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- HIGHLIGHTS
- 2007 Best of the Fest - Colorado Mountain Winefest
- Fumé Blanc 2006 - Garfield Estates Winery Barrel: Full-bodied sauvignon-based wine - $13.95
- Viognier 2006 - Talon Winery: Crisp, bright, light and clean with pear, grapefruit and melons - $15.95.
- Chardonnay 2005 - Plum Creek Cellars: Tropical pineapple and citrus, with a hint of apple and pear flavors. - $12.95
- Palisade Rosé - Plum Creek Cellars: Light, crisp, semi-sweet, loaded with strawberry and cherry. - $9.95
- 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve - Two Rivers Winery (Mesa County) - $15.25
- 2005 Riesling - Two Rivers Winery (Delta County) - $12.00
- Vin Rosé 2006 - Garfield Estates Winery: Cherries, plums and grapes, light and fruity yet dry, great with BBQ. - $11.95
- Shiraz 2005 - Carlson Vineyards: Plum, raspberries, cherry, blueberries and coffee. Medium body. - $11.95
- Cherry Wine - Carlson Vineyards: Very cherry, big fruity initial burst and slightly drier finish. - $10.95
- Merlot 2005 - Stoney Mesa Winery: Medium bodied with roses and cinnamon, plum and oak with a long finish. - $14.95
- 47-Ten 2005 - Canyon Wind Cellars: Flavors of blackberries, plums, dark chocolate and cedarwood. Smooth finish. - $11.95
- Riesling 2006 - Carlson Vineyards: Medium sweet and mildly tart with green apples and pears. - $11.95
- Riesling - Winery at Holy Cross Abbey: Sweet and light with clean fruity flavors of pineapple and mandarin orange. - $15.95
- Rosato 2006 - Talon Winery: Pink, lightly sweet, clean and fruity. Wide appeal. - $12.95
- Angel Blush - Mountain Spirit Winery: Beautiful fruit wine blend of apple, pear and raspberry. - $12.95
TRADITIONAL FOOD & WINE PAIRING GUIDE
The problem is that asparagus can make wine taste bitter, sour and astringent. Steak overpowers lighter wines. They're both high in the amino acid umami. SOLUTION: add both salt and lemon or lime juice to asparagus and steak. The balance of the wine returns. Drink any wine you like.
The problem is that red wine can taste bitter and acidic. Steak overpowers lighter wines. SOLUTION: add a dash of soy sauce or basalmic vinegar, not the traditional advice of adding sugar, which will make the wine taste even more acidic.
Try a combination of salt, lemon juice, soy sauce or tamari, and Parmesian cheese.
For every 100 bottles sold in Colorado, less than one (0.89) is a Colorado-grown wine. By comparison, Washington State wines account for nearly 25% of Washington State’s wine market. - (reported by the Denver Post, 2000)
TOP WHITES ***************
2006 Laughing Cat Gewurztraminer, Carlson Vineyards
2006 Chardonnay, Boulder Creek Winery
2006 Laughing Cat Riesling, Carlson Vineyards
TOP RED & BLUSH *********
2004 Cabernet Franc, Amber Ridge Vineyards
N/V White Zinfandel, Colorado Cellars
2005 Syrah, Zinfandel, & Cabernet Sauvignon, Balistreri Vineyards
2005 Merlot & 2006 Shiraz, Whitewater Hill Vineyards
2006 Syrah & Zinfadel, Bonaquisti Wine Company
TOP DESSERT WINE *******
N/V Golden Nektar Mead, Colorado Cellars
TOP FRUIT WINE ***********
N/V Cherry, Balistreri Vineyards
Content
OVERVIEW
Wine-making is nothing new for Colorado. Settlers in the Grand Valley was a prominent fruit-growing region as early as 1883. Pears, apples, peaches, cherries, plums, and grapes were planted near the aptly-named town of Fruita. Sixteen years later, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported a Colorado grape harvest of 586,300 pounds and a wine production of 1,744 gallons. But Colorado went dry in 1916, four years before Prohibition. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, Colorado's vineyards had been completely tilled under.
The industry was resurrected in 1968 when Denver periodontist Gerald Ivancie started making wine from California-imported grapes at his Ivancie Winery. Most of the state's vineyards have been planted during the last 15 years, and the caliber of the wines has increased dramatically over the last five years.
While most out-of-staters will purchase Colorado's wine for the novelty factor -
the state's wineries are garnering prestigious awards for the quality of their wines. Colorado’s High Country is gaining acclaim as a preeminent wine-making region.
Nestled amid rugged canyons, high valleys and desert mesas, the soils of Colorado’s vineyards produce crisp Chardonnays, sweet Rieslings, full-bodied Merlots, and unique blends made from local peaches, cherries, pears, and even honey.
Most suitable sites are between 4,500 and 6,000 feet above sea level...so these are some of the highest vineyards in the world. These regions experience intense sunlight and cool nights that foster high pigment production and high acid retention - just as hey do for the traditional peach and apple crops of the area. Thus, grapes that survive extreme winters can produce excellent wine, but on the flip side, Colorado's climate makes it a risky business. [It's the frigid cold and icy winds of winter that's more of a concern to growers. Because grapes start growing fairly late in Colorado (usually early May), there is only a short period during which frost damage may occur. Frost is actually more of a threat over a longer period in California.]
Most exposed mountain soils are not very rich in nutrents. Luckily, that's not much of a problem for grape cultivation. Grapevines have lower requirements for mineral nutrient levels than many other crops. Therefore, few soils require substantial fertilization to support grapes. High salt (gypsum and carbonates) content is a more common soil problem in western Colorado. Alkaline soils irrigated by water from the Colorado River is a challenge - growers have learned to acidify the water before it's released on the ground.
You can find vineyards from the foothills below Rocky Mountain National Park to the deserts of the southwest. One of the newest wine-growing areas is a section of the Arkansas River Valley from Salida east to Cañon City and Florence. But the heart of Colorado wine country is Palisade, a little farm town near Grand Junction. The striking mesas above the Colorado River are home to nine wineries.
Chardonnay is the most widely planted white wine grape in Colorado. White Riesling has a medium to hardy winter hardiness rating. It's floral bouquets are very similar to those found in Germany's Rieslings. Cabernet Franc is popular. Viognier has attractive floral aromas, with a crisp, bright acidity that finishes dry. Colorado does a good job with Lemberger — a very unusual grape variety. The only other state that grows it is Washington State.
Gewurztraminer is an early ripening, orange-skinned variety, most famous in Alsace, France. It is winter hardy and can bear a large number of clusters. Costs associated with this variety is higher because of the difficulty removing its short stemmed clusters.
The principle red wine grape is Merlot, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, although if there’s an early frost in the fall, it has a tough time getting fully ripe. Syrah/Shiraz is doing well here. Pinot gris is a new variety to Colorado (has an established market in Oregon) that shows good winter hardiness. Zinfandel won’t usually get as ripe as winemakers like here. Wine production is a funny business, as one vintner it can take 20 years just to figure out what varietals to plant.
Wine preferrences vary. Most people, unlike the "experts," can't break down the aroma or taste into all the component parts i.e., cedar, tobacco, tar-like, etc. - but they know what they like. Some preferrences are psychological. Blind taste studies show that many people are heavily influenced by cost: the more expensive the bottle, the more they enjoyed the wine. But according to Tim Hanni, Master of Wine, it just could be the number of taste buds you have, sensory preferences such as how you like your coffee and cocktails, can more accurately predict one's wine choice. And most importantly, adjusting the salt, acidity and sweetness in a dish can result in drinking any kind of wine with any food.