Last night we had a lovely dinner with family in Virginia. The dinner offered a picture perfect potato salad and a green salad served in crystal serving dishes. Between the potato and green salads and tender chicken, there was no need for the Lemon Fluff dessert I contributed to the dinner. With the dinner, we had a dry Riesling.

Before dinner, we opened a bottle of the Garfield Estates Syrah 2005 from Colorado. We wanted to introduce my sister and brother-in-law to Colorado wine. We enjoyed conversation including a touch of politics and talk of visits to Italy as we tasted the Syrah. We enjoyed the wine which had a mixed fruit jam nose and the taste of earthiness with fruit jam, cinnamon and cloves. The wine was dry and smooth. The Syrah would pair well with beef dishes.

Garfield Estates Vineyard and Winery is located in Palisade, Colorado. The tasting room opened in 2002. The vineyards are located at 4,720 feet above sea level. Grapes growing in the vineyards include Viognier, Muscat-Ottonel, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah.