Winter Wine Festival returns to Wright Opera House Feb. 17

A little more than a year ago, four community members and business leaders sat by the fireplace in the Tavern at the Wright Opera House and asked an oft-repeated question: How can we boost the winter economy in Ouray? The answer this group came up with that day — a winter wine festival — is now coming up on its second annual event, and other businesses are partnering in unique ways.

“We wanted to help activate not only our own business, our own space, but also boost the local economy,” said winemaker Patric Matysiewski of Sauvage Spectrum Wines in Palisade. He and business partner and fruit grower Kaibab Sauvage opened their Ouray tasting room in August 2022. But, as many Ouray businesses know, few customers visit after the holidays and the Ouray Ice Festival end.

Matysiewski and Sauvage were joined on that evening of planning by Elevation Weddings and Events owner Krysta Cossitt and Wright Opera House Programming Director Kate Jones. Together, they decided to create a winter event — and made it happen in roughly three months’ time.

Unfortunately, said Sauvage, they mistakenly scheduled the inaugural Ouray Winter Wine Festival on the same day as the Super Bowl.

“Surprisingly, we still had a pretty good turnout, about 150 guests,” he said, “and business owners were happy.”

This year’s festival, on Feb. 17, is scheduled with two slots: one at noon and another at 4 p.m. The entire event takes place on the two floors of the Wright Opera House and, for those with VIP passes, in the Sauvage Spectrum Tasting Room next door.

Downstairs at the Wright, the tavern offers plenty of comfortable seating. Upstairs, the theater stage will be converted into a cozy living room, complete with small electric fireplaces, couches, area rugs, coffee tables and comfortable chairs, while the theater floor will be spread with tables for eight local wineries, a cidery and three distilleries, as well as food vendors and hand-selected, interactive craft vendors.

“We want people to have an intimate experience,” Cossitt said. “This way, they can talk to wine makers, sit down with their friends, and explore the unique retailers and food options.” Some of the retailers include Rose Bird permanent jewelry, artist Hannah Wilson, custom-made wooden boxes, boozy jellies, oysters and charcuterie plates.

Music for the event will be provided downstairs by local harpists Robin Freed and friends, and upstairs by Dave Munson, who Cossitt described as “a fun honky-tonk western pianist.”

“Everyone is from the Western Slope,” Cossitt said. “We want to showcase this region.”

That said, people travel from as far away as the Front Range and New Mexico, and from as close as down the street from the Wright, to experience the festival.

This year, the city of Ouray also reached out to lodging providers to support more tourism, partnering with some of them on a campaign to offer customers who spend two nights in Ouray a third night free.

“Boulder did it during COVID for resorts that were open,” said Kailey Rhoten, the city’s tourism and destination marketing director. “So I decided to try it here.”

Five Ouray lodging establishments decided to participate this winter.

Rhoten said others wanted to wait and see.

“We’re experimenting,” she said. “We’ve had good feedback so far.”

While she wasn’t expecting any data until the end of the year, Rhoten said Ouray Riverside Resort has been reporting back monthly and has had 30 bookings from the promotional deal since November.

Sauvage said he and his party will spend three nights in town for the wine festival, anyway. He likes to get in a little early to set up, and then stay an extra night after the event.

“We like to make a weekend out of it,” he said.

He and his festival co-founders hope others will decide to do the same.

Sauvage said he has big dreams for this festival but still wants to keep it intimate.

“We have to start with a reasonable foundation,” he said. “But I’d love to see us grow. We could sell a lot more tickets.”

The Wright can accommodate 300 people in each tasting session, but Sauvage wonders if it might grow beyond that. He said he imagines outdoor venues with warming tents and ice sculptures, too.

More information can be found online at ouraywinterwinefestival.com.