Category Archives: wine

Taste of Pearl Tix on Sale Now

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Fifteen Downtown Boulder tastes equal one fine feast

TasteOfPearl-logoDowntown Boulder’s 2013 Taste of Pearl is weeks away (Sunday, April 21), but tickets for this popular annual event are available online now, and buying now is smart, because they do sell out. As usual, it showcases some of Colorado’s most renowned restaurants and chefs. Attendees stroll along Boulder’s Pearl Street from one boutique or galleryin the heart of what Bon Apétit magazine dubbed America’s “foodiest” town. The Taste of Pearl pairs 15 Boulder restaurants with 15 Colorado wineries, with tastings in 15 downtown Boulder  boutiques and galleries.

Participating resturants are Aji Latin American Restaurant, Beehive, Brasserie Ten Ten, Centro Latin Kitchen, Flagstaff House, Frasca Food and Wine/Frasca Caffe, The Kitchen [Next Door], Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, Mateo, The Mediterranean, OAK at Fourteenth, Pizzeria Locale, Q’s Restaurant, Riff’s Urban Fare and SALT the Bistro.

Pariticipating wineries are Aspen Peak Cellars, Augustina’s Winery, Avanti Winery, Balistreri Vineyards, Bookcliff Vineyards, Boulder Creek Winery, Ciatano Winery, Garfield Estates Winery, Garrett Estate Cellars, Jack Rabbit Hill Winery, Redstone Meadery, Settembre Cellars, Snowy Peaks Winery, Turquoise Mesa Winery and Verso Cellars.

Host galleries and shops are Art & Soul Gallery, Art Source International, Athleta, Barbara & Company, Boulder Book Store, Design Within Reach, Earthwood Gallery, Gaiam Living, Island Farm, Oliverdé, Patagonia, Pedestrian Shops, Retail Therapy,Starr’s Clothing and Weekends.

The $60 per person ticket includes samples of food and wine from all participating restaurants and wineries; a keepsake wine glass, a re-usable wine-carry bag, $5 off one bottle of wine from any participating winery and a Savings Card, good for discounts and offers from all participating host locations.  Buy online, and if you play your cards right, you get more than your money’s woth by using all of the discounts, and even if not, you benefit Boulder’s Emergency Family Assistance Association (efaa), which gets a proceeds of all sales.

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‘Wine Enthusiast’ Lists 10 Top Destinations

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Magazine’s list includes very few expected but more surprise wine areas

WineEnthuaiastWine Enthusiast magazine annually polls its editors about their best wine and food experiences in order to share with readers their discoveries about ”the most exciting places to visit. Our [meaning the magaine's] list for 2013 represents the wide swath of cultural and culinary experiences on the must-see list.” As the magazine enticingly writes:

“A sense of place—the sights, sounds, smells and spirit of a travel destination—can endear that area to a person forever. For wine lovers, there is no better way to cement that connection than to explore the world around those vines. As the wine market becomes ever more global, packed with offerings ranging from the most storied wine regions to the most offbeat, so does the wine traveler’s itinerary. Whether your tastes lean toward the rustic climbing trails of South Africa’s Stellenbosch or a tour of a Puglian castle, this list promises outstanding travel experiences and unforgettable wines.”

While I will be happy one day to find Colorado’s growing Western Slope wine regions (two AVAs, notably the Grand Valley, Colorado’s oldest and most extensive) on such a list, I was surprised to see on this list Brazil but not Argentina or Chile, New York State’s Long Island but not British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Austria’s Danube Valley but not Germany’s Rhein or Mosel valleys, Australia but not New Zealand — and nothing at all in France or in California’s Napa/Sonoma/Mendocino area! How odd!

Perhaps the editors felt that they had “over-discovered” those in the past and didn’t want to be trite. Even though they didn’t title their list, “10 undiscovered wine regions,” they might have tried to be “interesting” by excluding the usual suspects. Or, if they had expanded their list from 10 to 20, they might have included ones that I humbly feel they overlooked this year. Having written that, here is Wine Enthusiast’s list (which by the way, I enjoyed for the enticing write-ups and now want to visit each one):

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Wine & Potato Chip Pairing

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Wine industry conference features oddball pairing event open to the public

CAVE-logoRegular old potato chips like Lay’s or, heaven help us, Pringles (those unpleasant reconstructed chip-shaped items in a tube) won’t do for attendees at the third annual VinCO conference in Grand Junction. VinCO is a program of the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (CAVE), a trade association of Colorado growers and wineries. They are working hard to make quality wines, and their conference merits quality snacks to go with them.

Just one event, the imaginative Gourmet Chip and Wine Pairing mixer, is open to the public. It features gourmet house-made chips created by four leading Grand Valley restaurants (626 on Rood, Bin 707, Il Bistro Italiano and Le Rouge). Think baked yellow beet chips with smoked paprika and fleur de sel or
russet potato chips with fennel and Champagne vinegar. Wineries will pour an artisanal selection of Colorado wines.

With so many haute cuisine events on the culinary calendar, it tickles me that creative, house-made chips are the one and only featured food. Chris and Mary Britt, DJs at Grand Junction’s Magic 93.1 DJs, will emcee the event, and attendees will vote on their favorite pairings.

The good news is that entry to the Gourmet Chip and Wine Pairing is only $15. The bad news that it takes place at the  SpringHill Suites in downtown Grand Junction at SpringHill Suites, a city that I wish were closer to home. The event is on Wednesday, January 16 (smack in the middle of the January 15 to 17 conference) . Tickets are available online, or FoMoInfo, call 970-464-0111.

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Bigger, Better Inifinite Monkey Theorem Winery in RiNo

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Urban winery boasts great new building, tasting room and function space

After the Infinite Monkey Theorem, an audacious urban winery founded in 2008 by winemaker Ben Parsons, outgrew its original space at 5th and Santa Fe, it moved lock, stock and wine barrel to RiNo, Denver’s happening River North district. Even a year-and-a-half ago, when I attended a Hush pop-up dinner, the 1,800-square-foot space was already way too small. The cocktail reception and the pop-up kitchen had to be set up outdoors, and the long tables were practically wall-to-wall in the main room. Not so in the new location.

Parsons refers to the iwnery’s tasting room as a taproom.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the self-described “back alley” winemaking operation settled into a 30,000-square-foot space with room for its large fermentation tanks, racked barrels, shipping/receiving operations and tasting room, which Parsons also refers to as a taproom and wine lab — and has furnished with retro rumpus room-style furniture. There’s room to host private events, like the Colorado Tourism Board party that my husband and I attended, with resorting the parking lot.

As for food, Westword’s Lori Midson reported, “Caveman Cafeteria, a food truck that focuses on dishes that are part of the Paleo diet, to dole out sustenance on certain nights. And on First Fridays, Kelly Whitaker, owner and exec chef of Pizzeria Basta, in Boulder, will toss pizzas.” But for the Colorado Tourism Board’s media party there on Thursday, chef Ian Kleinman of The Inventing Room to perform his culinary magic with food to tantalize the tastebuds and fire up the imagination — just as Parsons’ wines do.

Kleinman squirts a secret mixture onto a spoon and drops it by the spoonsful into a bowl of nitrogen and fishes out cold, ephemeral orbs that smoks in your hand and melt in your mouth. The temperature and texture are more impactful than the flavor.

Parsons retains an irrevent streak. His wines are award-winning wines – Malbec, Semillon, Chardonnary. and Riesling plus Cabfranc, Sauvsemillion and Watchmakere blends at roughly $11 per bottle. I wasn’t driving home, so I  grabbed a can of effervescent Backalley rosé for the happy ride back to Boulder with my good-sport husband behind the wheel. (Pasrtsons also puts white, red and Muscat into cans. Another time.)

Tender Belly, a Denver-based pork company that distributes great meats and sausages made from humanely raised, hormone-free and cage-free hogs from Iowa farms, shares the space. Their bacon is very fine, and in fact the two enterprises offer a Bottles and Bacon gift package (a white, a red and a pack of pig product). Kleinman also fashioned  gorgeous and delicious hors d’oevre using Tender Belly pork.

Pork plus as a succulent hors d’oeuvre.

 

The Tap Room is open Tuesday through Thursday evenings from 5 to 10 p.m.

 

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Colorado Wineries Win Big at Invitational

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Jefferson Cup gives equal play to American wines beyond California

The Jefferson Cup is an imposing trophy awarded for top American wines.

Five Colorado wineries earned a total of 18 medals from the thirteenth annual Jefferson Cup Invitational, the only competitioof the best among wineries from all of America’s wine regions. Each year Doug Frost, M.S., M.W., selects great wines from across America. Of the wines from 23 states (including California and Washington State) in the 2012 competition, Colorado wineries did really well, winning 18 medals in 29 awards categories during two intense days of competition.n that honors the best of the best among wineries from all of America’s wine regions.

Each year Doug Frost, M.S., M.W., selects great wines from across America. Of the wines from 23 states (including California and Washington State) in the 2012 competition, Colorado wineries did really well. winning 18 medals in 29 awards in two intense days of competition.

The two-day competition culminated with 29 Jefferson Cup Awards, which were given to wines made from both  Vitis vinifera vines (a European species responsible for most famous wines such as Chardonnay and Cabernet) and non-vinifera vines, which flourish in the more extreme climates of the U.S. Colorado was represented in this top category for the fourth year in a row. This year, Bookcliff Vineyards took home their second Jefferson Cup for their 2010 Ensemble.

Other Colorado wineries that garnered awards were Anemoi Wines, Boulder Creek Winery, Canyon Wind Cellars and The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. Anemoi and Canyon Wind are in Palisade. Holy Cross in Cañon City not only makes wonderful wine but is set on the grounds of a historic Benedictine abbey. Bookcliff and Boulder Creek are in Boulder. Click here for a report on my visit to the Boulder Creek Winery last summer.

The Jefferson Cup Invitational is a 13-year-old competition founded by Doug Frost, one of only three individuals in the world to have achieved the titles of Master Sommelier and Master of Wine.  “In most other competitions,” said Frost, “California represents 9 percent of the entries. As a result, it usually captures 90% of the honors.” The Jefferson Cup casts a wider net. Along with 50  other wines nominated for  the Jefferson Cup, these 29 wines represent some of the most compelling wines made in America. “We had a representation of the best of what every quality wine-producing region in the country is offering right now, including improved representation from Washington, Michigan, Virginia and Texas as well as some standout wines from California, New York and Colorado,” Frost added.

“Colorado is thrilled to be recognized for outstanding wines with our fourth Jefferson Cup in a row. Congratulations to Bookcliff Vineyards in Boulder for the top accolade and to our other excellent Colorado wineries that won awards. The prestige of winning top honors in Mr. Frost’s selective competition shows that Colorado’s wineries are among the finest in the country,” said Doug Caskey, the executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. And thanks to Doug for alerting me to this competition.

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One Night, Two Food & Beverage Events

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Beer on tap and Beaujolais uncorked on the 15th in Denver

The Denver International Wine Festival’s spectacular Pairsine chef competition is history (recent history, in fact, since it just occurred two evenings ago), but two more events are on the Denver foodie calendar for Thursday, November 15.

Beaujolais and Beyond Festival

2011 labels.

The 14th annual Beaujolais and Beyond Festival, sponsored by the French American Chamber of Commerce takes place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Twenty chefs participating the culinary challenge create French or French-accented dishes to pair with wine. A panel of judges will select the Best Appetizer, Best Entrée and Best Dessert that will paired with the 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau from George DuBoeuf, and attendees will vote in the People’s Choice Awards.  Production of this treasured new wine was down due to dreadful weather in the vineyards, giving all the more reason to treasure what was harvested.

It takes place at  Infinity Park Event Center, 4400 East Kentucky Avenue, Glendale. Admission for non-Chamber members is $65 online in advance, $75 at the door. Restaurants and other food providers that are expected to participate:

  •  Crave Dessert Bar & Lounge
  •  Devil’s Food Bakery & Cookery
  •  Epicurean Catering
  •  Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill
  •  Jonesy’s EatBar
  •  La Cave Wine, Food & Boutique,
  • Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria
  • Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar
  • Lou’s Food Bar
  •  Opus Restaurant & Aria Wine Bar
  • Randolph’s Restaurant and Bar
  •  Root Down and Linger
  •  Sunflower Farmers Market,
  • Table 6
  •  The Big Easy
  • The Westin Denver Downtown
  •  Zink Kitchen + Bar

Chef & Brew

For those who prefer hops and barley to grapes as the raw material from which their beverage of choice is created, Chef & Brew takes place from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. This is the first-ever, and it appears to be the brainchild of the gifted Michael Long, a frequent winner of the Denver International Wine Festival’s chef competition and founding chef of both Opus and Aria, which have merged and two of their chefs are supposed to be competing both here and in Beaujolais and Beyond. The food community sometimes weaves a tangled web. Each participating chefs is assigned one beer and must create a dish to pair with it. Guests do the judging. Entry is $39 online in advance and $49 at the door. It takes place at the Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue, Denver.

Participating chefs and their assigned brews:

  • Elise Wiggins, Panzano, paired with Prost Brewing
  • Troy Guard/Steve Jones, TAG, paired with Wit’s End
  •  Sheila Lucero, Jax Denver, paired with Funkwerks
  • Jensen Cummings, Row14, paired with Caution: Brewing
  •  Chris Cina, Ghost Plate and Tap, paired with Breckenridge Brewery Christmas Ale
  • Brendon Doyle, City O’City, paired with River North Brewing
  • Jay Leandro,  Pub 17, paired with Crooked Stave
  • Victoria Vittori, Crock Spot, paired with Strange Brewing
  • Sean McGaughey, Aria/Opus, paired with West Flanders Brewing
  •  Taylor Drew, Russel’s Smokehouse, paired with Elevation Beer Company
  •  Cory Treadway, Wynkoop, paired with Wynkoop Brewing (Do you think he might have an edge here?)
  •  Travis Masar, Uncle, paired with Hogshead Brewing
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Castle Rock Wine Festival This Weekend

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Summer is mid-season in the wine world. The grapes are theoretically growing without vintner intervention to protect them from frost, pruning or heavey hands-on cultivation. It’a not yet harvest and crush time, so wine festivals abound. If you live or are visiting the greater Denver.area and are seeking some diversion, this might just be the ent for you.

Castle Rock Wine Fest

The ninth annual Castle Rock Wine Fest is a one-day wonder on Saturday, June 21, when more than two dozen Colorado wineries — most small, family-owned — set up tasting tables in The Grange.  Taking place from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m., it includes wine seminars and demonstrations, artisans/lifestyle vendors, entertainment and participating vendors offering delicious cuisine.  Bottles and cases of wines from from participating wineries are available for purchase. In addition to proximity to Front Tange cities, arrendance at the festival is very reasonable. — just $37, and if you purchase today, it’s just $27. Designated drivers pay $17, and kids are admitted free.  FoMoInfo: Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce,  420 Jerry Street, Castle Rock, 303-688-4597.

 

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