Kittredge Is Home to a Boutique Wine Shop Run by a Certified Sommelier

When their local wine shop closed, Evergreen residents Dani Rooney and her husband, Ryan, who are originally from St. Louis, wanted to open a store of their own.

For help with the project, Dani reached out to another St. Louis transplant, local restaurant vet Chad Michael George, who is a certified sommelier and a graduate of the BAR 5-Day certification program. In turn, George connected the couple with Nathan Turk, who also has a good deal of experience in the local food and beverage scene.

In 2021, the team launched Piney Wine & Spirits in the small town of Kittredge, which sits between Morrison and Evergreen, just ten minutes up the road from popular hiking spot Lair o' the Bear and many other trailheads. Now the shop is an unexpectedly well-stocked pit stop for wine lovers exploring the foothills.

Turk, who runs day-to-day operations, originally moved to the Mile High to attend culinary school at the now-closed Johnson & Wales University in 2007. He later went to Metropolitan State University of Denver, where, on a whim, he applied for a scholarship with the International Sommelier Guild (ISG). From there, he went on to the Court of Master Sommeliers after being encouraged by his ISG instructor. He is also a BAR 5-Day graduate.
In 2014, while working as a server on Linger’s rooftop, he became a certified sommelier. He also bartended at Linger, was the bar manager at Ophelia’s, has staged at the famed Alinea in Chicago and worked as the assistant general manager for Death and Company's award-winning RiNo location.

At the Kittredge shop, the wine selection is guided by Turk's experience traveling through the French and Italian regions of Champagne, Northern Rhone, Piedmont and Tuscany, which gave him an appreciation for small producers. Many of the wines available taste true to the varietals, “which is incredibly important,” Turk notes.

All the major wine regions are covered, but his personal love for Italian wines, especially from the northern part of the country, is clear. While not all of the wines at the shop are rare, there are many limited-release bottles on the shelves: “Once they’re out of stock, they’re not coming back,” Turk says.

There are also some Colorado wines available from producers on the Western Slope, including the Storm Cellar, Wild Capture and Aquila Cellars.
The shop offers two wine club levels, as well: Elk ($55 per  month) and Brisket ($75 per month), the latter of which is named after Turk's Great Dane, who is a fan favorite when he makes an appearance at the store. All members receive 10 percent off all purchases and three bottles per month, selected to fit rotating themes such as "summer fun," which included a sparkling Lambrusco, an Albarino and a Grenache/Syrah blend. Brisket-level members get an additional bonus bottle.

"One goal is to help people feel heard, answer questions and demystify the wine and spirits experience," says Turk, who uses his hospitality experience to make the shop more approachable.

In addition to wine, Piney is also stocked with a large selection of spirits and beer, many of which are made locally.

Piney Wine & Spirits is located at 26289 CO-74 in Kittredge. It is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 720-287-0154 or visit pineywinespirits.com.