodies of water are more than 500 miles away. This results in hot, Dry summers and cold winters, especially in the higher elevations.

Discover the grape variety: Cabernet franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Colorado

red wines from the region of Colorado go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of fondue with broth, lamb tagine with prunes and almonds or roast doe in the oven.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Colorado

On the nose in the region of Colorado often reveals types of flavors of cherry, smoke or earthy and sometimes also flavors of black cherries, pepper or non oak.