The Flagstaff Star - A perfect present from Boulder

Every year the Chamber of Commerce in Boulder commissions a piece of art with the Flagstaff Star. The Chamber sells holiday cards that have an image of the art and we sell the Flagstaff Star wine that has the image of the art on the label. $1.00 of each bottle goes to the Flagstaff Star fund to keep the star on the mountain lit throughout the holiday season. For many it has become a tradition to pick up a bottle for themselves or as a gift from Boulder. You can find the Flagstaff Star wine at the following liquor stores, Alfalfa's wine store, Bailey's Wine & Spirit, Boulder Wine Merchant, Harvest Wine & Spirit, Liquor Mart, Petty John's Liquor and Wine and Superior Liquor. We also sell the Flagstaff Star at our tasting room.

Great Events at BookCliff

There is always something going on at BookCliff. We have Farmers Markets, wine dinners, barrel tastings, chocolate and wine pairing and music at times. Come on over with your friends for an entertaining afternoon or a delicious evening at the BookCliff Vineyards' winery. How do you find out what is going on? Sign up for our newsletter on our website our check out www.bookcliffvineyards.com/events to find out what is going at BookCliff. Our winery is also available for private parties, clubs or business groups that enjoy a glass of wine.

The 2010 Ensemble is in the Bottle

We, you and the liquor stores have been without Ensemble for over a month. We worked on the blend for over a month, tasting different percentages of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and re-tasting to make sure the blend represents the best red blend we can produce from the 2010 vintage. Finally we bottled the 2010 Ensemble last week and now we are waiting for the labels to arrive. If everything works out we will have the new release for the Good Life Holiday Market on Sunday December 18th, 2011. The 2010 release has 56% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. A lot of dark fruit, smooth tannins with promise for long aging in the bottle.

Annual Santa Claus Party at BookCliff

FREE wine tasting of five wines, free appetizers, and stocking stuffers from Santa! Live Music.
Join us, Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 at the winery.

Please join us on December 3rd from 1:00pm - 6:00pm at the winery, 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304.
Special of the day: 20% off a case (12 bottles) of wine. VIP members take an additional 5% off.
Please RSVP.

Two GOLD Medals for BookCliff Vineyards

BookCliff Vineyards received two gold medals at the Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competiton held every year in Kansas City. The 2009 Cabernet Franc and the 2010 Petite Sirah received a GOLD medal. If you want to taste the wines come into the tasting room at 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304. Both wines make great Christmas gifts or treat yourself.

Great Fun at the Holiday Market

If you missed the Good Life Holiday Market at BookCliff there are three things you can do

1. Find out what it was like. Here is what one person said: "The mood of the event was similar to a casual party, which made everyone feel comfortable and as a result some people stayed for the whole event and enjoyed themselves. "




2. Read the article Toni wrote about the market. She was so impressed about getting to try fresh spinach from the Black Cat Farm and taste some local wine. http://www.boulderlocavore.com/2011/11/bookcliff-vineyards-and-black-cat.html




3. Check out our events page at www.bookcliffvineyards.com/events to see whether there is another opportunity for you to experience the Good Life Holiday market.

We may do this again on December 18th, so people who missed it get another chance and for people who ate all the cheese. pork, ducks, vegetables and pies to come and restock for the holiday meal.

See you then.

The holidays are coming and so may be family or friends for a visit. Wouldn't it be more fun to spend more time outdoors with your holiday guests than in the kitchen? Ideally you serve home-style cooking prepared by others. Come to THE GOOD LIFE HOLIDAY MARKET at BookCliff Vineyards Winery and Tasting room where you can find prepared dinners and fabulous pies to purchase. Eric Skokan from the Black Cat Farm will offer his prepared dinners and My Mom's Pies will have a selection of pies to sample, for purchase and to order. Buy some Colorado fruits and vegetable in a jar from MMLocal; everything from tomatoes to pickles, peaches, cherries and chiles. And not to forget sample and purchase some of the fabulous cheeses from Haystack Goat Cheese made right here in Boulder County. And to add to the fun you can taste five wines for free to find the perfect pairing to go with the food.
Don't forget to bring your shopping bag.
Date: Sunday November 20th, 2011
Time: 2:00pm -5:00pm
Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road, Unit #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Cost: FREE

Hurrah!! The 2011 Harvest is finally over

Today is the last day of our harvest in 2011, pressing Cabernet Sauvignon. We started late this year with the first truck delivering Chardonnay grapes on September 20th, 2011. It also was a long season, but luckily the weather was sunny and warm for the most part and held until November 1st when we picked the last of our grapes. As we had winter damage in our own vineyards we had to buy grapes from other growers in Palisade. We processed a total of 60 tons of grapes. This is the first year we had a sizable crop of Malbec, thanks to leasing a vineyard planted in 100% Malbec, and the quality was good. 2011 will be our first 100% Malbec in the bottle.

Second Annual Harvest DinnerCelebrate the harvest with good food, wine and friends. Join us for the second annual harvest dinner at the BookCliff Vineyards winery.
Menu:
- Kartoffelsuppe mit Frankfurter – potato soup with sausage
- Zwiebelkuchen – onion tart with tomato garnish
- Ragout Fin – veal stew with mushrooms in a puff pastry and bib lettuce
- Zwetschgenkuchen mit Schlagsahne – plum cake with Schlag
Served with Neuer Wein and new releases from BookCliff Vineyards
Date: Saturday, November 5th, 2011
Time: 6:00pmCost: $60.00
Location: BookCliff Vineyards winery and tasting room, 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Reservations: [Click Here for Reservations]

Kudos for the Friday's Folly

The Friday's Folly released in late August also doubles as our red keg wine currently served at Pizzeria Basta, Boulder and the newly opened Russell's Smokehouse in Denver. It is a fun wine that makes for easy drinking with its smooth finish, flavors of raspberries up front that turn into blackberries in the finish. It is an eclectic blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Frontenac, sourced from Eastern Colorado where you can grow French hybrids that are winter hardy. Our 2010 Reserve Syrah also received a mention in a list of Colorado wines that will help you to get over the first snowy day this season. Check out the article in the Cafe Society blog of Westword.

New Release - Petite Sirah 2010

The last bottles of the 2009 Petite Sirah, which received the Jefferson Cup award, are gone. Onwards to the 2010 Petite Sirah, which has more intense flavors compared to the 2009. We held a preview of the 2010 Petite Sirah during the Feast in Field in Palisade in September. Then we paired the wine with Braised beef short ribs with Ratatouille, Talegio. It is definitely a wine with a lot of grip. Come into the tasting room and let us know what you think and what you would pair with it.

New Release - 2010 Syrah Well Received

We released our 2010 Reserve Syrah and people love it. This Syrah is very elegant tasting more like a French Syrah. For lovers of our 2009 Reserve Syrah, that tasted more like an Australian Shiraz, I suggest to give the 2010 Syrah a try; you may like this elegant, yet fruity red wine. The 2010 Syrah pairs well with meat dishes, especially beef ribs. Come on into the tasting room and taste the Reserve Syrah yourself.

Harvest Dinner at the Growhaus

This year BookCliff Vineyards was invited to be part of the Denver Harvest Week put on by EatDenver an association of independent, locally owned restaurants in Denver. The dinner was held at the Growhaus a refurbished green house growing vegetables for sale on premise or providing produce to local restaurants. The Growhaus is a non-profit organization thriving on community involvement providing healthy produce for their neighborhood where healthy food choices are hard to come by. The dinner was a cornucopia of flavors from Italian Salami, to Spanish blood sausage and pork tacos with white beans. Every dish had generous portions of pork including a rolled stuffed pork lion and ice cream with bacon bits. Everybody had a good time. There are still four evenings left to enjoy this fund. You can sign up here.

BookCliff Farms is in the Middle of Harvest

Right after the Palisade Winefest we started harvesting the grapes on September 20th. Since then we had a semi-truck load of grapes come to Front Range every week. We are still selling grapes to other wineries, but a lot less than in past years. But, if we have room on the truck we take grapes from other vineyards on the truck for their destination on the front range. For us the harvest is behind compared to the past two years. We also had some damage in our vineyards, especially Merlot and Chardonnay. This means fewer grapes than we would like to. This week we are picking Syrah and Viognier that will be crushed in the winery on Thursday 10/6/11. As you can tell Syrah has big berries that are not round but more tear drop shaped.

Second Annual Harvest Dinner at BookCliff Vineyards' winery

We had a great time last year at the harvest dinner where we served authentic German onion tart with new wine (red wine fermented for seven days, still sweet but with a spritz). The menu promises a great experience of rich flavors. To continue the tradition we will be serving Zwiebelkuchen, the onion tart that pairs so well with the new wine. In Germany, during grape harvest season, neighborhood bakeries sell onion tarts to go with the new wine that can be purchased from farmers in the countryside. This is a great way to celebrate this special season.

Menu:
Potato soup with sausage
Onion tart with tomato garnish
Veal stew with mushrooms served in a puff pastry and bib lettuce
Plum cake with whipped cream

Date: Saturday, November 5th, 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Cost: $60.00
Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road Unit #17, Boulder, CO 80303 (BookCliff Vineyards winery
Reservations: [Click Here]

Come join us for a great time and unique experience

An early Harvest Dinner at Spuntino in Denver

Jacob Harkins from Colorado Wino arranged for an early Harvest Dinner at Spuntino in Denver pairing each course with a Colorado wine. Wines included two whites, the Sunnyside from Bonaquisti Wine Company and a Riesling from Guy Drew Vineyards. The reds served were A Cabernet Sauvignon from Canyon Wind Cellars, a Petit Verdot from Reeder Mesa and BookCliff Vineyards Petite Sirah. Just as the wines hit different notes and flavors exciting the taste buds, so did the dishes which included a pairing of peanut butter and jelly with Cabernet Sauvignon. This sounds intriguing. Not growing up in the United States, the combination of peanut butter and jelly feels very exotic to me, coming from the country that invented Nutella.

Check out the menu and pairings here.

Another great Feast in the Field

It has become a tradition that on Friday before Winefest in Palisade Thomas Cameron from Rancho Durazno, Eric Skokan from the Black Cat and John and Ulla from BookCliff put together a fabulous dinner on the Thomas's farm in Palisade. This year we moved it to the greenhouse on the farm as rain was in the forecast. People could stroll in the herb garden sipping on Muscat Blanc before sat down at flower decorated tables in the greenhouse. It hardly can be more local as our vineyards are in 5 minute walking distance from Rancho Durazno. We served for the first time our 2010 Petite Sirah, a new release. It paired really well with braised beef short ribs with Ratatouille and Taleggio. It was nice to see some people from last year's dinner and they brought some friends along. The dinner always gets me in a good mood and ready for the hectic tasting in the park on Saturday. Keep an eye out for next year's dinner, the fourth annual.

Farm Dinner - An experience that defies words

The Colorado Tourism Office arranged a Farm Dinner at Pasture of Plenty to showcase food, wine, beer and spirits produced and sourced in Colorado. BookCliff Vineyards had the honor to provide the wine for the evening; Cabernet Franc 2008, Petite Sirah 2009, Viognier 2009 and Lucky Twenty. Spirits were provided by Peach Street Distillers from Palisade and beer from New Belgium Brewing was offered. The chefs preparing the courses were Mark Fischer from Six89 in Carbondale, Eric Skokan from the Black Cat Farm Bistro, Lyle Davis from Big Bang Catering and Pasture of Plenty, Daniel Asher from Root Down and Seth Bateman from Smith Fork Ranch. A quote from the organizer sums up the experience. "Together you created a true Colorado experience. You presented a spectacular masterpiece of fresh, natural culinary indulgence. 'Thank you' does not even begin to capture my, our appreciation.'"

It was a fabulous evening to be remembered.

The Grapes are Turning Color

The grapes have turned color and are ripening quickly. A couple of weeks the nets were put on to keep the birds from harvesting the grapes before us. Last weekend John and I went out to the vineyard and I was amazed about the progress of the grapes. The Chardonnay and the Merlot on our BookCliff vineyard are pretty tasty already. Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and Cabernet Franc still have a ways to go. Just like in the Front Range it has been quite hot in Palisade; in the nineties, which is unseasonably hot. And it has not rained, as it usually does in August. Hopefully the weather is going to cool off a little bit and the grapes will wait until after Winefest.

BookCliff Vineyards is growing

Thanks to all of you who are buying our wine, BookCliff Vineyards is expanding and growing. We added a new press; more on this later. We bought new tanks. And in order to fit the tanks into the winery space John designed a platform to add a second level for storing the tanks. The platform was installed just a day before the new tanks arrived. And what is amazing is that it works. We also bought a 2000 gallon stainless steel tank to blend the wine for the Friday's Folly.

Keg Wine Party at BookCliff Vineyards' Winery and Tasting Room

We just released our first wine in a keg. It is a white blend custom made for Pizzeria Basta. Coming soon is another white keg wine and also a red blend. During the party you can also taste custom blends we have created for Jonesy's Eat Bar in Denver, Paris on the Platte and Salt Bistro. Live music will be provided by Jenn Cleary and of course Pizzeria Basta's fabulous wood-fired pizza will be prepared in their mobile wood-fired pizza oven and is available for purchase. Now for the important information.

Date: Thursday Sept 1st, 2011

Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road Unit #17, Boulder, CO 80304

If you have not had wine on tap (wine in a keg) come and taste for yourself. We looked into alternative packaging for our wines and think that kegs are a great alternative for small wineries; save the bottle, save the label, nothing to recycle.

Feast in the Field

Feast in the Fields presented by Rancho Durazno, Cameron Place CSA, Black Cat Farm Bistro and BookCliff Vineyards.
Come join us at Rancho Durazno where rows of fruit trees are framed by glowing cliffs and The Grand Mesa for a truly memorable evening with fine wines, food, music and friends. Organic produce from The Cameron Place CSA and fruits from Rancho Durazno will provide the inspiration for this meal. Wines from Bookcliff Vineyards will be exquisitely paired by Eric Skokan from the Black Cat Farm Bistro to accompany the meal.
Date: Friday  9/16/11
Time: 5:30pm
Cost: $100.00
Location: The Cameron Place, 3938 G 2/10 Road, Palisade, CO 81526
Reservations: [Click Here for Reservations]

The T-shirts are Here

Now you can not only drink Friday's Folly, but you can wear it. This is the perfect gift for Friday's Folly lovers. Or, you can treat yourself, which is permitted. The T-shirts are for sale at the tasting room. Come check them out and get your own to let everybody know that you enjoy Colorado wine. The first to show off their T-shirts are Justin and John both wearing X-large; who would have guessed.
The tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday from 1:00pm - 6:00pm and you can find us at 1501 Lee Hill Road, Boulder, CO 80304.

BookCliff at the Longmont Farmers Market

2011 is the first year BookCliff Vineyards participates in the Longmont Farmers Market. What a welcome we received. I did not expect that we would find so many loyal customers who come back week after week. One reason may be is that we offer tastes at the Longmont Farmers Market. All our wines are open for tasting (12 total) and sometimes we taste the dessert wines as well. The Longmont Farmers Market has grown quite a bit; 14 new vendors were added in 2011. The food court is in the center and live music can be found all around the market. Come and see us, if you are in the neighborhood.

BookCliff wines reviewed by Gary Vaynerchuk

Back in April Gary Vaynerchuk came to Boulder to talk about his book "The Thank You Economy" at the Boulder Book Store. Gary owns a liquor store in New Jersey. He expanded from selling wines from shelves to selling wine online. Gary has a regular blog where he reviews wines from all across the world. When he reviewed a wine from Guy Drew winery in Cortez, Colorado (episode 26) earlier this year, Gary said he was on a mission to explore "the other 46" states. John submitted some BookCliff wine and Gary reviewed the 2009 Ensemble from BookCliff along with Canyon Wind's Petit Verdot on 7/11/11 in episode 77.

Check out the Daily Grape by Gary Vaynerchuk and chat with other wine lovers.

In store tasting at Peak Wine and Spirits

While you are out and about in the mountains you can taste some BookCliff Vineyards' wines. This Friday July 8th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm I will be tasting Friday's Folly, Lucky Twenty, Tempranillo and A Touch of Red at Peak Wine and Spirits in Nederland.
Here is a map on how to get there.

I plan on going for a hike off the Peak to Peak highway first to catch some fresh air before I will meet you in the store with Karen the owner.

Battle of Boulder: BookCliff vs. Upslope

Enjoy a dinner at Salt with five courses perfectly paired with wine from BookCliff Vineyards and beer from Upslope Brewing. This is a re-match of the beer and wine slap down dinner from last year.

Date: Saturday 7/12/11
Time: 5:00pm
Cost: $55.00
Location: Salt Restaurant, 1047 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Reservations: Please call Salt directly at (303) 444 7258

Menu
Trapdoor, Lager
White Gazpacho, almonds, sherry vinegar, Udi’s sourdough bread


Viognier, Pale Ale
Green Curry P.E.I. Mussels, cilantro, coconut, Serrano


Cabernet Franc Reserve, IPA
Pork loin, cherry gastrique, basil, mint, soft polenta, spinach


Ensemble, Brown
Grilled Never Ever Skirt Steak, Scarlet Runner Beans, local organic carrots, balsamic, crisp potato, mizuna, watercress gremolata broccoli


Barrel-aged Black Muscat, Imperial Stout
Cherry gelato, mint, almond tuile

Mozart with your Merlot Video

This is a short clip from the Mozart with your Merlot dinner we recently hosted. Everyone had a fabulous time! Thanks to everyone who made it happen.

More Good Food at the BookCliff Tasting Room

This Thursday 6/23/11 we will have another gourmet experience. The Rollin Greens food truck is stopping by at Upslope and BookCliff from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. If you are curious what they will serve up, here is a sampling of their menu.

ROLLIN HOT MEALS

BBQ BRISKET SANDWICH…9

100% ORGANIC BEEF ON A POTATO BUN WITH COLE SLAW & SEASONED CURLY FRIES

STUFFED BURGER...10

100% GRASS-FED ORGANIC 1/4 BEEF STUFFED WITH GREEN CHILIES & TILLAMOOK CHEDDAR WITH CURLY FRIES

DEEP FRIED TACOS…

2 100% ORGANIC TEMPEH & CARAMELIZED ONION…6

2 100% NATURAL CHICKEN…7

2 100% GRASS-FED ORGANIC SHREDDED BEEF…8

Father's Day at the Vail Farmers Market

In two days it is opening day at the Vail Farmers' Market. It is a tradition at the Vail market to open at Father's Day. This is our 9th year at the market. I am looking forward to see all the flowers they have planted in Vail and meet my old Farmers' Market buddies. Vail is always a lively market, partly because we are allowed to taste our wines, which is well received. If you are up in Vail for some fun or want to taste some Colorado wine, stop by and say Hi. We are right across from the Alpenrose restaurant, which has a great patio and great food, on the West end of Meadow's Drive.

Gold Medals at the 2011 Colorado Governors Cup

2011 marks the second year of the Colorado Governors Cup, a wine competition for Colorado wines only. The awards ceremony is at the Governors mansion followed by a public tasting of all the award winning wines in the beautiful setting of the gardens at the mansion.

BookCliff Vineyards was awarded two gold medals and best of category for the 2009 Petite Sirah and the 2009 Tempranillo. John Salazar, the agricultural commissioner, presented the awards. All day the weather was drizzly and gray, but luckily once we started pouring the wines the sun came out.

Dinner at the Winery - Mozart with your Merlot

Here is a must do in Boulder. "Mozart with your Merlot" at the BookCliff winery. Sit amongst the barrels and enjoy fabulous food from Trattoria on Pearl and wines from BookCliff while listening to a string quartet playing Mozart. Meet the chef and winemaker and chat with the musicians.

Date: Saturday 6/18/11
Time: 6:30pm
Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road, Unit #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Cost: $65.00
Reservations: Click here

Menu
Viognier
Assortment of imported and domestic cheeses and Italian thinly sliced meats served with focaccia toast, berries and apples.
Chardonnay
Organic greens, fresh creamy mozzarella cheese (Burrata) with roasted tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette drizzled with basil pesto
Merlot
Risotto di Anatra, duck confit and Colorado wild mushrooms, roasted garlic and vegetable broth in a creamy Arborio rice
Reserve Cabernet Franc
Hawaiian Mahi Mahi alla Putanesca ~ Pan seared with sautéed black olives, capers, San Marzano tomatoes, roasted garlic and olive oil, served with steamed broccoli
A Touch of Red
Budino al cioccolato, deep dark luscious Italian chocolate pudding topped with raspberry cream

2008 Cabernet Franc Reserve Receives Top Honors

Every year for the Manitou Springs Wine Festival the Colorado Springs Gazette invites Colorado wineries to submit wine for an informal tasting and rating of the wines. This year BookCliff Vineyards' Cabernet Franc 2008 received the top honors as the best wine rated; for more information click here. This is the second year in a row. I dont' want to compare BookCliff with Rafael Nadal who just conquered his sixth first place win at the Fench Open. Let's see whether the 2009 Cabernet Franc will give us three out of three in 2012.

BookCliff Vineyards' FAC with Food and Wine

Looking for a place to start off your weekend? Stop by at the BookCliff Vineyards' tasting room for a glass of wine and a bite to eat. BookCliff Vineyards and Upslope Brewing are joining forces to bring to you gourmet food in a truck in addition to their wonderful wines and beers.
Through the summer (June through August) our new Friday hours will be 1:00pm - 7:00pm.
Starting this Friday from 5:00pm - 7:00pm you will find Comida's and their fabulous food at BookCliff for your FAC enjoyment.


Marinated Fish Taco - sauteed tilapia with House slaw and The Business, Justin's pick: Roussanne 2008
The Situation Taco - slow braised top sirlion, sweet potato mash, roasted onions, House crema, John's pick: Petite Sirah 2009
Skirt Steak Taco - char grilled skirt steak, red onion escabeche, refritos, asadero, Collin's pick: Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Pork Carnitas Tacos - slow braised pork, sweet potato mash, pineapple habanero salsa, Ulla's pick: Viognier 2009

And if everything fails, the Touch of Red will be a perfect match for any spicy dish.
Bring your friends and if they prefer beer send them next door to Upslope.

Mozart with your Merlot

An evening with classical music. BookCliff wine (including some new releases!) paired with a full dinner prepared by Trattoria on Pearl, while you enjoy listening to a chamber string quartet at the BookCliff winery. Get into the summer fun and call for your reservation, as the event sells out quickly.

Date: Saturday  6/18/11
Time: 6:30pm
Location: BookCliff winery and tasting room
Cost: $65.00
Reservations: [ Make RESERVATIONS Online ]

Wines that You Will Like (a basic wine tasting class)

While discussing the world's extreme spectrum of wines, we will taste the extreme ends and diversity of BookCliff wines. Together we will use this tasting to help fine-tune the directions the taster may wish to explore in their global wine quest in addition to their local, sustainable, daily wines from BookCliff. Participants will complete a brief survey form defining personal "taste" preferences as well as tasting 7 wines to gain further knowledge of what styles of wines they most enjoy. All BookCliff Vineyard wines will be available at a 15% discount after the class. The class will run between 1.5 and 2 hours. Price, $30.00. Taught by Mark M. Stephan...your friendly neighboorhood Sommelier.

Date: Thursday, May 26 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: BookCliff Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room

1501 Lee Hill Road Unit 17

Boulder, Colorado

To reserve, visit:

www.bookcliffvineyards.com/events

On behalf of all of us at BookCliff Vineyards and Winery, we hope to see you there.

Cheers!

Annual Spring Barrel Tasting

We are officially announcing the Annual Spring Barrel Tasting. This is your opportunity to taste the emerging wines with the winemakers as they age in the barrel as well as compare wine aged in different types of barrels. We will also taste current releases for your enjoyment. This will be a sit-down candlelight dinner and each wine will be perfectly matched with gourmet dishes prepared by Eric Skokan, chef and owner of the Black Cat Farm Bistro in Boulder. Two dates are available for you to choose from. The dinners will be held on Friday 4/29/11 and Saturday 4/30/11. Please reserve your spot early, as this event sells out very quickly.

Date: Friday 4/29/11, Saturday 4/30/11
Time: 6:30pm
Location: BookCliff Winery and Tasting Room
Cost: $65.00

Reservations: [ Make RESERVATIONS Online ] or call (303) 499-7301

Jefferson Cup Win, revised

Earlier this year we told you that the results of The Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition were announced and BookCliff received some top honors. We were excited when we finally received the prize that it is a trophy, our first actual trophy. The Jefferson Cup Invitational is an eleven-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) that focuses on wine from all of America's wine regions. This year 21 states were represented and over 600 wines were judged, including some very well respected wineries. BookCliff Vineyards Petite Sirah 2009 was one of eight red wines to receive the highest honor, the Jefferson Cup. Our Ensemble 2008 was a Jefferson Cup nominee. This is our first Petite Sirah and we are very proud to have taken home this award. This wine is only available at the tasting room and at Salt Bistro in Boulder, so stop in to give it a try.

Organic Wine

-By Ulla Merz

At the Boulder Farmers Market we frequently get asked whether our wines are organic. Most of the time I respond with a quick No, as the answer is quite complex and would take some time to explain.

To receive the USDA organic certification, wine has to be made from organically grown grapes and the addition of sulfites is not allowed.

For John and me it was always important to get a grape crop every year and to be a good steward of the land at the same time. Right from the beginning we did not use herbicide and instead bought a grape hoe for in row weeding. We also do not use pesticide. We do use sulfur, which is considered organic, to spray for powdery mildew and if temperatures reach above 90 degree Fahrenheit we use a chemical as sulfur burns the leaves and leaves are needed to ripen the grapes. 2011 is the third year we have made our own compost from apple pulp, wood chips and chicken manure, which now replaces the chemical fertilizer we used before. At this point we have no plans to become USDA organically certified.

When it comes to wine making we will continue to use sulfites as a preservative to keep our wines from oxidizing and grow bacteria that negatively affect the flavor. Personally, I think it is fun to enjoy a 15 or 20 year old bottle of wine. Winemakers, us included, also use fining agents, which either precipitate out or are removed by filtering the wine. Some of the options for fining are egg whites, casein (milk protein), gelatin, isinglass (derived from fish) and bentonite clay. Whether to use any fining agents is a preference in the style of wine, just as different people are looking for different flavors in the wine.

If the grape growing and wine making practices used to make the wine are important to you, I suggest to ask the source, which is easy and another benefit when buying local.

For further reading here is a link to an article recently published in the LA times, that talks about the complexity of organic labelling and wine.

Wine & Food Pairing with Pizzeria Basta 1/20/11

BookCliff Vineyards will be pairing up with local chefs over the first few months of 2011 to bring you three food and wine pairing events. The events will be held at the winery where the chefs will prepare a meal to pair with a selection of our wines. Seating will be limited so that there is an opportunity to interact with the chef and the wine maker. So not only will you get some great food and wine, but you will have fun learning some new things about cooking and wine. Each event is $60 per person which includes the wine and food. For reservations call 303-499-7301. Tickets are still available for the 1/20 and 3/31 dinners, but make sure to call soon and reserve a spot!

January 20th at 6:00 pm featuring Kelly Whitaker, owner/chef of Pizzeria Basta

Menu

1. Kalmiche Sea Farms Mussel's | Toast | "Rouille"

-paired with Basta White (Muscat Blanc)

2. Beet Ravioli | Homemade Ricotta | Fennel Froth

-paired with Syrah 2008

3. Grant Family Farm Pork Shoulder | Celery Root Puree | Red Cabbage

-paired with Petite Sirah 2009

4. Sous Vide Short Rib | Smoked Potato | Dinosaur Kale

-paired with Reserve Syrah 2009

5. Wood Fire Brown Butter Huckleberry Cake

-paired with Allegretto