Voyaging to Vino Salida Wine Cellars
TL;DR: Vino Salida Wine Cellars in Poncha Springs, CO, offers Harvest Hosts members a delightful experience with locally crafted wines, meads, and vermouths, all embodying the essence of Colorado. The winery also features live music, a cozy wine bar, and a tasting room, making it a must-visit spot in the Arkansas River Valley.
Harvest Hosts is an incredibly unique RV membership program. Through this program, members are granted access to 5,900 host locations across North America for overnight accommodations with no camping fees. To support each of these businesses, members typically make a small purchase of wine or produce. Locations include establishments such as farms, wineries, breweries, museums, restaurants, attractions, and more. Vino Salida Wine Cellars is a prime example of one of our awesome hosts. Located in the Arkansas River Valley of Colorado, this winery has been growing grapes and bottling wine since 2009. Continue on to learn all about the winery, its history, the business today, and its joining of the Harvest Hosts program.
The History
Vino Salida’s winemaker, Steve Flynn, first began making wine in 1984, when he was in high school. After graduating college, we went on to work as a cook in several restaurants across the United States. In 2002, he began a job as a cellar hand at Mountain Spirit Winery. As a result, he caught the wine bug, and the rest is history! Vino Salida Wine Cellars began in 2009, when Steve moved his operation from his backyard to a small commercial space just outside of Salida. Previously, Steve had been stomping Colorado grapes with friends to make wine for years. This tradition continues to live on in the winery's annual grape stomp on the autumnal equinox each year. Vino Salida grew from a vision to celebrate agriculture and community with wine!
The Business Today
Today, Vino Salida Wine Cellars continues to thrive as an awesome local wine bar and tasting room. Winemaker, Steve Flynn, has worked closely with Colorado grape and honey producers to forge long-lasting relationships. Steve's drive to craft quality products has led to many different styles of wine, all tasting unique and purely Coloradan.Wines including Vino Rosso di Salida, BeeVino Semi-Sweet Mead, and the Rosso Vino Vermouth have received medals at the 2019 Colorado Governor’s Cup. Visitors can book a tour online and visit the winery in scenic Poncha Springs for wine tasting, dining, and now craft beer and spirits. There is plenty to see and enjoy here, with wines and cocktails for any palate.