SIP THE STATE WESTERN WINES & MORE Buffalo Jump Winery invites visitors to sip and paint at its combination winery, tasting room and art studio in Cody . Buffalo Jump carries a wide selection of reds (such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon) and whites (Chardonnay, Riesling and more), which make great accompaniments to their artist-led Sip & Paint classes. Taste Wyoming-style wine on the state’s eastern plains at Table Mountain Vineyards , a winery that produces wines using all-local ingredients. Visit the operation in rural Huntley , open by appointment, for a sip of semi-sweet raspberry wine, honey wine, whites and reds. And after your visit, be sure to pick up a bottle to take home as well. Jackson Hole Winery ’s creations are produced and cellared at 6,229 feet on Spring Creek at the base of the glorious Tetons. The cool mountain air preserves their wines, including the Rendezvous Red, Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Catch & Release American Red, through a slow fermentation and aging process. Call to make an appointment for tastings at the Jackson headquarters. Have a need for mead? Big Lost Meadery has you covered. The fermented honey drink’s origins date back thousands of years and is served up at Wyoming’s first meadery in downtown Gillette. It’s a rare chance to taste the drink that, according to mead lore, was the beverage of choice for battle-bound Vikings. Weston Wineries bottles and cellars wine that showcases Wyoming’s western heritage. Stop into their tasting room in downtown Gillette to sample the 307 “Just LeDoux It” Special Red Blend — a tribute to famed Wyoming rodeo cowboy and musician Chris LeDoux. WY NOT? THINGS TO DO BETWEEN TASTINGS • “There are a lot of great things to see in the Bighorn Basin ,” says Sam Mead, distiller at Wyoming Whiskey in Kirby. “I’m partial to hot springs and the Dinosaur Center (in Thermopolis), and all the great scenery in the Bighorn Mountains.” • “Take a drive and see Sinks Canyon,” says Adam Bridgeford of Lander Brewing Company. “It is a rugged canyon at the southern end of the Wind River Range about two miles outside of Lander. There is hiking, wildlife and fishing to experience in one of the most beautiful areas on the planet.” • “The reason most people live in Jackson Hole is because of the incredible access we have to outdoor recreation,” says Tess Hankey, sales and marketing assistant at Snake River Brewing in Jackson. “There is nothing better than ending a long day of skiing, rafting, climbing and hiking with a delicious Snake River Brewing craft beer.” • “Just across the highway from Ten Sleep Brewing, there are hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, crisscrossed with dirt roads for the four-wheeler and dirt-bike enthusiasts with fossil hunting and strange sandstone formations,” says Cole Smith, owner of Ten Sleep Brewing. “Ten miles south of the brewery is the Red Reflet Guest Ranch with fine dining and a great wine list, and 18 miles east up Highway 16 are lodges and trailheads leading to many mountain lakes.” • “Pizza Carello has some unbelievable pizza and other things that are unlike anything else in the area,” says Sam Clikeman, owner of Big Lost Meadery in Gillette. “There’s also a place that does Costa Rican-style rotisserie chicken called The Coop.” 78 Wyoming Official Travelers Journal CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TABLE MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS; PIZZA CARELLO; JACKSON HOLE WINERY.
Wyoming Official Travel Guide 2018 Wyoming OTJ: Page 78
