January 26th – Held in the beautiful and historic mining town of Ouray, Colorado, the Ouray Winter Wine Festival boasts unique and upscale offerings from Western Colorado’s vineyards and local purveyors within the culinary and retail markets.
Held at The Wright Opera House on February 17, 2024, attendees will get an intimate experience sampling from eight wineries, one cidery, and three distilleries, all of which are from Colorado’s Western Slope. New this year is the addition of a cidery which will bring even more diversity to the festival. By the glass and/or bottle purchases can be enjoyed fireside amongst several lounge seating arrangements throughout the venue. Attendees will also be able to enjoy the sounds of local musicians as well as several culinary offerings like oysters on the half shell and personal charcuterie cones.
The festival’s retail options are anything but typical. Attendees will experience interactive retail such as permanent jewelry, hands-on retail customizations, and art demonstrations.
The Ouray Winter Wine Festival will host two sessions on February 17, 2024. Session 1 takes place from 12pm – 3pm for $55, and Session 2 from 4pm – 7pm for $90. General admission to the festival will include a wine tote and a custom wine glass that attendees can take around to each of the wineries, cidery, and distilleries to sample product from. Session 2 will also include a $15 food voucher that attendees can redeem at one of the participating food vendors. And for attendees that want to experience even more, a VIP ticket for $75 grants them access to a private lounge next door at the Sauvage Spectrum tasting room where complimentary food and beverages will be available along with door prizes.
The Ouray Winter Wine Festival will be a warm and inviting event put on by Elevation Weddings and Events, Sauvage Spectrum and the Wright Opera House. “The unique collaboration between two winemakers, a wedding and event planner, and a historical opera house has proven to be the perfect combination. Sauvage Spectrum brings industry knowledge and imperative connections to the best wineries and vineyards in Western Colorado. The Wright Opera House provides a unique venue in the heart of Ouray. And Elevation Weddings and Events brings years of event planning experience creating an immersive experience that engages all senses.” remarks Krysta Cossitt, owner and lead planner at Elevation Weddings and Events.
This festival is truly unique in that strictly Western Colorado vineyards are being showcased as well as other local to the area businesses. It is also an intimate wine festival where attendance is capped so attendees can experience the wine on a more personal level. Patric Matysiewski, co-owner and wine maker of Sauvage Spectrum adds, “Attendees don’t get to just sample the wine but, get an intimate experience with wine makers and representatives to learn more about their process of wine making.”
Choosing Ouray to showcase the festival was a no-brainer. The juxtaposition of snow-capped peaks with typical vineyard landscapes creates a memorable experience for festival attendees. Having the festival in the winter also offers a different perspective on the wine culture where most might associate wine with Spring and Summer drinking.” Hosting an upscale festival like the Ouray Winter Wine Festival is a perfect fit for our elegant and historic space.” says Director of Programs for the Wright Opera House, Kate Jones.
Ouray Winter Wine Festival
