The annual Castle Rock WineFest, held on Saturday, July 17th at Butterfield Park in the Meadows, was a big event with a lot of people, wineries and artisan vendors. Easily the biggest post-pandemic Colorado wine event in 2021, the venue was big and busy.
Castle Rock’s Chamber of Commerce has put this event on for 17 years, skipping last year due to Covid. It was evident they had this down to a science from the timely shuttles running from Castle Rock’s Outlet mall, to the quick ID check and entry into the venue. The festival was well organized and fun.
The Castle Rock location was a little cooler than Denver, with a slightly higher elevation, but it was still a typical hot Colorado summer day. Butterfield Park is a sizable grass covered open area with several islands of trees, giving much needed space with shade. Attendees set up chairs and lay out blankets to relax, eat and cool down.
Butterfield Park is a large venue, so with more than 1,000 people in attendance, it didn’t feel cramped. Twenty eight of Colorado’s craft wineries and meaderies brought their best wines to taste and purchase. The good news is they were all busy – all day! Every winery tent had people lined up to try, and buy, their creations.
Live music from Brian Raine and Grayson Little filled the air through the day. Food trucks provided a variety of lunch and dinner options, plus non-wine shopping from almost two dozen artisan vendors rounded out the day.
The festival is fun, well organized and a great way to spend a Colorado summer weekend. Dates for the 2022 event have already been released (July 22, 2022). Visit the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce for details and tickets.
