2nd panel discussion at 2012 Drink Local Wine Conference in Denver, Colorado.

“Local Food, Local Wine, and Why They Don’t Like Each Other”

Moderator: Dave McIntyre, co-founder of Drink Local Wine, columnist for Washington Post
Panelists:René Chazottes, Director of Wine & Master Sommelier, The Pacific Club
Evan Faber, Beverage Director, SALT
Jensen Cummings, Executive Chef, Row 14 Bistro and Wine Bar

This passionate 50-minute presentation dwelt on what consumers are looking for in terms of local food and local wine.The presentation noted that consumers want to purchase fresh local foods but then they are handed a California wine list.

People have a new sense of exploration. People are looking to try the flavors in the community that they live in, looking for a sense of something unique. When they find it they feel a connection with their community.

Jensen noted that people are becoming adventurous and want to try wine from their state. What is it about Colorado wines that speak of community? “Slowly but surely” people are coming to Colorado wine. Bumper stickers say “native” draw people in to supporting the local concept.

René commented that people want to experience something new. Don’t confuse people with four different Viogniers. When people are confused they go back to Chateau Budweiser or something familiar.

Dave McIntyre made a reference to VA wine noting that people will sometimes say that Virginia winemakers make a few good wines but they are too expensive. Therefore wineries have to get the wine into people’s mouths for them to discover local wines.

Evan commented, people need to find the nuances of wine, not whether it’s good or bad. Using words that people know makes wine more interesting for people.

Jensen noted that a lot of people drinking Colorado wines are from out of state. People come to experience Colorado and want to drink local wines. People who live here want out of state wines. Restaurants have only an hour and a half to two hours to make an impression upon diners.

When local becomes better accepted we will be able to explore new flavors and tastes and eventually be able to grow unusual grape varieties that grow well in the local regions. Wine should be approachable and easy.

Suggestion: Remind consumers that wine has a history in the United States prior to Prohibition.

Cheers! Kathy

The Colorado Twitter Taste–Off took place during the afternoon session. Twenty-two Colorado wineries poured two of their wines for conference attendees. Everyone voted for the best red and best white wines. Best red award went to Ruby Trust Cellars for their The Smuggler. The best white wine went to Guy Drew Vineyards for their Pinot Gris. The people’s choice award went to Redstone Meadery for their Nectar of the Hops. While the media’s favorite wine was the Guy Drew Vineyards Pinot Gris.

To continue with a theme I began at the Wine Bloggers Conference in 2011, my wine tweets consist of Haikus. Here is a sample of the Haikus written for the 2012 Drink Local Wine Twitter Taste-Off.

Desert Moon Vineyards
Altitude with attitude
Enjoyed the tannins

Redstone Meadery
Carbonated fruit honey
Raspberry Nectar.

Ruby Trust Cellars
The Smuggler Cab Franc pepper
Spicy dark black fruit.

Holy Cross Abbey
Cabernet Franc red cherry
Pepper and tannins.

Meunier Pinot
Jack Rabbit Hill fruity red
High altitude blend.

Mesa Park Vineyards
Cherries, black pepper blended
Where’s the barbecue?

Whitewater Hill Chard
Zero Below apricot
Drink this all day long.

Settembre Cellars
Cab Sauvignon dark fruit spice
Tannins blackberries.

Cheers,
Terry

The third Drink Local Wine session was led by Richard Mauro, Colorado Springs Gazette. The three panelists included Chris Anthony, professional skier; Jennifer Broome, Morning Meteorologist KDVR-TV and host of “Swept Away with Jennifer Broome”; and Jay Leeuwenberg, former NFL player. Richard Mauro began the session on consumer perceptions. He introduced the panel of wine consumers.

The panelists were asked to think about going into a restaurant and deciding what wine to drink. Jay said he would look for a wine depending on what he wants to drink. He doesn’t specifically look for a Colorado wine and he is seldom offered a Colorado wine. Jay does like to try new wines. Jennifer is a California Cab drinker that grew up in Texas. She does like new experiences and likes to step out of the box and try Colorado wine. Chris was impacted by the wines in Italy. In Italy the wines are regional with a story. He hopes that Colorado can become what Italy is when it comes to passion and a story about wine.

Richard then asked what the panel would think about when going into a wine shop. Jennifer seeks out knowledgeable people in wine shops. Jennifer mentioned that Colorado is a patio state. People like to eat outside and have a connection to the local movement. Jay mentioned that it was difficult for him to get into Colorado wines because he doesn’t know the stories associated with Colorado wines. He usually goes into a liquor store and asks them what they like.

Richard asked what the panelists think of when they think of Colorado wines. Chris said he was in awe that Colorado even had wines. He suggests that the industry should tell their story and get the Colorado wine knowledge out there.

In a message to the wine industry, Jay suggested that Colorado needs to make wine so that the consumer will have a good experience. Jennifer suggested that wineries need to get on the social media wagon. Social media opens up the world and wineries need to play in the social world. Chris wants to see Colorado winemakers embrace what they have and not try to be like someone or somewhere else. Chris and Jennifer suggested that the Colorado wine regions need to be marketed in a way that consumers can understand.

Cheers,
Terry

The first seminar focused on Colorado’s Terroir and the Challenges of High Altitude.  Richard Leahy, national wine consultant, moderated the session that included a panel with Horst Caspari, Professor & State Viticulturist, Colorado State University; Stephen Menke, PhD, Associate Professor of Enology, Colorado State University; and Bruce Talbott, Vice President, Talbott Farms.

Horst Caspari gave an overview of the state’s grape production areas. The Western Slope produces over 90 percent of the state’s wine grapes. The grape growing areas range in the 4500′ to 7000’ altitude. Site selection is very important. Occasionally there may be vine killing temperatures. Most of the vines in the state are growing on their own rootstock. Challenges of cold and drought are the primary concerns for growers. The reality in Colorado is if you are a grower, you would make more money growing peaches rather than grapes.

Bruce Talbott spoke about growing fruit in Colorado. When he started exiting from growing apples, it opened up the ability to plant grapes. Bruce spoke of the light intensity. It helps peaches; studies need to be done on wine grape benefits. Bruce farms both peaches and grapes and  that helps to diversify the farm. Grapes in the high desert need water in the spring. Bruce also spoke of the value of having vines on their own rootstock. Suckers that emerge from the soil are the true grape variety. Bruce stated that if a grower loses a crop, they lose three times. They will lose skilled workers who move elsewhere. They lose the value of the crop and they lose wineries. The wineries will be forced to buy elsewhere.

Stephen Menke spoke about the promising grape varieties and new varietal grapes that may do well in Colorado. Stephen pointed out that the grape growing industry needs to expand, however there is competition for land with those planting peaches. Stephen sees the possibilities of hybrid grapes in Colorado. Stephen likes Traminette and Noiret grapes and how they express themselves. The challenge is to discover the varietal grapes that consistently do well year after year.

Cheers,
Terry

The 2012 Drink Local Wine Conference opened on Friday evening with a media welcome dinner at the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion. Media, wine growers, winemakers and state officials mingled as we drank a Bookcliff Vineyards 2010 Muscat Blanc and/or a Cottonwood Cellars 2008 Lemberger. We had the Muscat Blanc and paired it with a dandelion greens (pictured right) and Windsor Dairy Glendevey Tart. The Muscat Blanc was refreshing and the dandelion greens made me wonder if I could use the dandelion greens at my house rather than casting them out. They were quite delicious.

Six wines were served with the dinner (the first four pictured left). The first course was a salad that had some unusual items in it such as English pea and mascarpone gelato and watermelon radish. Paired with the salad was a Settembre Cellars 2009 Chardonnay and a Creekside Cellars Rosé. The main course was a tasting of Black Cat Farm pork done three ways. This was paired with Guy Drew Vineyards 2010 Riesling and an Anemoi Zephyrus. For dessert we had an Ovaltine chocolate pudding and some Black Star chocolates. The desserts were paired with a Whitewater Hill Vineyards Riesling Icewine and The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Divinity.

As in previous posts while at conferences, my wine notes are in the form of a Haiku

Settembre Cellars 2009 Chardonnay Haiku:
Chardonnay light pear
Smooth vanilla salad greens
Gelato  pairing.

Creekside Cellars Rosé Haiku (pictured right):
Rose sweet pairing
Adds fruit to greens and radish
Red berries candy.

Guy Drew Vineyards 2010 Riesling  Haiku:
Riesling paired with pork
Floral and fruity meet fat
Acid cleans palate.

Whitewater Hill Vineyards Riesling Icewine  Haiku:
A Riesling ice wine
The strings in an orchestra
Sweet acid dessert.

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Divinity  Haiku:
Divinity a Port
Oh we can not call it Port
Smooth dessert ending.

Cheers,
Terry

We flew to Denver a couple of days ago to visit some of the wineries south of the city prior to the start of the Drink Local Wine Conference. Later today we will check into the Denver Sheraton and register for the DLW Conference. On Wednesday we visited Spero Winery and The Infinite Monkey Theorem Winery. Both wineries are located in Denver and make some nice wines. We then hit the road and traveled to Colorado Springs to spend the night at the Broadmoor, one of the world’s finest hotels. I wish we had more time to spend at the Broadmoor and explore the property. We had an excellent dinner that evening at the Summit Restaurant and met the most interesting and enthusiastic sommelier that we have ever met, Tim Baldwin.

We had a full schedule yesterday, visiting the Black Forest Meadery then onto Woodland Park to visit tasting rooms in galleries. We visited Cottonwood Cellars at Cowbells and sat on saddles. We really saddled up to the bar. At Seven Arrows Gallery we tasted Tourquoise Mesa wines. When we arrived at Seven Arrows there was a local reporter who wanted to write about our visit to Woodland Park. Then it was onto the Wines of Colorado, a combination tasting room, retail shop, restaurant and unbelievable site next to a creek. We spent the evening at the Cliff House in Manitou Springs.

On our way to Denver today, we’ll stop at Ruby Trust Cellars and Desert Moon. Our impressions of Colorado wines over the past days is positive. Winemakers are trying to improve their craft and vineyards are producing some nice quality grapes. We look forward to the Drink Local Wine Conference and more Colorado wines.

Cheers,
Terry

Don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy sometime at a winery this weekend. Many wineries have weekend events open to the public. Below is a short list of several winery events over the next few days. Check ahead in case an event may have changed. Enjoy planning something special for this weekend.

Cheers! Kathy

Thursday, April 26

Laurello Vineyards, OH
Event: Pasta for the Cure
Website Information

Friday, April 27

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, OH
Entertainment: Tom Todd
Website Information

Serpent Ridge Winery, MD
Event: First Friday
Website Information

The Winery at Perennial Cellars, OH
Music: Ren
Website Information

The Winery at LaGrange, Event: Spring Barrel Tasting
Website Information

Three Brothers Wineries & Estates, NY
Event: Wine and Cheese Weekend
Website Information

Saturday, April 28

Chateau Chantal, MI
Event: Wine Immersion Seminar
Website Information

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, OH
Entertainment: Whooz Playin Duo
Website Information

Lorimar Winery and Vineyards, CA
Event: Live@Lorimar
Website Information

Three Brothers Wineries & Estates, NY
Event: Wine and Cheese Weekend
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
Event: 1st Annual Corn Hole Tournament
Website Information

The Winery at LaGrange, Virginia
Event: Old Dominion Corvette Club Cruise-in
Website Information

Ventimiglia Vineyards, NJ
Tasting Room Open
Website Information

Sunday, April 29

Chateau Chantal, MI
Event: Sunday Jazz Session
Website Information

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, OH
Entertainment: Trevor Thompson
Website Information

Three Brothers Wineries & Estates, NY
Event: Wine and Cheese Weekend
Website Information

Ventimiglia Vineyards, NJ
Tasting Room Open
Website Information

With the Drink Local Wine Conference coming up soon I thought about what may be the ultimate drink local wine experience. This experience would be different for everyone. For me, the ultimate drink local wine experience would be a wine made from grapes in my backyard vineyard, just a few feet away from our kitchen. That’s pretty local. While searching my cellar, I found two bottles of a 2010 Niagara that I made from grapes in my back yard. This was an interesting wine. One that I made a mistake in making. We managed to harvest about 15 pounds of Niagara grapes in 2010. We ended up with only a gallon of wine. I accidentally forgot to degas the wine before bottling. When opening it, there was some fizz and an effervescence on the tongue. It was delicious and a mistake that I’d like to make again especially with a small batch of Niagara..

I’d rather make wine than grow grapes. Growing grapes is hard and you’re at the mercy of nature. Last year was an example of nature showing who is boss. We lost all our Niagara grapes. The brix level never went above 12 and the the remnants of a hurricane dumped tons of water on the area. Following the hurricane there was a week long rain train. We experienced double digit rainfalls. The brix levels went down, however the grapes were still sought after by birds. We freed more birds from the netting than tasted grapes from the vines. So last year was a loss. That makes the 2010 bottle that much more special.

How was the wine? I think having the little effervescence helped make the wine delicious. It had the typical Niagara grape aroma.The wine was initially sweet but began to dry on the finish. Kathy and her sister had some of the wine. The grape vines were transplanted from the house where they grew up. They associated the wine with many memories of eating the Niagara grapes while living at home on the farm in Marcellus, New York.

Cheers,
Terry

Niagara grapes in early August 2010 about a month before harvest.

We had less than 15 pounds of grapes and had to decide to make jelly or wine. Wine won out.

Not renting a press for crushing just a few pounds of grapes, we went old school and Kathy crushed them.

Prepping for the Drink Local Wine Conference in Denver on Saturday. So exactly how does one prepare for a conference? Well, I looked at several hundred vineyard photos that I took a few years back while visiting wineries and vineyards in Colorado. Then another way to set your mind is to drink wine from the state. I searched the wine cellar and retrieved a bottle of a Balistreri 2007 Little Feet Merlot. The little feet name on the wine refers to a September festival at the Denver winery. Merlot grapes arrive from the Western Slope and during the festival children have an opportunity to press the grapes, thus the ”little feet.”

Another observation is the alcohol level of the wine. At 15% alcohol, one can surmise that red grapes do ripen in Colorado’s high altitude. Of course some Coloradans like to point out that they are closer to the sun. Some may be able to pick up some of the alcohol on the aroma. There is a bit but just a small bit of heat on the finish. The dark ruby wine offers dark fruits on the aroma with a touch of oak. Cherries and dark fruit predominates the taste however the fruit yields to wood characteristics on the finish. The wine has tannins and a hint of earthiness on the finish.

Previous perceptions of Colorados’ wines is that achieving 14.5% and higher alcohols is common. With some of those wines you can’t notice the alcohol. Colorado wines are very food friendly. We are enjoying the Little Feet Merlot with a pasta meal with a red sauce.

One way to prep for the upcoming conference is to drink a Colorado wine. Hopefully they will announce where the 2013 conference will take place so I can acquire some wine from that state.

Cheers,
Terry

The 2012 Drink Local Wine Conference takes place in Denver, Colorado. Many of Colorado’s vineyards are growing in altitudes between 4000′ and 7000′. These photos are from two previous visits to vineyards and wineries in the breath taking beautiful state of Colorado.

The Colorado Rivers runs past the vineyards at Canyon Wind Cellars in Georgetown, Colorado.

Jack Rabbit Hill in Hotchkiss, Colorado has some of the highest vineyards in the state. Occasionally they will lose some vines due to harsh weather conditions.

Plum Creek Winery in Palisade, Colorado has vineyards between 4700′ and 4900′. The Bookcliffs provide a dramatic background.

Garfield Estate Vineyard and Winery also in Palisade, Colorado can produce grapes that have achieved good brix levels and phenolics.

From the parking lot at the Wine Country Inn in Palisade, Colorado clouds skirt the Bookcliffs. Vineyards surround the Inn that in addition to providing lodging and offering space for private events also produces their own wine.

Kathy and I are looking forward to tasting many Colorado wines at the 2012 Drink Local Wine Conference in Denver.

Cheers,
Terry