September 21, 2026 (Palisade, CO) — The Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE) hosted the milestone 35th annual Colorado Mountain Winefest on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Riverbend Park in Palisade, bringing wine lovers together to celebrate Colorado wine through a reimagined, elevated festival experience.
As CAVE’s primary annual fundraiser, Colorado Mountain Winefest directly supports the organization’s advocacy and educational work on behalf of Colorado’s grape growers and winemakers. For its 35th anniversary, the festival introduced an intimate format featuring capped capacity, curated culinary pairings, expanded hospitality, and a refreshed event layout designed to give guests room to slow down, connect with winemakers, and savor Colorado wine.
Guests enjoyed tastings from a carefully selected lineup of Colorado wineries, culinary offerings from Colorado Mesa University’s award-winning culinary team, shaded gathering spaces, live music, and a variety of wine-country experiences and activations throughout the park. The day’s lineup included live music from The Inablers, the Tin & Terroir experience in the Discovery Pavilion, a Culinary Showcase, live ice carving by Food Network challenger Willy Tuz, Winefest poster artist Jessica Chevalier, an interactive photo booth, and opportunities to connect directly with Colorado wineries and producers.
The 35th Anniversary event served as the grand finale of Colorado Wine Week, held September 14–20, capping off a statewide celebration of Colorado’s growing wine industry.
“Celebrating 35 years of Colorado Mountain Winefest with a reimagined experience was a meaningful way to close out my time with CAVE,” said Cassidee Shull, outgoing Executive Director of CAVE. “After nearly 15 years with this organization, I’m incredibly proud of how Winefest has grown and of the community that has supported it along the way. This year was about honoring the history of Winefest while creating something new for its future, and I’m so proud of what our team and Colorado’s wine community brought to life. I’m excited to pass the torch and watch this incredible event continue to evolve.”
The 2026 celebration marked Shull’s final Colorado Mountain Winefest as Executive Director. Shull has led CAVE since 2012, overseeing the organization’s programs, advocacy efforts, industry education, and continued growth of Colorado Mountain Winefest. During her tenure, Winefest grew into a nationally recognized celebration of Colorado wine and was recently named USA Today’s Best Wine Festival in the Nation.
The festival also marked the beginning of a new chapter for CAVE, with Ali Mize joining the organization as its incoming Executive Director.
“I’m thrilled to be joining CAVE at such an exciting time for the organization and Colorado’s wine industry,” said Ali Mize, incoming Executive Director of CAVE. “Cassidee leaves an incredible legacy, and I’m looking forward to building on the strong foundation she and the CAVE community have created while helping shape the future of the organization and Colorado Mountain Winefest.”
For 35 years, Colorado Mountain Winefest has helped tell the story of Colorado wine while bringing visitors to the Grand Valley and connecting consumers with the state’s wineries, vineyards, and agricultural producers. The 2026 celebration honored that history while introducing a new vision for the festival’s future.
Colorado Mountain Winefest is the primary fundraiser for CAVE. Proceeds support CAVE’s programs and initiatives throughout the year, including its VinCO Conference & Trade Show, the organization’s annual industry conference held each January in Grand Junction. VinCO brings together leading experts in enology, viticulture, business, and related fields to provide education, networking, and resources for Colorado’s wine industry.
CAVE extends its appreciation to the participating wineries, culinary partners, sponsors, volunteers, community partners, and guests who helped make the 35th Anniversary Colorado Mountain Winefest possible.
For more information about Colorado Mountain Winefest and Colorado Wine Week, visit www.ColoradoWinefest.com.
For more information about CAVE, visit www.WineColorado.org.
Photos courtesy of Rachel DeWeber
About the Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology
The Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Colorado’s grape growers, winemakers, and wine industry through advocacy, education, research, marketing, and community engagement. For more than four decades, CAVE has served as the unified voice of Colorado’s wine industry while promoting Colorado wines and wine tourism throughout the state and beyond.
