Set upon a picturesque, quintessential Rocky Mountain backdrop sits one of Loveland’s most distinctive landmarks and crown jewels; Sweet Heart Winery & Event Center. What new owner Charles Oster refers to as the Sweetheart Valley, is where the charming winery is beautifully perched, surrounded by vineyards, tucked inside of Devil’s Backbone with the Big Thompson River waving and roaring directly through the property.
As soon as you set foot on the grounds it’s hard to drink it all in at once; however, paired with a full-bodied cabernet or a Lodi Sauvignon Blanc with notes of fresh Meyer lemon, the atmosphere, indulgence, and scenery will inevitably envelop you. The connection to the space, the tastes and energy can be felt, and that is what the Osters want everyone to be able to experience at Sweet Heart Winery.
Husband and wife, Charles and Farah Oster purchased Sweet Heart Winery & Event Center in May 2024 with the intention of creating deep-felt experiences for guests to connect. Charles explains, ”Whether you are with your sweetheart, friends, colleagues, family, connecting with nature at our award-winning property, or you’re at home gathering around one of our beautiful wines, it's about connection.“
Sweethearts themselves, Charles and Farah both grew up in Northern Colorado, fell in love and had two children, Megan and Cole. They raised their family in Castle Rock, Colorado; however, once their children both graduated high school they decided to move back home to where their hearts belong and their love story began, in Northern Colorado. Charles formerly in regulated consumer packaged goods and a former executive at mywedding.com, an international online wedding planning platform that reached global acclaim; and Farah in hospitality, it’s no surprise that logistics, events and connection are truly in their blood. Charles admits that when he and Farah moved back to the area, they discovered Sweet Heart Winery and immediately fell in love. But not only that, they fell more in love with each other each time they visited the winery. They made a vow to each other that if the place ever came on the market, they’d take a crack at it. And now they’re cracking away at the winery together every day and enjoying every minute. They’re also enjoying the opportunity to work side-by-side. Previously, Charles would be on the road continuously for work, to the tune of 220 nights a year. And now in this next chapter of their careers, they desired an opportunity to work alongside each other. And that’s exactly what they get to do. Charles is the CEO and Managing Partner, while Farah is the General Manager in charge of food, beverage, and events. They also have a close-knit team of investors, family members of both Farah and Charles, who are part of the operations team and on-site most days.
“Hosting and serving is in our DNA and customers are our lifeblood. We love it. There's nothing that we've ever done that's been more rewarding and that's because of the people that we get to interact with,” Charles explains.
It’s this interaction and connection that is the soul of Sweet Heart Winery. Through dazzling interactions with nature, delicious wine, and unmatched hospitality, the Osters are bringing their mission to life daily—to create experiences for people to connect.
“We understand that people are coming here and choosing to spend their time and money with us and we want them to feel like this is their home. We want our guests to feel proud of this place in their community and to feel welcome, like it’s an extension of their home.”
In fact, Charles has created an acronym called HELP to help guide the owners and staff of Sweet Heart Winery in their mission to create beautiful experiences and connections.
H - Hospitality that is welcoming and friendly
E - Efficiency in service
L - Love expressed through time spent, making every aspect and interaction as exemplary as possible
P - Product, ensuring that the wine is the cornerstone of the experience.
And it is indeed the wine that sets the tone at Sweet Heart Winery. A world-class wine country experience right here in Northern Colorado, Charles and Sweet Heart’s original founder, David Burks, who has stayed on as partner and master winemaker, work hard to create California-quality wine that reflects the love it’s made with. Using expertly sourced grapes from small-lot vineyards and wineries in California and Colorado, they carefully craft, age, and bottle their wines locally, with age-old techniques for the fullest flavored wine.
“Great wine starts with great fruit. So, we are willing to travel long and far to find really amazing fruit. Much of our fruit is selected in California and then brought here and perfected in Colorado.” Charles goes on to explain, “A lot of our grapes come from Lodi County, east of San Francisco Bay. In this area, the hot days are cooled down by the delta water system, and it creates really beautiful fruit. We also have wine that comes out of Yolo County, Sonoma County, and Paso Robles. We’re also very excited to introduce an Atlas Peak for our Wine Club members this month.”
One of the most coveted wine regions in the world, Atlas Peak AVA, a subregion of Napa County, is situated 2,000-2,500 feet above sea level and boasts mineral and nutrient rich soil dusted with volcanic ash. Meshed with the perfect amount of sunlight, and their famous lingering fog that settles and cools the grapes, it’s one of the most ideal places to grow fruit.
“This will be one of the most beautiful wines—not only in Loveland or in Colorado, but one of the most beautiful wines you will find anywhere. Perfect fruit gives us the opportunity to create perfect wine,” says Charles.
And once the fruit makes its way back to Loveland, Burks goes to work crafting and perfecting each wine aged exclusively in French oak barrels, as is Burks's preference, due to the beautiful flavors. They also create their wines in small batches, which although is quite labor intensive, produces unparalleled flavor profiles.
“We give our wines a lot of attention. We joke a little bit that our wines are like our babies. We're constantly checking and making sure that they're coming along during the aging process so that our guests and customers can enjoy these wines that they’ve come to count on over the years,” says Charles.
And nobody understands these flavor profiles better than the Sweet Heart Wine Club. Free to join, the Sweet Heart Wine Club unlocks exclusive events, wines and discounts anywhere from 8-20% on all bottles and pours with new releases every quarter. Charles explains, “Our wine club members are very cherished. They’re our most loyal customers and guests so we like to lavish them with all that we can.”
"Whether you’re at home with friends or family or at the winery, when you open a bottle of our wine you know that it was crafted by our master winemaker with love. It was aged and perfected here in the Sweetheart City and that’s what it’s all about."
We craft unforgettable wines that bring people together.