The Storm Cellar is a boutique winery, located in Hotchkiss, Colorado, specializing in white and rosé wines. We are a husband-and-wife team with a goal of showcasing the attributes of our alpine-desert terroir, to help bring our region into the national wine spotlight, and to become a premier destination for an elevated, Colorado wine experience.
OUR GOAL is straightforward:
We are DRIVEN to deliciously
CONNECT the LAND to the GLASS
We listen to a lot of drum-and-bass, exist on espresso, and routinely binge-watch the X-Files, Lord of the Rings, and Agents of Shield. We live right here at the source and while we live where we work, we make time to tend our garden, fix delicious meals at home, and play with our growing animal-family, which currently includes two border collies, three cats, and eight chickens. We welcome you to be part of our world, whether it's here at our tasting room or at home relaxing on your front porch.
we allow our wines to ferment slowly, at lower temperatures, to preserve aromatics, and WE carefully manage oxygen to ensure freshness and minimize sulfur additions.
we aim for finished wines with delicate texture, pronounced aromas, and vibrant acidity. our wines are dry, crisp, and refreshing, with minimal use of oak, and, above all, food friendly.
we work in small batches, hand-sort our grapes, and press small lots into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, often giving our grapes extended cold soaks for optimal aromatic extraction.
we make between ten and 15 different wines each year, sourced from grapes we grow and from premier high-desert vineyards along the western slope of colorado.
✓
✓
✓
✓
01
we're sommeliers first
Years spent tasting and evaluating wines for restaurant lists have provided an excellent baseline for a worldly palate, strengthening our winemaking skillset.
02
we're focused on our wine style
We are committed to crafting quality white and rosé wines by capturing and preserving delicate aromatics, textural nuances, and, of course, lively acidity.
03
WE'RE A HANDS-ON TEAM OF two
The two of us are behind every aspect of our project, from writing the newsletter and posting on Instagram, to pruning the vines and making our wines.
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
directing the vines
reducing compaction
For over a decade, Jayme has shared her unique, garden-inspired drinks at her blog, Jayme Grows Drinks.
So much of what we do at The Storm Cellar has emerged from what Jayme does on her site.
If you really want the full experience, then grab your shaker, fill your glass, and follow along.
let's make drinks