Top Colorado Wine Stores

When you are looking for a wine that will pair perfectly with a particular food, when you need a special-occasion wine, when you are on a budget and want a wine that drinks more expensively than it costs, a wine specialty shop can steer you right. Their expertise rubs off too. They share their knowledge via free newsletters, wine of the month clubs, tastings and real enthusiasm for talking wine with anyone who shares their passion.

Boulder Wine Merchant

2690 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80304
(303) 443-6761
boulderwine.com

Only 106 North Americans currently have earned the elite title of Master Sommelier. Two of them, Wayne Belding and Sally Mohr, founded this low-frills wine store, and a third, Brett Zimmerman, recently purchased it from them. The Boulder Wine Merchant is one of the most complete and authoritative wine shops for miles around with an inventory that is both broad and deep. It stocks wines from the world over, and in the last few years, has well-priced selections up front. Master Somms' credibility in the wine business enables them to obtain excellent, little-known wines at value prices. Be sure to check out the glass case under the "Old & Rare" sign. You never know what you'll find. Once, we spotted a 1959 Pink Muscat from the Crimean Republic.

Divino Wine & Spirits

1240 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80223
(30) 778-1800
divinowine.com

Divino opened on South Broadway before the big street was cool. It fact, it pioneered upscale urbanism there - but without high prices or attitude. The store is as long and deep as a railcar. Individual wine holders in tall shelves on both sides of the store hold some 750 world wine selections, 60 sparkling wines and 80 dessert wines, plus 450 liquors and dozens of mostly imported beers and domestic microbrews. They host Saturday afternoon tastings, and they always welcome shoppers and neighbors from nearby Platt Park to come in and talk about wine.

Mondo Vino

3601 W. 32nd Ave.
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 458-3858
mondovino.net

At the heart of North Highlands' is a corner wine and spirits store that has loomed large on Denver's wine scene since its 1999 opening. Owner Duey Kratzer has stocked his bright and inviting store with great depth and breadth in underrated wine regions such as Austria and the French part of the Rhone Valley. He was among the first in Denver to favor the output from small wineries made from grapes grown by a single vineyard. A wine cave in the back of the store holds gems that represent the finest bottling in their inventory. You'll find both the unusual and the unexpected here, as well as regular and premium spirits and such fortified wines as ports and sherries.

Wines Off Wynkoop

1610 16th St.
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 571-1012
winesoffwynkoop.com

The address says 16th Street, but to find Wines Off Wynkoop, you have to wander down the alley behind The Tattered Cover LoDo to find this three-level wine shop. Locals appreciate the friendly and freely given advice - and especially the prices. They hold free wine tastings every Wednesday and Friday afternoon/evening, with discounts on that day's tasting selections. Most of the inventory is priced under $20. In addition to California and the Pacific Northwest, imports from France, Italy, Chile and Australia are well-represented on store shelves. From the beginning, the store has been supportive of Colorado's growing wine industry, showing a number of top Colorado labels.