We venture to Colorado's Grand Valley on the west side of the Continental Divide for a little fruit of the vine and some South African-style hospitality at TWP Winery & Farmhouse.
It’s a mild late-spring evening on Colorado’s Western Slope. The sun is just starting to set, so I grab my glass of pinot gris and head out onto the back patio of TWP Winery and Farmhouse.
Gazing out over the tree-lined property, I watch as the waning light slowly transforms the sandstone Book Cliffs from their normally drab tan to vivid pink. I listen to the soft hoo hoo-hoo of a great horned owl perched somewhere nearby before heading back inside for the night.
I’ve been visiting the Grand Valley — one of Colorado’s main grape-growing and winemaking regions — for years. But I’ve never been anywhere quite like TWP Winery and Farmhouse, a 25-acre property that’s part winery, part biodynamic farm, and part boutique inn.
Lots of wineries invite visitors to drop in for tastings and tours. But not many encourage guests to stop and stay awhile, to really slow down and indulge, and, if they feel like it, spend the night among the vines. “We’re a little bit more about the whole experience — the food, the wine, the environment,” says co-owner Shari Cahill. “Take your time. We want you to linger with us to really enjoy the experience.”
TWP — which stands for “twee wingerd plaas,” or “two vineyards” in Afrikaans — is also adding a bit of South African flair to Colorado, in a nod to co-owner Edwin Mocke’s homeland. “We bring something different to this valley, something that nobody else has,” Mocke says.
FROM INTERIORS TO WINE
Six years ago, Cahill and Mocke decided to give up their thriving careers in interior design and architecture to become winemakers, grape growers, and innkeepers instead. In 2019, the duo bought a dilapidated property in the tiny town of Clifton, situated between Palisade and Grand Junction at the far western edge of Colorado.
They had planned to take things slow while they transitioned out of their jobs — address the neglected grapevines, spruce up the guesthouse, and, eventually, in five years or so, start marking wine. But, then, the coronavirus pandemic hit and accelerated their timeline. “We haven’t stopped since,” says Mocke, 55, who immigrated to America in the early 1990s.
SPEND THE NIGHT AT THE PLAAS HUIS
With the world shut down, they began rebooting the vineyards and revamping the property’s one-story adobe guesthouse — which they call the farmhouse, or “plaas huis” in Afrikaans. With four bedrooms, a spacious living room, an open kitchen, and abundant outdoor space, the farmhouse is both sophisticated and casual.
It’s decorated in the British colonial style — Cahill’s specialty— with bright white walls, rich wood tones, and lots of greenery, animal hides, and textiles. The massive windows frame the views of the Book Cliffs, while the fireplace adds a touch of coziness on chilly evenings at 4,700 feet above sea level. “Our motto is sort of like, we want you to come in wearing a gold lamé dress and muck boots,” says Cahill, 59, who grew up in Nebraska. “We want everyone to feel so comfortable here.”
Outside, guests can hang out around the firepit, play pickleball and lawn games, soak in the oversized wine barrel hot tub, and lounge in a hammock. The small stocked pond, located just behind the farmhouse, is perfect for fly-fishing or gliding around on a standup paddleboard.
Visitors are also invited to roam around the property at their leisure — including the nine acres planted with pinot gris, pinot blanc, and merlot grapes. TWP is also a haven for wildlife, including a family of foxes and a small herd of deer. Sunrises and sunsets are particularly magical, but it’s also worth staying up late here. “The stars are absolutely phenomenal,” Mocke says.
On weekends during the busy summer season, the farmhouse is only available for whole-house bookings. (It’s especially popular for weddings, retreats, bachelorette parties, and other group trips.) On weekdays and during the slower winter season, guests can book individual rooms.
The farmhouse is the perfect base camp for exploring the region, which is home to some of the state’s best mountain biking, a national monument, more than a dozen wineries, and lush orchards full of juicy peaches and other stone fruits. “A lot of times, though, people get here and they just don’t want to leave,” Cahill says. “It happens a lot.”
SIP AND SAMPLE TWP’S WINES
In addition to overnight stays, TWP also offers by-reservation wine tastings of its three estate wines, plus a handful of red and white blends — all sustainably made using yeast from Mocke’s native South Africa. The guided tastings include a “kaas en vleis” charcuterie board of delectables from local purveyors. “My favorite thing is to sit on a beautiful patio, drink an incredible bottle of wine, have a luscious snack, and just relax,” Cahill says. “And that’s really what it’s all about here.” TWP’s small-batch wines are available for purchase (and shipping home) in the tasting room.
HOSPITALITY RUNS DEEP
The property is stunning, and the wines are delicious. But what really sets TWP apart is the warm, inviting style of hospitality Cahill and Mocke bring to the table. While their interior design and architecture careers made them experts at crafting attractive spaces, they also understand that true hospitality runs much deeper than aesthetics.
“When you go into a really beautiful restaurant or spa or hotel, if you can’t connect to somebody there or you don’t feel like somebody really cares about you … it doesn’t matter that it’s pretty. There’s no depth to it,” says Cahill. “It’s taken my lifetime to get to this place where I really understand all of the wonderful gifts I’ve been given and put them to work. The design piece had to come first, for me to understand what a nice environment feels like. And then you begin to realize that, unless you put your heart and soul into something, you’re never going to get that kind of depth.”
COMMUNITY SUPPORT IN COLORADO
Hospitality may come naturally to Cahill and Mocke. But learning how to grow grapes and make wine are completely new skills they’ve had to learn as they go — with lots of tips and advice from more experienced Grand Valley growers and winemakers.
Since moving to Colorado’s Western Slope, they’ve been surprised and humbled by the amount of help they’ve received. “It’s just the two of us and we dig in as much as we can, but the support in this valley is astronomical,” says Cahill. “And without the incredible support of this community, we couldn’t do it.”
Moving forward, they hope to continue updating the property and refining TWP’s wines. But as they work to make the experience even more warmly inviting, they plan to keep TWP small and personal.
“We don’t want it to become this big monster,” says Cahill. “We want it to be this really intimate place where it’s just Edwin and I, offering our time and really making peoples’ experiences magical. We’re doing what we love. And when people leave here with huge smiles on their faces and their hearts filled … there’s nothing greater than that.”
From our July 2025 issue.
Photography: courtesy Micah Pringle/Whiskey and Wisdom; Dan Curtis
