Snowy Peaks Winery uncorks a fresh experience

What wines pair nicely with a rattlesnake-pheasant-jalapeno sausage and a wild-boar-with-blueberry sausage?

I went to Snowy Peaks Winery at 292 Moraine Avenue in Estes Park to find out. 

Yes, rattlesnake-pheasant-jalapeno and wild-boar-with-blueberry sausages are both on the menu on the Colorado Wild Game Sausage Board for $35, and my friend and I both enjoyed them al fresco on the new spacious patio on a perfect summer day.

That wild game board also includes elk-cheddar sausage and sauces: beer-cheese, raspberry chipotle, and Dijon Chardonnay mustard. All of those are served with fennel crackers and pickled green beans.

That may sound like a lot of incongruous ingredients, but they all worked deliciously for both my friend and me, paired with a sweet Riesling.

Other customers I interviewed thought the beer cheese was great on the sausages and on the giant Bavarian pretzel ($13).

Owner Albert Schmurr bought Snowy Peaks in April 2025 and has made many changes, including a new food menu, new furniture, an expanded liquor menu, and a new, larger, shaded patio downstairs behind the winery. 

The outdoor space now has a stage where live musicians perform every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the summer. As a backdrop to the stage, a local artist has been commissioned to paint a mural inspired by Rocky Mountain National Park.

On the patio, I interviewed diners who said they appreciated this new outdoor area for its pet-friendly policy, great overhead sun coverage, beautiful views, fast service, friendly servers, good music, and the gorgeous weather – which was not on the menu.

What is on the menu is the new pesto burrata caprese ($15), a customer favorite, according to one server. Other new options are pizza for two ($14) and a hummus platter ($15).

I had the hummus platter and enjoyed the zucchini and carrots served with fresh, tangy hummus and the olive tapenade with soft pita bread.

“Charcuterie Your Way,” priced at a base of $18, is custom-built by diners. It includes Marcona almonds, olives, chocolates, focaccia, crackers, and jam, and customers select meats and cheeses (prices vary). 

That platter can also be configured completely gluten-free.

Later this summer, the winery will be adding mussels and toast ($20), charred corn and avocado salad ($15), and ahi poke with avocado ($20) to the menu.

In addition, customers will be able to order paninis made with prosciutto, turkey pastrami, capicola, and bresaola served with pasta salad ($18).

Desserts are also now on the menu, from flourless chocolate cake ($12) to gelato ($6) and a truffle menu ($4.50) that a local chocolatier pairs with specific Snowy Peaks wines (various price points).

Every guest I talked with had come to the winery for a wine experience. The popular five-flight wine tasting for $16 includes five one-ounce pours. Customers said they enjoyed building their own flights by choosing from a list of over 50 Colorado-grown options, 40 of which are made at Snowy Peaks. 

Winemaker Tristan Coriell is responsible for the production of the wines. He orders the Colorado-grown grapes, blends them on-site, ages the wines in the barrel room, and decides when they are ready for bottling.

The wine list is organized by category, with brief descriptions of each wine’s flavor profile.

A woman from Minnesota tried the tasting flight on the patio, discovered her favorite — an Oso Rosé — and took home a couple of bottles.

She said, “I wish we had this back home.” Since they surely have Oso Rosé and patios in Minnesota, I think she must want a local Snowy Peaks Winery with Estes Park’s perfect summer weather. 

A newlywed couple from Nebraska was leaving with three bottles of the pomegranate wine they had discovered here, and a couple from Wisconsin stocked up on an apple-crisp mead they thoroughly enjoyed. 

As Schmurr says, “This is still a wine bar first and foremost.”

He says new items on his menus help round out the wine experience and showcase other Colorado products. 

The winery now serves three beers from Estes Park’s own Lumpy Ridge Brewery ($7), a gluten-reduced Eddy Line IPA, nine Colorado whiskeys ($12-$20), and some interesting mocktails, including a smoked chocolate cherry old-fashioned ($14) and a spicy pineapple ginger margarita ($13).

Schmurr is also beginning “Sunday Fun Days Paella and Sangria on the Porch” starting Sunday, July 26. Guided tastings and cooking classes for pasta and paella should be up and running later this year. Open mic events and trivia nights will be on the calendar by wintertime.

Georgia LeBon, hired as the new sales and events manager, says she sees great potential for private events at the winery because it is quiet, family-friendly, and offers beautiful views of Long’s Peak and Prospect Mountain. 

LeBon touted the winery as “one-stop shopping” because it has food and drinks, including non-alcoholic options. “And,” she continued, “we have connections to local musicians to arrange for event entertainment.”

Parking near here is relatively good for downtown, and the winery is one of the more affordable venues in town.

I was impressed with the aesthetics of all the areas available for private parties – two comfy lounge areas, a newly painted and decorated tasting room, a handsome barrel room, and the new back patio.

“You could even reserve the whole winery,” LeBon says. “We’ll find the perfect spot for your event.” She suggests the website as a good starting point.

A Colorado native, Schmurr is a graduate of Greeley High School and the University of Northern Colorado and a US Army veteran who served in Iraq. 

He has had extensive experience in the culinary world in Colorado, Maine, and Missouri. He operated resorts for Missouri State Parks, was an award-winning innkeeper in Maine as co-owner of the Pilgrim’s Inn, built in 1793, and worked as the food and beverage director at The Stanley Hotel. 

His resume also includes some nitty-gritty experiences like harvesting scallops on boats in Maine and planting over 2,000 grapevines by hand while working for a vineyard in Lake of the Ozarks. 

For years, Schmurr dreamed of owning a winery. Like fine wine, after more than a year of planning, designing, hiring, and building at Snowy Peaks, his vision is maturing in Estes Park.