Rist Canyon Vineyards

Rist Canyon Vineyards was established for research and educational purposes. Very little research has been done on which varieties are suited to the Colorado Front Range with its marginal, short growing season, fluctuating cold and warm winters, and the ever present late spring and early fall frosts. Thus, I took it upon myself to find out what grape varieties could be grown under these conditions and which would mature properly and make good eating grapes and wine.

The Rist Canyon Vineyards is operated by me, Jim Bruce. I have been growing grapes since 1974 in places like Minnesota and Iowa. I received my Batchelors degree in horticulture with an emphasis on orcharding and viticulture. Now I have established this vineyard in Rist Canyon Colorado. This is to the northwest of Ft. Collins, Colorado at 7300 ft. in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. I originally was to use this vineyard to do research for my Phd but when the money ran out, I decided to keep the operation going and continue to report my findings through this internet website. I am also involved in breeding new grape varieties adapted to the Colorado Front Range Foothills.

Please keep coming back to www.ristcanyonvineyards.com to see my new postings on how to grow grapes under marginal growing conditions.

Because this is a non-profit endeavor, funding for this vineyard has been out of pocket and through commissions created by "click-through" marketing of wine, wine accessories, gardening supplies, viticultural equipment, and sales of Rist Canyon Vineyards' grape growing books.

For more information contact Jim Bruce at the following: