Colorado Cellars Winery

Notable Events

1. 1974Colorado State University, with a US government grant, planted test plots of wine grapes through the four corners area; one test plot sits directly in front of the present winery and is the oldest commercial Colorado vineyard in existence. coloradocellars.com
2. 1977The act created Colorado Limited Winery Licenses, which required the use of Colorado grapes to make wine. coloradocellars.com
3. 1977Jim Seawald headed a group of eighteen investors who founded Colorado Mountain Vineyards in Denver; in 1978 the winery produced its first vintage from Colorado grapes. spl.cde.state.co.us
4. 1978Rich started as distribution manager when he was 24 years old. postindependent.com
5. 1981Jim Seawald and his wife moved Colorado Mountain Vineyards to East Orchard Mesa near Palisade, into a building built for them by a secondary investor, and began planting grapes in 1982. spl.cde.state.co.us
6. 1986Own history says the Colorado Cellars brand appeared in 1986, following wines originally sold under Colorado Mountain Vineyards. coloradocellars.com
7. 1988A series of stock offerings led to disaster; after buyouts and liens the winery passed to Tom Husband, who kept Jim Seawald as winemaker and changed the winery's name to Colorado Vintage Cellars. spl.cde.state.co.us
8. 1989Current sole owners Richard and Padte Turley bought out the last of the other 12 original investors. coloradowine.com
9. 1990Rocky Mountain Vineyards and Orchard Mesa Wine Company brands appeared in 1990. coloradocellars.com
10. 1990The winery's humorous label wine Roadkill Red, introduced in 1990, created a whole new category of wines nationwide. coloradowine.com
11. 1990Rich and his wife Padte have owned the winery since 1990, according to this feature. postindependent.com
12. 1991The winery assisted with the creation of the Grand Valley American Viticulture Area in 1991 and the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board around the same time. coloradocellars.com
13. 1992Rick and Padte Turley of Colorado Cellars were among the first representatives at the 1992 festival. gazette.com
14. 2024After making Colorado wine for 46 years, the owners of the state's oldest active winery put the business, vineyards and property up for sale. bizjournals.com

People

• Padte Turley, Owner who gave students a behind-the-scenes tour and explanation of Palisade's first winery.
• Richard Turley, current sole owner, operating the winery daily.
• Rick, Colorado Cellars representative at the inaugural wine festival (1992).
• Bennett Price, vice president of the winery and one of the original investors; an Aurora home wine maker who moved to Western Colorado and bought five acres of vineyard (1981).
• Padte, Rich's wife, co-owner and winemaker (since 1990).
• Rich Turley, Owner; began as distribution manager (1978; owner since 1990).
• Jim Seawald, founder of Colorado Mountain Vineyards (1977 and 1978).
• Tom Husband, took over the winery in the 1988 failure and sold it to Rick and Padte Turley two years later (1988).

Sources

1. coloradocellars.com
2. coloradowine.com/winery/colorado-cellars-winery-rocky-mountain-vineyards-colorado-mountain-vineyards
3. spl.cde.state.co.us/artemis/umcserials/umc319internet/umc319v11n21996internet.pdf
4. bizjournals.com/denver/news/2024/07/05/winery-colorado-cellars-for-sale.html
5. coloradocellars.com/our-story
6. cpr.org/2014/08/31/colorado-wine-country-comes-of-age