There's a Farm to Table dinner on the 27th and special winery tours on the 29th and 30th!

For the last two decades, Colorado Mountain Winefest has been the premier Colorado wine celebration in the state, bringing dozens of local wineries to celebrate our award-winning wines and growing industry.

With 50 Colorado wineries in attendance and a few thousand close friends to share unlimited sips, it’s the kind of perfect day that makes everyone wish they lived here. The daylong event in Riverbend Park features live entertainment, unlimited wine samples, a  commemorative tasting glass, wine tote and the chance to buy wine directly from the winemakers.

Cherry Days will be highlighting local food and spirits on Saturday, July 7 in Paonia Town Park.  This celebration of all good, local products will begin at 3:30PM with a beer tasting class, followed by a wine tasting class and culminating with 2 farm to table dinners.

Revolution Brewing's Mike King will conduct the beer tasting class from 3:30 to 4:30PM at the Storytelling Tent. Mike will educate what he calls the "average with interested" palate.  He will explore the three dimensions of beer: bitterness, malty sweetness and alcohol and the way various recipes and styles quite deliberately balance these three elements.

At 4:30PM Brent Helleckson of Stone Cottage Cellars will lead the wine tasting class. He will demonstrate how to taste and what to look for in wine, highlight what is unique about the wines produced from the grapes grown in the North Fork Valley and those made in the Grand Valley by Palisade and how they differ.  He will also recommend food pairings with the various wines.

After the tasting classes, the Storytelling Tent will become the site for the farm to table dinners - 2 seatings at 6 and 7:30PM. Local chefs will take advantage of the wonderful local bounty and offer delectable dishes. Michael Gillespie of the Living Farm Cafe, Dava Parr of Fresh & Wyld, Kelly Steinmetz of the Flying Fork Cafe and Ed Vaughn of Delicious Orchards will show off their talents. Michael will prepare the apple wood smoked chicken and apple wood smoked baked beans for the dinner. If Mother Nature cooperates, Dava plans to concoct a red, white and blue potato dish with a green herb and goat cheese vinaigrette. A salad with a plethora (up to 9 different types) of greens will also be on the menu. Kelly's contribution to the farm to table dinner will be a garden dish that will include spinach, zucchini, squash, pan-seared polenta and a zesty puttanesca sauce. Ed will be doing the cherry pies for the dinner.  In all of his cooking experience, he considers the sour cherries in this region the most flavorful - the cherries just speak for themselves.

Proceeds from these three spirit and food events will go to the Paonia Chamber of Commerce, which promotes local business and the area's unique quality of life. The beer tasting class is $25 per person; the wine tasting class is $25 and the farm to table dinner is $25.  Tickets can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets on the Chamber web site, www.paoniachamber.com, and at the Chamber office at 124 Grand Ave.

Monday, June 25th from 5-7p.m. is the first ever Picnic Night at Black Bridge Winery. Bring a dish of something awesome to share, a picnic blanket and enjoy $4 glasses of Black Bridge wine, the best scenery in town, and even play a game of horse shoes. This is the night that lots of local eateries and the brewery are closed, and the Winery thinks it would be fun to break bread and drink wine with friends and neighbors.

Thursday, June 21st from 5-7p.m. is Ladies Night. Bring your crew out and enjoy $5 glasses of wine and a light snack at Black Bridge. Their first ladies night drew an excellent crowd and they hope the next one is even better. Hope to see you all there!