Tuesday, December 31, 2013

BookCliff Vineyards Touch of Red for the New Year

The 2012 version of the Touch of Red flew out the door and we found ourselves without any more bottles to sell before Christmas. Though it is not quite Valentine's yet, we got to work on the new version of the Touch of Red. Usually the blend was dominated by Merlot. The sweet for the 2013 version is made from Cabernet Franc grapes. We also added some Syrah to give it more body. The new Touch of Red has beautiful ruby color with its usual sweetness and a zippy finish.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Belated Christmas Gift for Wine Enthusiasts

If you are the lucky recipient of a gift certificate and have not chosen your Christmas gift yet, here is a fun and educational book about Wine Grapes. The book of the same name is co-authored by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz. Published in 2012 it has become the definitive guide to learn about the origins of grape varietals and their characteristics in wine making. Though the book is a financial investment, if you enjoy wine, it provides inexpensive, not to say cheap entertainment. You can sit on the couch all afternoon and have your fingers explore the different grape varieties. Who would have thought that the United States is the origin of 76 grape varieties, just as many as were created and certified in Germany. Who would have thought that Trollinger is Shiava Grossa which is genetically related to Muscat Hamburg which also is called Black Muscat.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

BookCliff Vineyards in Strasbourg

I had the fortune to spend a couple of days in Strasbourg visiting the Christmas market that is going on during the month of December. Streets are decorated with colorful light chains with each street showing off its own design. And the houses are decorated with Christmas ornaments. Many squares are filled with booths that offer Christmas themed products. The focus of this market is crafts rather than food. The food you can enjoy at the Weinstube offering local fare and of course Alsatian wine. Dry Riesling is still their specialty and you cannot go wrong no matter which quality you order. Enjoy it for lunch or dinner in small long-stemmed glasses.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Digging in the Dirt at BookCliff Vineyards

We at BookCliff Vineyards are working on improving our Vineland's vineyard in Palisade and are replacing our furrow irrigation system with a micro sprinkler system. We received a grant from the NRCS to pay for half of the materials. To save and make the installation of the sprinkler system less expensive we are doing the labor ourselves. Before Thanksgiving John, Michelle from Creekside Cellars and Prescott, Jose and Camerino, our employees at the farm went to task and put the trenches in for the new sprinkler system. The goal is to have the system working starting with the new season in May 2014.

BookCliff Vineyards Releases Flagstaff Star Wine 2013

As it is our tradition BookCliff Vineyards has released the Flagstaff Star Wine for the holiday season. This year the wine is the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon. As usual $1.00 for each bottle purchased goes to the Flagstaff Star fund at the Boulder Chamber of Commerce and pays to keep the star lit on the mountain. This year's art on the label was used for the first time in 2003, the first release of the Flagstaff Star wine. The artist is Gail Crites.
The Flagstaff Star wine is available at the following local liquor stores: