Hermosa Vineyards

The way in leaves C Road at number 3269, turns south onto gravel, and follows the winery signs to 3269 3/4 C Road. At the end is the tasting room of Hermosa Vineyards, in the foothills above Palisade in Mesa County. The winery’s own site calls it “a cozy little winery.” Writers from Thirst Colorado, who stopped in on a staff trip recapped July 1, 2025, called the room “cozy and rustic.” They came away with what they described as “an impromptu crash course in Colorado agriculture” from Kenn Dunn, who runs the place and pours the tastings himself.

Syrah to Rkatsiteli

The state wine board’s listing for Hermosa gives five reds: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot. It gives five whites: Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Rkatsiteli. Two dessert wines close the list, a Muscat and a Cherry. The same listing says the wines are made only from “100%, Colorado grown grapes.” The winery says all of them are produced “in very limited quantities.” Some bottles reach restaurants and wine shops, but according to Thirst, Dunn sells mostly across his own counter. His Cabernet Franc and Merlot sell out quickly every year.

Only service animals are admitted. The winery’s notice states that emotional support and companion animals do not count.

The grapes come from the Grand Valley AVA, which the winery’s about page calls “an oasis in the desert.” The page says its vineyards draw on “hot sunlight-drenched days, cool nights, and water from the snow-capped peaks, of the upper Colorado River Basin.” Palisade, the town below, takes its name from the cliffs near its site. It is known for peach orchards and wine vineyards and calls itself the Peach Capital of Colorado, a title credited to a 182-day growing season and an average of 78 percent sunshine.

Apple firewood and cherry trees

The farm was an apple orchard when it was bought in 1993. The winery’s timeline says picking the apples cost more than the apples were worth, so “a lot of apple firewood was sold.” In 1994 the main vineyard went in with 17 grape varieties and, alongside them, 15 varieties of sweet cherries. For years Dunn sold his grapes to other wineries in the Grand Valley.

From there the sources give different dates. The winery’s timeline says “we built the winery” in 1997, and the masthead of its website reads “est. ‘93.” The Colorado Wine listing and Thirst Colorado both put Dunn’s founding of Hermosa as his own winery in 2001.

A second Palisade vineyard site was bought in 2005 and planted in 2006. The tasting room’s date is also disputed. The winery’s timeline says the room was added in 2011, “with two producing vineyards in Palisade.” Thirst says it opened in 2005, after years of self-distribution. The timeline ends: “This is a passion and we are not finished yet!”

A winemaker of the year and a protégé

The winery’s about page lists its notices. One is a Today Show segment, “5 wine destinations off the beaten path.” Another is a Travel & Leisure piece, “The Top Vineyards All Around the U.S.” A third is an Americantowns Media list, “The 9 Best Wineries in Colorado!”, which said: “Although not the biggest winery on this list, Hermosa Vineyards is sure one of the tastiest.”

In 2024 the Colorado Wine Journal named Dunn, whose name it spells Ken, its Winemaker of the Year. The award cited “his many years of making high quality wine and his dedication and leadership in the Colorado Wine Industry.”

According to Thirst, Dunn also inspired Courtney Kiel to open Blue Beryl Winery. Her custom-built tasting room near downtown Palisade has a wall of windows facing Mount Garfield and the defunct coal mine where her ancestors worked.