Our Story
An award-winning, family-owned winery.
Welcome to Buckel Family Wine, where our passion for the outdoors, environmental sustainability, and dedication to handcrafting exceptional wines runs deep. Our winery embodies a spirit of adventure and innovation, thanks to our owners/founders, Joe and Shamai Buckel. While they could have taken the conventional road and set up shop on the west coast, they opted for a higher, drier, and more exciting route on Colorado’s Western Slope.
Joe and Shamai embarked on a mission to produce wines that reflect the unique terroir (soil, land, climate, geography) of this region. Buckel wines are deliberately crafted and cater to conscious consumers who appreciate minimalist wines, the outdoors, or savor the finer things in life. Join us on our journey as we continue to push boundaries and redefine what it means to create exceptional wines in the heart of Colorado.
Colorado’s Terroir-Driven Wines
After setting up shop in Gunnison, we quickly discovered we didn’t need to sacrifice mountain living to craft high-quality wines. We are fortunate to mountain bike, hike, and ski the same landscapes that our incredible local partners harvest grapes in each year, right here in colorful Colorado.
We embrace the unique and challenging elements of Colorado’s terroir to craft minimal intervention wines that taste great and align with a health-conscious lifestyle. Our wines have zero added sugars, low sulfites, and lower alcohol levels, and our grapes are sustainably farmed to preserve the natural beauty of the land and the authentic taste of the grapes. We take pride in collaborating with a network of like-minded wineries, vineyards, wine shops, and restaurants across the Western Slope, working together to cultivate a vibrant Colorado wine community rooted in respect for the land and a passion for quality.
In a nutshell, we produce our wines using the highest quality grapes with minimal intervention, enabling the distinct characteristics of Colorado's terroir to shine through in every glass.
Our Mission
To fulfill the appetite of the adventurous wine drinker with wine that expresses the absolute best of the land, climate, and growers in Colorado.
Meet The Buckel Family
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Joe Buckel - The Risk Taker
To put it simply, Joe knows wine. From studying his father’s impressive cellar, to crafting exquisite wines in Sonoma at Flowers Vineyard and Winery, BR Cohn Winery, and nearby at Sutcliffe Vineyards, to carving out his own niche here in Colorado, Joe Buckel lives and breathes good wine. With risk comes reward: Joe’s wines have received 90 point ratings from Wine Enthusiast. Highly passionate (and majorly scientific) about the process from harvest to bottle, he can think anyone under the table when it comes to wine. Fortunately for us, he is equally passionate about sharing the wealth of knowledge he’s picked up during his two decades in the business.
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Shamai Buckel - The Connector
Shamai brings an infectious love for community, the great outdoors, and quality sustenance to the Buckel Family table. Raised in the Southwest, family, food and gardens have always been paramount. Her role as Connector comes naturally, as she gravitates towards bringing people together over nourishing, farm-fresh meals, delicious wines, good company, and grand ideas. She is not afraid of hard work or getting dirty. She can frequently be found disgorging wine, working in the tasting rooms, meeting with entrepreneurs, planning events, skiing, mountain biking, and shuttling kids and wine around this wondrous state - Colorado.
Adventure, Sip, Savor
Buckel Family Wine uncorks the spirit of Colorado adventure in every sip. Imagine hero dirt on your mountain bike followed by a perfectly paired Cabernet Franc. Picture yourself atop high mountain summits with a bottle of PétNat waiting for you at the trailhead. Of course, adventure isn't just for the daredevils. Whether you're enjoying a leisurely picnic in the great outdoors or exploring urban parks, our wines are the perfect companion. Share a bottle after a happy hour hike, a long road ride, hanging with friends, celebrating with family, or a day of skiing.
We firmly believe that wine tastes better together so gather around a table or campfire, take a seat (or a log), uncork a bottle, and share your stories. With Buckel Family Wine, you'll experience the very best of every Colorado adventure, no matter where you are.
Visit Our Tasting Room
Visit our Gunnison Tasting Room for an unforgettable wine experience. Whether you're dropping in for a quick sip or settling in for a full flight, we invite you to savor our finest wines crafted with passion and expertise.
From an indispensable relationship with the Western Slope’s incredible grape farmers, a keen attention at every stage of wine making, and a down-right loyal enthusiasm for sharing seasonal, exceptionally-good, locally-sourced food around the table, life in Colorado is just too good.
And always calls for really good wine.