Getting fruity with varied drinks in Colorado Springs

By Jay McKinney

This story is part of a week of stories about Colorado Springs. See more in our current print issue, with its annual special section on the Pikes Peak region.

Monte Cervino Beverage Co. has established itself as a libation destination in Colorado Springs.

Owner Matthew Bonno opened the multi-faceted company to the public in 2016 as a cidery. Bonno had family living in Colorado Springs and fell in love with the area. Since then, the tasting room, located on the southeast side of Colorado Springs, has evolved to include an urban winery and teahouse.

The winery is an especially exciting branch of the Monte Cervino Beverage Co., and Bonno is optimistic about the potential for Colorado wine and the innovation at the craft level. While most of the grapes Monte Cervino currently uses come from California, the winery is open to using grapes from other regions around the world and is also hoping to source grapes from local vineyards as well.

Currently, the winery’s flagship wine is the Little Red. It’s a dry red blend aged in whiskey barrels that is available in liquor stores throughout the Denver and Colorado Springs areas. One of Monte Cervino’s other wines, Two Sicilians, is a 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon that is more limited in availability and has a slightly higher price point. Aside from these two reds, the winery also produces a blanc de blancs called Grand Prix that is dedicated to those immersed in motorsports (a defining trait of the winery). Bonno has been passionate about motorsports for years and wanted to link this passion to his brand in a tasteful way.

“When you go back through history, alcohol companies have supported racing since day one,” Bonno says. “Martini & Rossi are the big ones; Budweiser here in the United States; Jägermeister in Germany. They’ve all been big supporters of automotive racing.”

Monte Cervino jumped into the local automotive scene when it sponsored a hot rod show at the Pikes Peak International Raceway. The Little Red is a hot rod-inspired wine that was offered at the raceway and became a hit as the first wine available to patrons who had only drank beer previously.

The winery’s Grand Prix is currently available for sale at the Monte Cervino tasting room and will also be provided to the racers of this year’s Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in the winery’s newest partnership. The PPIHC is the second oldest motorsports race in the United States and will be celebrating its 100th running this June. In honor of the historical race, Monte Cervino also produced a special cider that will be available to the public through June 2023.