Loveland winery moving to Fort Collins

 Fort Collins is well known for its craft beer brewers, but a winery moving into town soon hopes to make a name for itself among wine connoisseurs.

In June, the Trail Ridge Winery will relocate from Loveland to Fort Collins where it will establish a tasting room and small shop in the furniture store South by Southwest, 119 E. Lincoln.

The old historic building across the tracks from Old Town is the original location for Odell's Brewing Co.

Tim Merrick, wine maker and co-owner of Trail Ridge, sold his property in Loveland, at 4113 W. Eisen-hower Blvd. where the winery is currently located, to Debbie Brown of Adobe Designs Boutique Home & Garden in August, 2008.

In that time he has been renting a portion of the property back to operate the winery, but two weeks ago he signed on with South by Southwest in Fort Collins to lease a few storage rooms and set up a tast-ing bar.

"Over the last 15 years we have kind of put roots down here in Northern Colorado," Merrick said. "We developed a good local following."