You might forget food altogether tasting your way around the world’s largest commercial beer festival, the Great American Beer Festival, held ever September in Denver, Colorado. Certainly, no trip to this lovely state would be complete without sampling a few locally crafted microbrews, whether or not you frequent the festival. But let’s be clear: there’s also ample opportunity to tuck into real food too, whether you’re packing a picnic for a Rocky Mountain hike or in search of dining done fine.

Known for its wild spaces it should come as no surprise to find that there’s a respectable range of wild foods on offer for the discerning diner, from Rocky Mountain rainbow trout to mountain turkey. But there are also a number of cultivated crops that flourish in these parts worth sampling, from juicy Palisade peaches and sweet Rocky Ford melons to spicy green chiles from Pueblo, corn from the northern plains, apples from the Front Range region and an increasing number of ranch-raised buffalo, which turn up in everything from burgers to roasts.

Looking for something that’s traditionally “Denver”? You’re getting warm with the Denver sandwich, also known as the Western sandwich, essentially a Denver omelette, also known as the Western omelette, between two slices of bread. Condiments optional. Confusing? Well, yes, a little, but don’t get hung up on the finer points of food names. Focus your energies instead on finding the right wine trail to follow, almost like the pioneers but without the inconvenience of a rattletrap wagon, river fording, food foraging etcetera. And, obviously, with plenty of award winning wine to ease your passage.