It was a soggy weekend for the Chalk Lines and Vines Wine Festival held at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds on May 15th and 16th, but the wet weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the attendees. After wearing masks for the last year, wine lovers finally had the opportunity to spend time in public mask free.
Heavy afternoon thunderstorms on Saturday and a cool, drizzly day on Sunday didn’t deter local wine enthusiasts from spending the afternoon with a dozen of Colorado’s local wineries. Wine makers from as far as Grand Junction brought their best libations to share and sell.
The weekend marked the beginning of a welcome transition from pandemic mask directives to being maskless in public places. Wineries have been hard hit through the pandemic. From being shut down completely to opening with a twenty-five percent limit to seating, most are thankful to have survived.
Small businesses suffered tremendously over the past year, especially in the food service industry. Wild Women Winery, a Downton Denver favorite, was just one of the wineries shuttered last summer. After the first complete shutdown, the owners closed up shop, sold off their remaining bottles of wine and moved to Texas.
Fortunately many of the wineries in Colorado did survive and are now back open to full capacity. This summer will be the beginning of a recovery for many of the businesses who hope to put 2020 behind them and focus on making great wine.
