We're Moving!

That's right - we are moving! We have found a great spot in North Boulder that finally allows us to combine our winery and tasting room in one location. Moving our winery and tasting room is a huge project and because of that our new tasting room won't be open until sometime in late January or mid-February. Our last day at the Pearl St. location is Wed. Dec. 31 so we encourage you to come visit us and have a glass of mulled or chilled wine and bring in the new year with us. Thank you so much for your support over the years that has made all of this possible for us - we sincerely appreciate your patronage. Happy New Year from all of us at BookCliff Vineyards. Stay tuned for updates - we can't wait to have you see our new winery!

30% Off All Merchandise in December

With the exciting opening of our new winery location in North Boulder we are proud to announce that our tasting room will be moving to that location in January or February. We really appreciate your support over the years and have enjoyed getting to know you. It would be great to see you in December to wish you a wonderful New Year and share our excitement about the new winery with you. As always, we have a great selection of 100% Colorado wine for you to enjoy at the tasting room or at home with your friends and family. Some of our wine is only available at the tasting room at this point, so now would be a great time to stop by to pick some up.

All month long, all of our merchandise will be 30% off. This includes our beautiful BookCliff Vineyards wine glasses and dessert wine glasses, our great book about wine & cheese, all of our bottle stoppers and the organic gift boxes that we have for sale. These are some great gift ideas for the casual wine drinker or for the cork dork in your life.

Don't forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter (the box on the right), to learn about upcoming events and news about the winery and vineyard.

Music on Fridays AND Sundays

As usual we have music at BookCliff Vineyards' Tasting Room on Friday nights, but as December arrives we will have more music as we add acoustic guitar sets on Sundays. Bill Kopper and Phil Robinson will add atmosphere to our already intimate setting surrounded by fine wines from BookCliff and Belgian Chocolates from Belvedere each Sunday afternoon in December.

Friday, Nov. 28th 7:30pm - 9:30pm Joao Junqueira, Brazilian samba, guitar and vocals
Sunday, Nov. 30th 3:00pm - 5:00pm Phil Robinson, Folk
Friday, Dec. 5th 7:30pm - 9:30pm Bill Kopper, Guitar Brazilian music

Sunday, Dec. 7th 3:00pm - 5:00pm Phil Robinson, Folk
Friday, Dec. 12th 7:30pm - 9:30pm Peneplain, Jazz - keyboard and bass
Sunday, Dec. 14th 3:00pm - 5:00pm Bill Kopper, Guitar Brazilian music
Friday, Dec. 19th 7:30pm - 9:30pm Molly Greacen, Brazilian Jazz

Sunday, Dec. 21st 3:00pm - 5:00pm Phil Robinson, Folk
Friday, Dec. 26th 7:30pm - 9:30pm Joao Junqueira, Brazilian samba, guitar and vocals

BookCliff Wines and More at Mark Vann Foundation Benefit Show.

BookCliff Vineyards is proud to participate in the 6th Annual Mark Vann Foundation Holiday Benefit Concert on Saturday December 6th at the Boulder Theater.
Mark Vann was the founding Banjo player of one of Boulders legendary bands, Leftover Salmon. Sadly Mark passed of Cancer at the age of 39 back in 2002. In celebration of his life and music the Mark Vann Foundation was created to benefit local, national and international charities thru music and art events. Over the past 6 years the Mark Vann Foundation has helped fund organizations ranging from the Boulder Broomfield Community Food Share and Conscious Alliance locally; to the Tipitinas Foundation, the Steam Powered Preservation Society and Rock the Earth amongst more far reaching endeavors. You can even suggest worthy organizations to benefit when visiting the Mark Vann Foundation website.
This years concert will continue to celebrate Marks' life while benefiting people in need. The music will include Vince Herman and Great American Taxi featuring Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth, The Emmitt-Nershi Band and many other special guests announced and unannounced!
In addition to all of the music there will be raffles and a silent auction featuring art, music, concert and festival tickets, and BookCliff Vineyards Wines including one of the last 3 hand painted Scramble Campbell bottles of our 2003 Bordeaux style blend, Ensemble.
So please come on out and join me, your BookCliff Vineyards Sommelier, and plenty of friends you haven't met yet,(and probably some you have), bid on some great items to help get your holiday gift list finished, and enjoy great music while helping people in need and celebrating the life and music of Mark Vann! Remember, Saturday Evening, December 6th at the Boulder Theater.
See you there!
Cheers,
Mark M. Stephan
BookCliff Vineyards
Sommelier

An Evening with Artists Linda Sole Faul and BookCliff Vineyards

Join us Friday, December 5th, 2008 between the hours of 5:00 - 8:00 pm as Art Mart presents an evening with artist Linda Sole Faul. Enjoy a tasting of our award winning Colorado wines while viewing the work of this wonderful artist. Linda Sole Faul is the artist of this years Flagstaff Star painting. Admission is free. Art mart is located on the mall at 1222 Pearl St. Boulder, CO 80302, and you can reach them at (303) 443-8248.

Free Santa Claus Party at the Winery

Even Santa enjoys a good bottle of wine for the holidays. And we don't want you to be without a good bottle of wine from your local Colorado winery - BookCliff Vineyards. Santa decided that rather than bicycling to each and everyone, he'll invite you to the winery on his special day December 6th. Come and share with us a glass of wine, appetizers and live music and celebrate Santa Claus day.

Enjoy live music and appetizers, taste BookCliff wines - ALL FREE!

Special of the day: 20% off a case (12 bottles) of wine. VIP members take an additional 5% off.

Please join us on December 6th from 3:00pm - 6:00pm at the winery,
1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80305.
The winery is located in North Boulder across the Gateway amusement park. As you drive out of Boulder on 28th Street, just after you pass the Holiday Drive-in Theater sign, turn left onto Lee Hill Road and then take an immediate right into the parking lot on your right.


Date: Sat., Dec. 6th
Time: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80305
RSVP: winery@bookcliffvineyards.com

Music, Wine, Chocolate and More Music!!!

That is of course what is happening here at the BookCliff Vineyards Tasting Room in Boulder. As December arrives we will have More Music as we add Acoustic Guitar sets on Sundays. Bill Kopper and others will provide their musical stylings to our already intimate setting surrounded by fine wines from BookCliff and Belgian Chocolates from Belvidere each Sunday afternoon in December.

Music still lives on here at BookCliff Vineyards Tasting Room on Friday nights as well! Each Friday night from 7:30 to 9:30 we feature live jazz to accompany your wine and chocolate. We even offer specially paired wine and chocolate flights to tantalize and expand your palate. As the days and nights get colder we will also warm you up with our hot spiced mulled wine, a delicious and ancient remedy on chilly days and icy nights.

Wether you like your jazz Latin, Brazillian, or U.S.A. style straight out of the "fake book", you'll find local musicians playing it all; along with your favorite locally produced Colorado, Grand Valley A.V.A. wines here at BookCliff Vineyards Tasting Room. From now to the end of the year we will be featuring the music of Molly Greacan and the SweetLife Brazillian Band, Bill Kopper, Joao Junqueira, Brielle, and Peneplain.

Join us in a Holiday Tradition

Every year we join the Boulder Chamber of Commerce in their effort to raise money to keep the Flagstaff Star lit on the mountain during the holiday season. The Chamber commissions a new piece of art from a local artist and this year's artist is Linda Sole Faul. The Chamber sells holiday cards with the image of the art and we release our Flagstaff Star wine that has a label with the image of the art; $1.00 of the sale of each bottle goes to the Flagstaff star fund. This is the 6th year that we have participated in the tradition. The wine is available in our tasting room and many Boulder area liquor stores, including:

Liquor Mart - 15th & Canyon
Pettyjohn's Liquor and Wine - 613 South Broadway
Boulder Wine Merchant - 2690 Broadway
Harvest Wine & Spirits - 3075 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder Wine & Spirits - 3325 28th Street
Ace Wine & Spirits - 2315 30th Street
Superior Liquor - 100 Superior Plaza Way Superior, CO

Hot Deals on Colorado Wine

If you have not been at the Boulder wine tasting room a while, we have some great new specials on BookCliff Vineyards wine that you don't want to miss.



Monday - Two tastings for the price of one
Wednesday - 15% off all bottles of BookCliff wine
Thursday - Wine by the glass $5.00 on BookCliff wine

Come on in and meet Randy (Monday) and Mark (Wednesday and Thursday) and treat yourself to a weekday special on some Colorado wine. The tasting room is located at 15th and Pearl St. in downtown Boulder. Our hours are Mon., Wed., and Thurs. 3:00 - 7:00 pm; Friday 1:00 - 10:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday 1:00 - 7:00 pm. Call (303) 449-WINE with any questions.

We've Moved The Winery!

Don't worry, the tasting room is still downtown on 15th and Pearl St. but the winery is now at a different location. For the past 10 years or so the location where we crushed, fermented, pressed, bottled, etc. was in the basement of Ulla & John's house. For the past month or so, we have not only moved the whole winery but have also gone through harvest and crush. We are making more wine than we ever have in the past and believe me we've been busy. Most of the wines are still fermenting and we are almost done pressing. Pressing is the messiest job in the winery (and I love it). After the wine is almost done fermenting we remove all the skins and seeds, which have been in the bin with the juice/wine, we remove them and put them in a press to squeeze out any remaining wine. For white wines we press before fermentation starts. There is a great blog about the process written by Melinda, who works for us doing farmers markets and such. Click here to see that. Eventually we will be able to have people come and tour the winery, probably sometime next year. Until then stay tuned to our monthly newsletter to learn more, we'll probably have a open house type thing soon. In the meantime come down to our tasting room for some great Colorado wine!

1st Annual Harvest Dinner

Join us next month as we celebrate harvest season with our First Annual Harvest Dinner. This is a traditional German dinner pairing our brand new wines with some delicious German food, including Onion Quiche, German brats, mixed salad and dessert. This is a unique opportunity to have some great food and try the 2008 wines. These wines will be half fermented meaning there is alcohol but there is still some sweetness and carbonation in the wine, where else could you try something like this? Colorado wine and German food, this is gonna be a lot of fun!

Saturday, October 25th, 2008 7:00 p.m.

At the BookCliff Vineyards Tasting Room on 15th St. just south of Pearl St. in Boulder

Tickets: $35, V.I.P.'s can purchase tickets for $25.

Purchase tickets at the tasting room or by calling (303) 499-7301

Winter Hours

I can't believe it is already September. Crush is only a couple weeks away, in fact Muscat Blanc might be ready to pick next week! This is the first year we've had this grape so we are excited.

Anyway, we are starting our winter hours at the Boulder tasting room beginning Monday 9/15/08. The hours will be as follows:

Sunday 1-7 pm

Monday 3-7 pm

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday 3-7 pm

Thursday 3-7 pm

Friday 1-10 pm (live music at 7:30!)

Saturday 1-7 pm

You can contact us at (303) 449-WINE with any questions. Come in and try some Colorado wine today.

p.s. stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for some big news ;)

New Wine!!

We just released a brand new white wine. "Visanne" is now available exclusively at our Boulder, Colorado tasting room. Visanne is a crisp dry white blend of 70% Viognier, 29% Roussanne and 1% Orange Muscat. This extremely food friendly white has hints of grapefruit, white peaches, lemon and lime zest. If you like our Viognier, you'll love the Visanne! Come in to our tasting room and try this wine and other great Colorado wine.

Veraison in the Vineyard

Mid August is Veraison. The vines end their vegetative stage, and give their full attention towards the grapes. During this period, the berries stop expanding in size, begin developing sugar and flavor, and in the case of red grapes, they develop their color. It'll begin with Chardonnay and Merlot and end with Cabernet Sauvignon. So far we've been happy with how the vines have reacted to the year's conditions. We had an unexpectedly cool spring, which pushed flowering, and Veraison about two weeks behind where we were last year. What may result is a vintage higher in natural acidity, and a more developed ripeness. We won't know what the weather does to the crop until we begin harvesting the Chardonnay in a few weeks. Our biggest challenge this summer has been a pest called the grape leafhopper. Its a tiny insect that once established, can multiply by the thousands and before long can strip the chlorophyll from the canopy. The typical response would be to spray a pesticide such as dimethoate or provado, however we have a commitment to farming without the use of chemical pesticides. We performed a series of sprays consisting of Stylet oil, merely a diluted highly refined mineral oil, and pyrethum, a biological insecticide derived from the chrysanthemum flower. We are glad to say the leafhoppers are under control, and hopefully the vines, and our wines are healthier. For now, the bird netting is on and there's little to do in the vineyard except wait for the picking crews. I've included a picture of the vineyard truck, which doubles as my office. The 1979 Toyota truck will never give up on us.

Sam Stetser

Vineyard Manager

New Merchandise

We are now selling some merchandise at our tasting room on 15th & Pearl in Boulder. We are carrying some wine related items such as stoppers. The hand carved natural wood stoppers make great gifts, they are made right here on the front range. We also have some silicone stoppers that work wonderfully. We also sell our regular glasses as well as our new dessert wine glasses. Our newest items are gift boxes including samples of organic foods and other items such as candles, all in neatly decorated gift box. Boulder's Best Organics provides these, you can check out their website here. Come in and check out what other items we offer. Contact info can be found on our website.

Pearl Street Sidewalk Sale

This weekend only, you can get a bottle of Ensemble for $12.99! At the tasting room today and tomorrow we are discounting our red blend Ensemble by $4. The 2004 Ensemble consists of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 3% Syrah, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Its an easy drinking medium bodied red that makes the perfect match for tomato sauces and could even pair well with bbq. Come in and we'll pair it up with some chocolate for a decadent taste experience. Don't miss this hot deal.

Even Tawny loves it!

It sure is a hot one out there. Why don't you come in for some deliciously cold Touch of Red. If you've never had it, you are missing out. It is a sweet fruity wine (similar to sangria) that we serve chilled and it's just amazing with chocolate. We can also blend it with frozen strawberry lemonade to create the perfect wine slushie for a scorching summer day. Come to our tasting room on 15th and Pearl st. to cool off with some wine. We are open everyday: Sunday 1 pm - 7 pm; Monday thru Thursday 2 pm - 8 pm; Friday 1 pm - 10 pm; Saturday 1 pm - 8 pm.

Order Wine Online!

Now you can order our wines online. We've partnered with Primo Vino, so not only can you purchase our wine at their brick and mortar location, but you can also order directly on their web site! Now, if you are out of state and haven't had access to our wines or even in Colorado and can't find us in your local store, you can order right at http://www.primovino.net/. They carry the most current vintages at great prices. You can also link over to their site in the section "Where to find our wines" at our homepage at http://www.bookcliffvineyards.com/. Also, don't forget the Friday's Folly II release party on Thursday, July 31st, from 7pm-10pm at the tasting room. See previous entry for more info.

Wine Seminar

This is a great sensory event that makes you oooh and ahhhh with the ways the flavors in wine and food can excite each other. This is a repeat of our successful seminar in 2006. This is a great opportunity to taste what is new in the tasting room and enjoy BookCliff wines with fabulous food.

Pairing of wine with small plates
Thursday, August 21st, 2008, 7:30pm
$45.00 includes fabulous food prepared by Trattoria on Pearl.
Reservations: (303) 499 7301 or in person at the tasting room

Friday's Folly Release Party II

You asked us to do it again and we don't want to disappoint you. Friday's Folly 2nd edition is in the bottle and you are invited to celebrate with us. Meet some friends and have a glass of wine. Thursday July 31st, 2008, 7:00pm, BookCliff Vineyards' tasting room. We provide the live music, free pizza from our friends at Trattoria (while it lasts) and Friday's Folly by the glass for $3.00. Oh, I almost forgot, you can be the lucky winner of a case of Friday's Folly!

New Wines

We've been busy bottling and we're not done yet. We are very low on '05 Cab Franc and '05 Syrah, but you can still get some in our tasting room or at one of the farmer's markets. Last week we bottled the '06 Cab Franc and the '07 Syrah. Both are excellent. They both have great fruit and a velvety smoothness that is just superb. If you were a fan of either of the previous vintages you will love these new ones. We should be releasing them sometime in the next couple of weeks. Of course we aren't done bottling yet. We've got to do some more Friday's Folly and more Adagio in the next few weeks as well. Don't forget the Boulder Wine Merchant, Westminster Total Beverage, Ace Discount Liquor and Boulder Wine & Spirits all still have Folly. Get it while it lasts!

Boulder Food & Wine Festival

The Boulder Food & Wine Festival is back. Next Saturday, June 28, head to downtown Boulder's Central Park to find 26 Colorado wineries and dozens of Boulder's finest restaurants all in one location. From 4 - 8 pm, you can try all the Colorado wine you want and get small plate sized portions of food from all of your favorite restaurants in Boulder. Of course there will be cooking and wine tasting classes as well. Profits from this event benefit the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Check out http://www.boulderwinefest.com/ to view all participating wineries and restaurants or call (303) 442-4030 x634 for more info.

Tasting At Daveco

Thats right we are going to be at the parking lot tasting at Daveco this Saturday, May 31. There will be multiple Colorado wineries pouring their wines from 12pm - 4pm and the best part is that it's all FREE! It's supposed to be a beautiful day so come down to the Colorado Wine Tasting at Daveco Liquors. Daveco Liquors is located at 16434 N Washington St, Thornton, CO 80023. Click here to link to a map of the area.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

12pm - 4pm

Frost Season Is Almost Over

Last week we had some close calls with frost in the vineyards. Another week of warm weather will hopefully get as past the danger of frost. The old peach growers say that then when the neck of the goose shaped snowfield breaks (melts) then the danger of frost is past. The goose is on the flanks of Grand Mesa and can be seen in the center of the picture above the peach trees. In the picture it is facing to the left. With the extra snow this year and the cooler then usual temperatures it is taking longer this year to get past the frost danger. We are blessed with good vineyard locations that have natural winds that keep the frosts away. Most orchards and vineyards in the Palisade area require large fan units to keep the winds away. This requires getting up in the middle of the night to start the fans and to keep them running. Because of our location we do not even own fan units. The extra investment in buying good vineyard locations is paying off.
Entry by John Garlich.

Please click on the above pictures for a larger view.

Parker Farmer's Market

It's springtime and you know what that means, Farmer's Markets are here! The Parker Farmer's Market opens on May 11 (that's this Sunday!) and is a great way to pick up some locally grown vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants, gourmet cheeses and wines sold by the farmers that produce them. We will be there on the first market day and look forward to seeing you.



When: Sundays 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. May 11th through October 12
Location: Located in historic downtown Parker 1 1/2 blocks east of Parker Road on Main Street in the parking lot of the Mainstreet Center.

Spring in the Vineyard

The grapes are waking up in the vineyard. This year we are about a week behind last year due to the cool spring. So far winter kill is minimal and the buds look healthy. It's an extremely busy time of year for the farmers in the area, whether they're growing peaches or grapes. Weeds need to be kept under control, irrigation systems need to be seasonalized (and usually cracked pipes need repairing), and it's time to plant. Besides in-fill plantings, in which older vines and blank spaces in the vine rows are replaced by new plantings, we replaced 3/4 of an acre of Orange Muscat with White Riesling. In late March the vines came from the nursery tightly wrapped in bundles. We planted them with spacing of 5 feet in 8 foot rows. This year we'll irrigate in the trench they've been planted to insure plenty of water to their limited root system. It's important that the grapes avoid stress their first year. Next year, with a developed root system the real growing begins. Meanwhile, the dormant buds have come out of their shells and pushed shoots out. We wait anxiously to see what this years canopy will deliver.

Entry by Sam Stetser, Vineyard Manager

2nd Barrel Tasting!!

That's right the first barrel tasting on Saturday, May 3rd is sold out. Because of the big response though, we are adding a second date. Now there is another opportunity to try unreleased wine directly from the barrels while you munch on delicious appetizers and entrees prepared in person by one of the expert chefs from "Fast and Fresh Food" in Boulder, CO. Enjoy a five course (click here to see the menu) meal paired with BookCliff wines at the winery, with the winemaker. This is your chance to see where and how our wine is made and have a great meal while you do it. Don't wait, this will sell out fast!

When: May 4th 2008, 4:00pm

Cost: $50

Reservations: (303) 499-7301

Location: 5501 Aztec Court, Boulder, CO 80303 (At The Winery!)

Components of Wine Class

Have you ever heard a wine geek talk about silky tannins or a wine that's too "hot"? Do you know where you taste acid or sweetness on your palate? If you would like to find out what all this stuff means then you have to come to this event. We are proud to feature Ann Coppinger from Pettyjohn's Liquor & Wine who will be presenting her "Components of Wine" class. Learn how to recognize wine's different components and how they compliment or fight with your favorite foods. By the way, a full meal including your favorite foods will be prepared for you by the artists over at Trattoria on Pearl.

April 17th 2008, 7:00pm
Cost: $40.00 includes fabulous food from Trattoria on Pearl.
Reservations: (303) 449-WINE
Location: BookCliff Vineyards' tasting room, 15th Street just South of Pearl, Boulder

2008 Spring Barrel Tasting

Join us for the annual BookCliff Vineyards Barrel Tasting event. Spend an evening with us at the winery on Saturday May 3 for a dinner event you won't soon forget. Sit down to a special five-course meal prepared by a private chef, each course expertly paired with a BookCliff Vineyards Wine. Try unreleased wine directly from the barrels while you munch on delicious appetizers and entrees prepared in person by one of the expert chefs from "Fast and Fresh Food" in Boulder, CO. Check out the menu below.

When: May 3rd 2008, 5:00pm
Cost: $50
Reservations: (303) 499-7301
Location: 5501 Aztec Court, Boulder, CO 80303 (At The Winery!)

Appetizers

Endive with Goat Cheese and Maple Glazed Pecans (As pictured above)
-Paired with 2006 Chardonnay

Grilled Salmon with Mango Lime Salsa
Salmon Grilled with a Great Smoky Flavor and Topped with a Slightly Spicy Mango Lime Salsa.
-Paired with 2007 Viognier/Roussanne Blend

Veal and Veggie Tagine
This North African Stew is cooked in a Conical Shaped Earthen ware pot. With Flavorful spices, fresh tomatoes and served over couscous.
-Paired with 2007 Merlot and 2007 Syrah

Rosemary Pan Seared Beef Tenderloin
Beef Tenderloin pan seared with Fresh Organic Rosemary and Served with Roasted Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes and Steamed Veggies.
-Paired with 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Cabernet Franc

Belvedere Belgian Chocolates

-Paired with Finali port-style dessert wine

BookCliff Vineyards Reaches the Summit!

Summit County that is! Its true, now you can find many of our fine wines near your favorite Summit County Ski area. In Silverthorne we'd like to welcome Blue Valley Liquors, convieniently located just north of I-70 at 191 Blue River Parkway. You can find our 2004 Ensemble, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Touch of Red on the Blue Valley Liquor shelves now.

On Main Street in downtown Frisco you can find our Touch of Red, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Ensemble and Merlot now as we welcome Frisco Liquors of 416 E. Main Street to our list of fine wine vendors.

As of next week you'll find us in Keystone, Colorado as well. Starting Monday you will find BookCliff 2005 Syrah, 2006 Viogner, and our popular Orange Muscat Dessert Wine, "Allegretto" at Summit Liquors, 22801 Highway 6 in Keystone. Just down the road at Loveland Pass Liquors, 22837 Highway 6, you'll be able to find our 2004 Ensemble and Cabernet Sauvignon.

We are continuing to visit and taste with other mountian region vendors, at both restaurant and retail venues. Look forward to additional updates on other Rocky Mountain locations where you can find your favorite BookCliff Wines in the upcoming weeks.

Once again I would like to welcome and thank our new vendors.

Cheers,

Mark M. Stephan

BookCliff Vineyards

Sommelier/Colorado Mountain Region Sales

Getting the most from your BookCliff Table Wines

In addition to our exceptional line of fine blends, varietals, and dessert wines, here at BookCliff Vineyards and Winery we also produce two table wines.

So just what is a table wine? In the United States, the official definition of a table wine is a wine that contains a minimum of 7 percent alcohol and a maximum of 14 percent. There is no consideration of quality in the U. S. definition, although some consider it to connote a lower quality or less expensive wine. In the U.S this is often an incorrect assumption as many table wines are quite fine and expensive. This misconception is probablly due to the European Union and pre-EU wine laws in European countries, as an EU table wine is defined as a wine that doesn't qualify as a quality wine under various appelation(regional), wine production rules.

BookCliff Vineyard and Winery table wines are, A Touch of Red and Fridays Folly. At BookCliff our table wines are produced through blending various vintages and varietals of some of our other fine wines.

The first of our table wines is our very popular sweet blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot called, A Touch of Red. After the Cabernet and Merlot is fermented completely dry we back blend unfermented merlot juice into the wine to create a uniquely friuty sweet wine which John, our owner and winemaker likes to compare to a Sangria. The difference is, instead of resting on cut fruit, our version gets it sweetness from the unfermented merlot juice in the blend. A great wine to come in from the heat of summer for, this wine is best enjoyed as cold as you can make it. Like its' Spanish inspiration Sangria; BookCliffs, A Touch of Red serves equally well over ice.

Our second, and newest table wine is BookCliffs Fridays Folly. Released late last year, Fridays Folly is named for a common climbers route on the back of the third Flatiron in Boulder. Fridays Folly is a blend of various vintages of BookCliffs Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Fridays Folly is completely dry, although quite fruity and crisp. The trick to getting the best out of your bottle of Fridays Folly is through decanting. So dust off that decanter, decant your Fridays Folly, allow it to breath and open up for 15 to 30 minutes prior to drinking, and enjoy a table wine that easily rivals many wines costing 2 to 3 times as much. If you don't have a decanter, decant into a pitcher or pour the wine into glasses 10 to 15 minutes prior to serving. Just opening the bottle and letting it sit will not allow enough air exchange for the wine to open up. If you would really like to experience the difference this aeriation decanting makes pour yourself a glass of Fridays Folly and set it aside for 15 minutes. When you are ready to taste, pour another glass from the bottle and taste both side by side. I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the difference.

Cheers,

Mark M. Stephan

BookCliff Vineyards

Sommelier/Sales

Winter Update in the Vineyard from Sam

Despite the consistently cold winter, I'm remaining optimistic thanks to the abnormally wet season. The two biggest challenges we face growing winegrapes in Colorado are winter-kill, when cold winter temperatures kill the vines to the ground and must be trained up from the roots; and high levels of salt in the soil, which grapevines are particularly sensitive to. The high moisture we've had has a positive effect on both. Having a soil profile that doesn't dry out during the four months we don't irrigate relieves the vines of additional stress during cold spells, and it also helps to leech the salts out of the top layers of soil. Winters are a good reminder that Colorado is a difficult grape growing region. Despite my optimism, we won't really know how the winter has affected the plants until the spring comes and the vines wake up, or don't. The next step in the vineyard is pruning. Pruning is key to determining your crop load for the upcoming season. By spacing the budspurs along the vine we are hoping to balance the amount of vegetative growth and the amount of clusters one vine will produce. We first have a pre-pruner come through and chop last year’s new growth. We then go back through and do the final pruning by hand. We will finish this process, hopefully, when the first Chardonnay buds start pushing out their new shoots. If anyone finds themselves in Palisade, look me up and I'd be glad to show anyone the grape growing process firsthand. Check this out...for a video of the pre-pruning in action click here.

Samuel Stetser

Vineyard Manager

BookCliff Vineyards

Finali!!

Well, the wait is almost over. Our port-style dessert wine, Finali, is almost ready to be bottled. This wine is a blend made up of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with just a dash of Syrah. It is fortified to about 18% alcohol. We use an alcohol that we had distilled from some our wine a couple years ago. The wine is pot-distilled (the same method used to make fine whiskeys) which gives the resulting alcohol a smooth and floral character. We then add the 140 proof alcohol to the wine during fermentation to bring up the alcohol content to 18%. This high level kills the yeasts and leaves a delicious sweetness in the wine. Finali, with it's dark fruit flavors and slight spiciness, will be amazing with any chocolate dessert or maybe even drizzled over ice cream! Get a sneak preview of Finali at our first wine class on Feb 28, at the tasting room. Call (303) 449-WINE for more info.

Have you seen this place?

Have y'all been to Liquormart in Boulder, CO? What an amazing place it is. If you want it they have it. Wine from every corner of the world ranging from First Growth Bordeaux to a yummy bottle of German Glühwein. Not to mention the huge beer and spirits sections, and the prices are always great. Wow! By the way, you can always find BookCliff wines here. Stop by and ask the wonderful and super-helpful people at the wine desk where to find the Colorado wine section (or any other wine your looking for). Stop by Liquormart at 15th & Canyon in Boulder or check out their website at www.liquormart.com/

Remember buy local!

By Way of Introduction

Cheers,
....and welcome to what promises to be my first of many blog entries here at BookCliff Vineyards. By way of introduction my name is Mark M. Stephan, Sommelier and Colorado Mountain Region Sales Representative here at BookCliff. I've been with the team here for nearly a year, at the Vineyard, in the Winery and at our Tasting Room in Boulder. Recently I've agreed to open the mountain territories, and represent our fine wines to both restaurants and liquor stores in the high country. I'll be visiting Dillon, Silverthorne, and Breckenridge in the next few weeks. From there we'll be expanding to most of the other Colorado Mountain resort areas.

A little about me... A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; I grew up in Titusville, Florida. (Just across the Intercoastal Waterway from the Kennedy Space Center where the Space Shuttle launches.) From my 16th birthday on, with breaks for the Navy and College I worked at the Walt Disney World Resort. Over my tenure I was part of the team at all 4 theme parks, having been a part of the pre-opening teams at both the Disney Mgm Studios and Disneys Animal Kingdom. From Park Operations to Resort Recreation, from Guest Relations to Food and Beverage I wore many hats throughout the years. During my last years at Walt Disney World I was a server and Sommelier at Disney's Boardwalk Resort. I recieved my Sommelier certificaions under the instruction of the Walt Disney World Wine Education program and Disney Worlds' Master Sommelier John Blazon. In April of 2006 I recieved my Guild Level Sommelier credentials thru the Court of Master Sommeliers. After moving to Colorado I successfully completed the International Wine Guild Advanced Course in the spring of 2007.

In addition to a passion for all things wine, I am also a big fan of live music and art. Here at BookCliff Vineyards and Winery I have had the opportunity to combine these passions with the introduciton of our signed, numbered, embellished special Scramble Campbell painted edition of our 2003 Ensemble. The lable features Scrambles painting "Mars at Closest" painted during the String Cheese Incidents show at Red Rocks Ampitheater. Each bottle is individually painted beyond the label by the artist. Over half of this limited edition of 100 bottles has already been sold, so be sure to get yours before they are all gone. For more of Scrambles art, visit http://www.scramblecampbell.com/.

My other interests include sailing, scuba, cave diving, hiking, camping and exploring outdoors. Having left the oceans for my new life here in Colorado, it seems that hiking, camping and exploring will take precedent over the others. Fortunately wine goes equally well with camping as it does with sailing.
Cheers,

Mark M. Stephan
BookCliff Vineyards
Sommelier and Sales

In-Store Tastings

Hey All,

Want to sample our wine for free?! Well, we've got a few in-store tastings scheduled in the next couple of months so you can do just that. We will be pouring as many as four different wines at the following locations:

February 23, we will be at Zamparelli's Italian Bistro from 3-5. This is the restaurant right next-door to Meridian Wine & Spirits on 95th & Arapahoe in Lafayette. Meridian will be placing our wine on sale for 15% off.

March 8, we will be at Superior Liquor from 2-6. Superior Liquor is located at US 36 & McCaslin Blvd. in (you guessed it) Superior, CO!

March 21, we will be at DaveCo Liquors from 4-6. DaveCo is located at 16434 Washington St. in Thornton.

March 28, we will be at Highland Vineyards from 5-7. Highland Vineyards is located at 3506 Town Center Drive in Highlands Ranch.

Please come and visit with us and let us know that you saw it here. Can' wait to see you!

Note that any changes in time or date will be posted on this site.

Winter In The Vineyard

Work in the vineyard never stops. Even as the snow (and temperature) falls there is still much to be done with the vines, such as pruning. If you can see in the picture, the trunk of the vine is the part extending out of the ground. It then is split into two branches or "cordons" which are tied to wire horizontal to the ground. Smaller "canes" are then tied vertical to the ground both up and down and this is where the bunches of grapes will grow. These are the parts that are trimmed and allowed to grow new every year. There are many different methods of training vines all over the world, but this Smart-Dyson method is the system that we use.

We're in a New Store

Hey y'all. It's turning out to be a beautiful January here in Boulder. What a great time to get out and do some wine tasting. Check out www.coloradowineassociation.com/ and www.coloradowine.com/ to get some more info and places to visit. Also, you can now find our wine at Little Raven Vineyards in downtown Denver. It's a great little shop and they have a fun website that might even get you some free wine! You can find contact info for them at www.littleravenvineyards.com/
This is a shot of some Black Muscat grapes, which make up our Adagio dessert wine. If you haven't tried it yet, come on in and pair it with some dark Belgian chocolate. Yummo!

Check This Out!

I stumbled upon this great wine blog last week. Tyler Colman is Dr. Vino and yes he is an actual doctor. drvino.com not only has some great recommendations on wine, but also has some fascinating articles and blurbs about whats going on out there in this huge world of wine. Have you ever thought of the carbon footprint of wine or of sipping wine through a tube while you're hooked up to an EEG. Check out this site, it's great info with a hint of wit. It's even won some awards including "Winner, Best Wine Blog, American Wine Blog Awards 2007". Nice work, Doc.

Food & Wine Classes

Come join us for the follow-up to last year's successful food and wine pairing classes. This year we will be offering three classes all with delicious food provided by Chef Daniel Cofrades from Trattoria on Pearl.

• Class 1, February 28, will include a barrel tasting of red and white wines. Become an insider and taste the differences between French and American oak. What kind of flavors and aromas does each barrel impart?
  
• Class 2, March 20, will be all about the New Releases! Be the first to taste our new spring releases, such as a Riesling and a Port, before they are released.
  
• Class 3, April 17, we are proud to feature Ann Coppinger from Pettyjohn's who will be presenting her Components of Wine class. Learn how to recognize wine's different components and how they compliment or fight with your favorite foods. How does acidity differ from tannins? Impress your friends with all this knowledge!

Price is $40 per class. Call us or stop by to purchase tickets or if you have questions.

Tasting Room (303) 449-WINE

Winery (303) 499-7301

Hola, 2008!

Happy 2008! Hope everyone had a great New Years and celebrated with some good Colorado wine. Speaking of Colorado wine, keep your eyes peeled for our port wine release party. It should be in the next month or two. Also we will be offering a couple of wine pairing classes in February at the tasting room. The dates aren't set yet so check back here or call our tasting room at (303) 499-WINE for more info. A big thanks to Sam, our vineyard manager, for coming down to Boulder to help out for a couple days in the winery. It's a beautiful evening in Boulder tonight. Enjoy this warmth, I have a feeling it won't last long.