July 16th and 17th, wine and jazz fans from across the country will visit Keystone, Colorado to taste a wide variety of wines and listen to jazz artists from across the nation. Over the course of the two days, they have many seminars to bring out your inner connoisseur.  The first one is called “Pinot Envy” and allows guests to explore the philosophy behind winemakers’ Pinot Noir. After that, join your friends for “The Godfather of Zin with Joel Peterson”. Peterson is the founder of Ravenswood Winery. He will be offering tastings of locally made Zinfandels and telling the stories behind all of them. Finish your day with “Cigar and Craft Distillers” where you are able to pair cigars with a variety of spirits. The session leaders will also teach the group about production and characteristics.  

After you go home for the night make sure to rest up, because you’ll be starting your festival circuit early on Sunday! Get your crew together to hit “Prosecco and Pancakes” at 10:30, where you will try different prosecco cocktails with pancakes with all kinds of toppings. The leaders will also show you the best prosecco and pancake pairings. To finish up the weekend, the best event was saved for last. “Wine Olympics” will determine which red wine truly is the greatest. Using a blind taste test, you get to determine bracket-style what the results will be. In between tastings you can listen to jazz acts such as Dotsero, Jessy J, and Lin Rountree.  

One of the best parts of the Wine and Jazz Festival is the location. Keystone is a resort town tucked away off of I-70 and only 45 minutes from Idaho Springs! Spend the Friday night before the big festival at our Starlight Zipline Adventure or on one of our raft trips for your happy hour!