"We wanted to be more of a community winery and build relationships in the community," says Debra Ray, the winery's owner and winemaker. "We considered doing it on the Western Slope but the structure of business is so much different. People will come in and we may never see them again," she explains. "What we decided is that on the Front Range there are more farm-to-table [events], we can do classes and movie nights, and we felt that this was more the business model we wanted to do."
The tasting room and winery hosted their grand opening May 1-2, featuring the release of four new wines: A 2009 Shiver "ice-style" wine, its 2009 riesling, a 2009 pinot grigio, and a 2008 Fireside Ruby port-style wine. The new space has already begun hosting classes and movie nights and can be rented out for parties and meetings and other events, says Ray.
The winery's former site in Palisade is in the process of being converted to a "Bed and Basket" for small group rentals. The concept is like a hands-off, more low-key bed and breakfast, with guests having run of the premises but having Continental-type breakfast provisions left for them. Ray expects renovations to be complete and the space to be available sometime in June.
Desert Moon's vineyards still remain in the same location.
For more information, visit the winery's website or call 303-990-9463.