Barrel into Spring — This delightful, annual self-guided tour showcasing local Grand Valley wines and chefs has two weekends to choose from — April 17-18 and May 8-9 (Or you could go to both!) It is a fun way to explore the local wine scene. Tickets are $85 and are available at www.eventbrite.com. Proceeds go to help support CAVE — The Colorado Association of Viticulture & Enology — Colorado’s nonprofit for winemaking and grape growing.
Coco Vino Event — Fruita’s Arts and Culture Board is having a special evening of jazz, chocolates from Enstroms, Carlson Vineyard wine and an art auction. This fundraiser will be at Our Lady of Perpetual Motion at 503 E. Aspen Ave. in Fruita on March 7. There will be no sales the night of the event, so be sure to buy your tickets in advance. Tickets are $40 and available through www.970tix.com.
Corks and Forks — Palisade’s Colterris Winery is hosting a special dinner featuring wild game paired with their wines at 3708 G Road in Palisade. The special meal will be cooked by Chef Matt Tezak from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Tickets are $165 (plus tax and gratuity) and can be purchased at www.colterris.com. The menu will feature items such as smoked wild-caught trout, venison with huckleberry, and bison short rib with cocoa-chile glaze.
Food and Wine Classic in Aspen — Are you looking for something totally immersive and over-the-top when it comes to food and beverages? Look no further than Aspen for a three-day extravaganza June 19-21. Tickets are available online at www.classic.foodandwine.com and sell out every year. It has been an epic event for over 40 years.
Junct’n Square Pizza — They are operating out of Phillin’ It food truck at 1162 Ute Ave. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturdays until they move into their new restaurant space at 626 Rood Ave. on April 3.
Korean Corn Dog — This popular food truck will be back in Grand Junction starting March 3. They will be at 2898 Riverside Parkway starting at noon and the first 20 customers will receive a free lemonade.
Moody’s Underground — This new entertainment venue at 201 S. Sixth St. in Grand Junction is planning to open this summer. According to their social media, they are associated with Moody’s Lounge and will “offer the quality food, drink, and atmosphere that you have come to expect from Moody’s.”
Seed Library — Did you know that Mesa County Central Library has a seed library? It opened in 2022 and is a seasonal resource. According to their website, they “promote gardening knowledge, food security, and seed saving education. Visitors will find vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flower seeds free of charge, and are welcome to take up to three seed packets per month.” They will offer special gardening programs this spring and you can drop off seed donations too. Contact them at 970-683-2426 for more information.
Theatre-Themed Cocktails — Devil’s Kitchen restaurant (840 Kennedy Ave.) on the Colorado Mesa University campus next to the Asteria Theatre has created some special theatre-themed cocktails in honor of the upcoming Broadway shows. (The beverages will be available prior to the events and not on their regular menu.) For the Book of Mormon performance in March, they have created “The Missionary Mule” with vodka, lime, ginger beer and passion fruit. April’s show of Chicago features the “Cell Block Mango” with vodka, orange liqueur, lime, and a mango puree topped with ginger ale. In May before the showing of Hadestown, they will offer a cocktail called “Persephone’s Descent” with aged rum, pomegranate liqueur, lime and a smoked honey syrup.
Tilly and Chile — Palisade High School’s Matilda “Tilly” Marner-Stephens is hosting a special fundraiser as she gets ready to embark on an immersive, semester-long outdoor leadership education program in the South American country of Chile. The school is the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is in the Patagonia region of Chile. Her mother, local artist Erin Marner-Stephens, invites people to, “Please join us for a Chilean-inspired dinner beneath the trees at Sweet Cheeks Organic Orchard — an evening of community, good food, and shared purpose.” The dinner will be held at the Sweet Cheeks Organic Orchard at 674 35 Road in Clifton. Limited tickets are available for $125 and include Chilean foods and wine and a silent auction featuring local art. According to Marner-Stephens, “Dinner will be served family-style in the orchard with long tables, candlelight and a beautiful view of Mount Garfield.” For more information, email her at juxtamama@gmail.com.
Winning Wines — Palisade’s Sauvage Spectrum Estate Winery & Vineyard received national recognition as one of Wine Business Monthly’s “2025 Hot Brands.” This goes to wineries that are innovative, determined, optimistic, excellent and doing things a bit differently. Their delicious 2023 Grand Vin red wine featuring a blend of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc caught the attention of this organization and they were impressed. Sauvage Spectrum is only the second Colorado winery to receive this distinction. (Infinite Monkey Theorem earned the honor in 2016.) In addition to the Hot Brand accolade, they also won numerous medals at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Their lovely sparkling NV All Day Verde won a double gold medal. Many congratulations!
If you have any food and beverage-related events or information you want readers to know about, please email me at AllThingsFoodChristine@gmail.com.
Dining and Cooking