Bookcliff Vineyards at the Broncos Fundraiser

Danica at the Broncos Fundraiser

There was Colorado wine at the Broncos fundraiser this year. Exclusively!!! And we were there to tell about it. Bookcliff Vineyards Malbec and Friday's Folly White were poured for the guests with other Colorado wines. This was a great event for Bronco fans that love good food (best restaurants in Denver served up their fare) and wine.

BookCliff Vineyards Release Party

We invite you to join us at BookCliff Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room this Friday to taste our new wines! We have been busy bottling and labeling these gems over the last few months and can't wait for you to try them! Our new releases include Cabernet Sauvignon, Ensemble, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Friday’s Folly Red. Cheese will also be available to pair and enjoy with each wine! Cheers!
$5.00/wine tasting 
$10.00/wine and cheese flight

Colorado Restaurants Recognized in Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator released their 2015 Restaurant Awards. Congratulations to everyone who received an award for offering outstanding wine lists! Thank you to the restaurants who have BookCliff Vineyards' wine as part of your menu! We are thankful and honored to be a local winery for our great community of wine and food lovers! Cheers!

 

http://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/search?name=colorado&page=8&submitted=Y&zip=&dist=0&awardlevel=&cuisine=&winestrength=&pricecategory=&corkage=&sortorder=award&size=10

Taste the Wines Awarded Gold Medals at the Colorado Governor's Cup

Join us for the 2015 Colorado Governor’s Cup Wine Tasting –
Saturday, August 1st at History Colorado.

Celebrate Colorado Day with an exclusive tasting of the 2015 Governor’s Cup Case, featuring the best Colorado wines of this year.

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The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board presents the winners of this year’s Governor’s Cup Wine Competition. The winners were chosen out of 235 submissions, from more than thirty local wineries -all of which were judged by a panel of wine experts, sommeliers, chefs, and writers.

The wines will be paired with local chef creations using ingredients from Colorado Centennial Farms throughout the state.  Collectively, they represent 100 years of agriculture in Colorado.

Date: Saturday, August 1st, 2015 

Time: 7:00pm

Location:  1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203

Tickets: [Click here]

Gold for BookCliff Vineyards

For the second year in a row BookCliff Vineyards wines were awarded gold medals at the annual Governor's Cup competition.

Two wines from BookCliff Vineyards received gold medals at the 2015 Governor's Cup Competition, the 2012 Cabernet Franc Reserve (gold) and the 2014 Viognier (double gold). Both wines were selected for the Governor's Cup case. The second year in a row two wines or more from BookCliff Vineyards were selected for the Governor's Cup case representing the excellence in Colorado wines.
The plan is to offer the Governor's Cup case at select wine stores for purchase.
This year there will be a celebration at the History Colorado Center in Denver on August 1st, 2015 and the public is invited. This is a great opportunity to taste the wines and chat with the winemakers who will be in attendance.  

Benefits of a Wine Club

Wine Clubs are fun to be a part of, especially when the winery is nearby! BookCliff Vineyards started their wine club just over a year ago and it has grown tremendously. Our members get to partake in special events, such as pickup parties and wine blending classes! We just hosted a blending class last Sunday and had fun seeing which blends our guests enjoyed the most! Being part of a wine club allows you to not only get invited to exclusive events, but to also receive free monthly tastings and great discounts on wine purchases, buy new wines that are small production, taste wines that will be bottled just for you and to simply have fun learning about your local winery! For more information on becoming a member, click here.

To all of our club members, our Spring pickup party will be Friday & Saturday, May 15th and 16th! We are looking forward to seeing everyone!

Cheers!

Wine in the Spring

BookCliff Vineyards is busy topping off barrels, filtering and bottling wine, and labeling the next vintage! Justin and Will have been a part of BookCliff's wine maintenance and health throughout the years. It is important to monitor the wine as it ages in barrel. Important tasks such as topping off keep the wine from oxidizing. Other duties of a winemaker during this time include walking the vineyards and checking for bud break to determine fruit production. John finds himself visiting Palisade often and talking with our vineyard manager, Prescott, about maintaining the vines as they start to see buds. So far, 2015 is turning out to be a great year for vineyard managers in Palisade! We are looking forward to a great harvest!
Cheers!

Colorado Terroir Similar to Argentina

It is all in the soil. And the climate. And not to forget the elevation. When we visited the vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina we were surprised to find similar growing conditions. Sandy loam soil with rocks embedded and a dry, arid climate requiring irrigation during the entire growing season. Argentina, especially in the Uco valley can boast more rocks, through the rocks are fewer in Colorado they are bigger. Both areas depend on the run off from the snow pack in the mountains, which feeds into the Colorado river and flows right through Palisade. In Mendoza the consensus is that grapes grown in higher elevations make better wine. The highest locations in the Uco valley, 45 minutes South of Mendoza are at 4900 feet. The BookCliff Vineyards in Palisade are at 4600 feet. As a result Colorado wines taste more like the wines in Mendoza than in California and the same grape varieties are used to make world class wine - Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot.

What Makes Colorado Wine Unique

BookCliff at Vina Cobos in Mendoza

It sounds boring, but the answer is what is in the soil and the climate, in other words the famous terroir. Colorado's Grand Valley AVA has its unique terroir, located in the former riverbed of the Colorado river characterized by a continental, arid climate and high elevation. During the summer and fall it is typical to experience high temperature swings between the daytime high and the nighttime low.
The higher elevation creates grapes with a thicker skin, especially noticeable in red grapes. The low night temperatures preserve the acidity in the fruit. The result is wine with some grit, more structure, tannins especially when young and higher acidity expressed in a crisp finish. All of this contributes to wine that ages well in the bottle and cellar. And can complement food very well.
I had to visit Argentina and specifically Mendoza to get a better understanding what makes Colorado wine taste different from Californian wine. Mendoza has a similar climate and soil as Colorado's grape country, high dessert, arid climate and similar soil. The highest elevation vineyards in Mendoza (Uco valley) are 4,900 feet, Palisade, CO is at 4,600 feet. All vineyards are irrigated in Mendoza, just as in Palisade. No wonder the red wines from Mendoza and Colorado taste similar.

Our Crew on the Bottling Line

 

At the winery today we bottled our extremely popular “Touch of Red” and the masses will go wild.  We have been out for a while and our club members have been clamoring for more.  We find the taste of strawberry really comes out and make this wine an extremely fun and drinkable adult beverage.  Our bottling crew is made up of musicians, experienced wine makers, retired IT Professionals and a linguist.  When we bottle wine we have a fun time and some of the fun seems to slip into the bottle along with the wine.  With Valentines day around the corner this wine would be a great way to end your meal with cheesecake with strawberries or strawberry shortcake.

-Ann Studwell

Happy Holidays

Colorado is an amazing state to live in. One day we have warm, sunny temperatures of 60 degrees F and the next it falls to -2 degrees F and snow just in time for a White Christmas! Now we are back into the 20's F and if there's one thing consistent about CO, that would be the brilliant sunshine we receive! We are so lucky to be living in a beautiful area. BookCliff Vineyards is practicing some new techniques this winter to insulate the grapevines. John and Ulla made a visit down to Palisade to work with our Vineyard Manager, Prescott, on laying down the vines and covering them with hay. Our goal is to keep them warm to survive the cold winter! BookCliff is looking forward to 2015 and we can't wait to kickoff the New Year with some upcoming dinners with local Chefs, here at the winery! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Cheers!

Eat. Drink. Watch Movies.

A unique wine and dine movie theater just opened last Friday, August 1st, 2014 in Louisville, CO. Cinebarre of Louisville offers luxurious and comfortable seating with table service during your movie. We are excited to be a part of their wine menu and excited for you to experience a new way of dining and entertainment! For events, specials and movie times, go to Cinebarre-Boulder.

Press Release August 4, 2014
BOULDER, Colo. — Going to the movies in this Rocky Mountain community just became a lot more satisfying for fans of Colorado wine. Cinebarre, the national cinema eatery chain, is pouring Colorado-grown and -vinted wines from Bookcliff Vineyards and Infinite Monkey Theorem at the concept theater it opened here on August 1st in the desirable suburb of Louisville. The previous night, more than 600 VIPs and film enthusiasts attended a Hollywood-style premiere party complete with searchlights, red carpet, bubbly and swag bags. Among the celebrities posing for the paparazzi at the sleek bar were John Ratzenberger (Cliff) and George Wendt (Norm) of Cheers fame. Located at 1164 West Dillon Road, this latest incarnation of the Cinebarre brand complements a sister theater in the greater Denver metropolitan area. Both locations deliver a unique cinematic experience by screening first-run feature films in an atmosphere akin to a chic bistro, albeit with plush seating and surround sound. Combining a love of movies with a night on the town, Cinebarre has enhanced the moviegoing experience with adult food and drink options that appeal to a sophisticated audience. Cinebarre Boulder is the first such theater in the area. "We give the civilized, mature person the experience of watching a movie the way it was meant to be: in a fullservice dinner and movie setting without the distractions of the standard ‘mall’ movie theater," says Cinebarre founder and CEO Terrell Braly. 
Cinebarre Boulder is anything but ordinary. Braly and his team have dramatically transformed the 45,000-square-foot space once occupied by the Colony Square Cinema, reinventing it with unique Cinebarre flair. The metamorphosis from tired and outdated to fresh and modern is notable: Eleven luxuriously refurbished theaters now occupy the highly polished, black-and-silver-themed venue. Each theater boasts bench tables; spacious, richly upholstered seating; state-of-the-art screens; all-digital technology; Dolby 5.1 surround sound; and Cinebarre’s signature tableside service. A talented culinary staff prepares each menu item to order in the gleaming commercial kitchen. Even the popcorn is over-the-top: popped from wholesome kernels, it’s drizzled with real butter or truffle oil and famously served in a silver bowl. The expansive bar that anchors the lounge area features 24 beers on tap (including a wealth of regional microbrews), an enhanced wine list (with bottles hailing from Colorado to France) and premium liquors.

An extensive food menu — headlined by tantalizing starters, fresh-baked artisan pizzas, delectable gourmet burgers and house-made desserts — complements the bevy of drinks. Classic candy choices also populate the menu, along with an array of non-alcoholic beverages, shakes and floats. A dedicated Cinebarre Brunch menu is served on Sundays. Because Braly grew up here, opening Cinebarre Boulder is particularly meaningful to him, and he spared no expense in creating the ultimate movie experience for residents of his hometown. With the massive remodel behind him, Braly celebrated the milestone with friends, family and festive drinks. Boulder-area theatergoers can now toast every movie they see with a glass of their favorite adult beverage, too.
 
Whether one prefers a cocktail, wine, beer or a soda, watching a movie at Cinebarre Boulder means settling into the embrace of a lavishly upholstered chair, placing one’s order with a server, and then relaxing and enjoying the movie as each course unobtrusively appears — inordinate luxuries that eclipse the comforts of home.

Cinebarre Boulder — Eat. Drink. Watch Movies®
1164 West Dillon Road
Louisville, CO 80027
303.926.0661

Katie Clayton

Vineyard Irrigation

John, Owner/Winemaker at BookCliff Vineyards

BookCliff Vineyards is excited to irrigate with the new microsprinkler system! The system is our latest addition and hangs in-line with the vines, about 18 inches from the ground, providing water below the canopy. This type of irrigation system is replacing the original surface irrigation furrows used throughout the vineyards. Our soils are categorized as sandy loam, clay. The microsprinklers will ensure efficient water penetration, allow for cover crop flexibility and help drive salts away from the vines’ root zones. Salts carry Potassium up the vine system, a result from the furrow system, which resulted in higher pH in the fruit; the microsprinklers will help balance the acid and sugar levels in the grapes by pushing salts away. Having the ability to plant cover crops, such as clover, is satisfying, knowing the soils are being provided with enough Nitrogen, which is important for the health of the vineyards. Sprinkler systems are often used for cooling and frost/freeze protection, which will hopefully increase fruit production, as Colorado has experienced winter frosts and crop damage. Overall, I think this is a great investment for Colorado’s grapes and we hope to see progress in the vineyards! Cheers!

Citation:  Irrigation Systems