Buckle Family Winery – Gunnison’s Winemaking Oasis Is a Must Stop
A Winery in Gunnison? Yes and a Delicious One You Will Want to Discover in Gunnison, Colorado
By Shauna Farnell
An unsung gem among Colorado’s wine offerings, Buckel Family Wine lies outside of the Western Slope’s grape growing hub. Its tasting room in downtown Gunnison contributes to its novelty, as does the expertise of its winemaker, who fell in love with the profession after a first career in chemistry.
A scientist at heart, Joe Buckel worked in Indianapolis doing protein chemistry and research until moving to the Gunnison Valley in 1996. There, he met Shamai, a recent graduate of Western State University. The two relocated to Santa Rosa, Calif., where they married. Joe began working in wineries while pursuing a formal winemaking education at Napa College.
“Working with the vineyard component, the chemistry component, the blending, nothing gets old,” Joe says. “One reason I stopped the protein research, besides not having any immediate satisfaction, it always had a dead end. With winemaking, you have this product you can hold in your hand and enjoy.”
Avid skiers and mountain bikers, the Buckels missed Colorado. They moved back to Gunnison, launching Buckel Family Wine in 2017 and establishing their current location in 2019.
They produce and sell a thoughtful selection of wines, a few of which have earned 90-plus point Wine Enthusiast ratings. They grow varietals in Palisade and Cortez as well as their 93 point-rated pinot noir from The Hawks Nest at 6,800 feet in Dolores.
In addition to the impressive Wine Enthusiast ratings, the Buckel’s favorite feedback from new customers is genuine surprise to discover such tasty, Sonoma-caliber wine in their corner of the world.
“The quality of wine across the board in Colorado has really shifted,” says Shamai, who designs Buckel Family’s labels and does the bookkeeping. “That’s thanks to the producers working hard to make good wine.”
“The way we produce, we try to do as little as possible guiding fermentations along,” Joe adds. “It can be a true expression of the season and soil. Growing up with a science background sets us up for these artistic tweaks – a little oak, changing acid for more mouth feel, clean and crisp if you don’t go through that fermentation. It’s super fun.”
Publisher’s Note:
It sure was fun running into Buckel Family Wine at Crested Butte’s Farmers Market. We wished we didn’t have drive back to Breckenridge but a few tastings yielded some happy shopping!
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