Colorado has no shortage of homegrown wineries. High-altitude vineyards provide a favorable climate for grape growing and cool evening temperatures are beneficial to the vines as well. The Manitou Springs Wine Festival will celebrate 30 Colorado wineries at the 22nd annual festival June 7 from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at Memorial Park (502 Manitou Ave.).
“Along with Colorado vineyards, all of our retail vendors are local as well,” Jenna Gallas, incoming Executive Director of the Visit Manitou Springs, shared. She said woodworkers, jewelry makers and cheese makers will host booths at next Saturday’s event.
New vineyards will be represented this year. The Ordinary Fellow is one of them. This family-owned craft winery specializes in classic French wines created in small batches. According to their website, wine produced by The Ordinary Fellow is featured internationally at Michelin- starred restaurants and luxury resorts.
Along with fine wine, breads and cheeses, the Manitou Springs Wine Festival will host three unique musical guests. The day’s premiere performance will feature New Vintage Jazz, a decade-old four-member band led by Ute Pass Elementary School music teacher Ian Ferguson. Jeff Sutton plays trumpet, Andy Burtschi is on Bass and Randy Bowen plays drums. Each musician is local.
“We play hard-bop,” Ferguson said. “It’s a jazz style from the sixties.”
He said attendees from previous years have enjoyed the group’s vibe. Two additional performances will complete the afternoon’s music. The Cat’s Glasses begin at 1 p.m., followed by Jason Greenlaw and Halle Tomlinson at 3 p.m.
Tickets are currently available online at ManitouSprings.org for $65. Gallas said there will be tickets sold this year in person, which has not been the case previously. She shared that the event is often sold out more than a week in advance. This year, only VIP tickets are currently sold out. Paid parking will be available along with 36 shuttle runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every twenty minutes. Info on parking and shuttle options is available at ManitouSprings.org. No pets allowed.
