Taste the Local - Friday 7/14/17 at Bookcliff Vineyards

Come to the tasting room on 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304 for some great wine paired with cheese and crackers, all produced locally. Let's celebrate the local with some classical music performed by a string quartet. See you for a great Friday afternoon before you start your evening. 5:00pm - 8:00pm www.bookcliffvineyards.com/events

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!

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!

Stocking Stuffers!

Christmas is right around the corner and BookCliff Vineyards can help you fill those adult stockings with our unique offerings in the tasting room! We have a one-of-kind Recipe Book by Eric Skokan with Black Cat Farm, our Holiday Label Ensemble blend created by our local Artist Theresa Haberkorn and a fun Passport and Book combo featuring local wineries, breweries and distilleries in Colorado! We hope your Holiday Season is joyful and when you need to take a break from shopping, stop by the winery for a glass of wine!
Cheers!

Spooky Happenings at the Winery

There are some spooky events happening at the winery on this Halloween day. With a chill running through the cellar and the smell of fermenting grapes, you might see something unusual.
Hanging out in the tasting room is less scary than the cellar! Bwhahahahaha. We hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween this year! Cheers!

2012 Cabernet Franc Release

We've kept you waiting long enough! After a long, fun day of bottling with our staff and volunteers, Cabernet Franc 2012 is ready to be tasted and purchased! This varietal is one of the major grapes grown worldwide, and grows especially well in Colorado. It has been known to be a great competitor in wine judging events and as a Reserve label in Colorado wineries. Our 2012 exhibits nice raspberry, cherry and mocha notes on the nose. It also has some nice acidity on the palate to complement the dark fruit and smooth tannins. Barrel aged for 18 months in French Oak, this wine's many layers is sure to please your senses! Cheers!

No Rest for the Winemakers!

Winemakers really have no downtime in their industry. Harvest is the most exciting time of the year when all the fruit arrives! After harvest, winemakers are continuously monitoring the health of the wine, bottling new releases and bringing in new barrels for future vintages! Our Winemaker, John, is down in Palisade walking through BookCliff’s vineyards, making sure the vines are producing quality fruit for harvest 2014. Walking the vineyards early in the year and checking the vines will help John make better estimates on fruit yields for the coming months. Justin, our Assistant Winemaker, is busy washing new barrels, pumping wine into barrels and monitoring its health in the cellar! Everything our guys are doing right now are critical steps to ensure we bring in the right amount of fruit during September and October and have enough tank and barrel space for all products. Stop by the tasting room either Thursday or Friday to check out the action! Cheers!

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.

Another Jefferson Cup for BookCliff Vineyards

BookCliff Vineyards received a Jefferson Cup for the 2011 BookCliff Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve at the 14th Annual Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition.
This year, out of over seven hundred chosen wines, the judges selected just over three hundred
wines to receive the “Medals of American Merit”, which respects wines exemplary of their regions and varieties, and is comparable to a Silver Medal at most competitions. Next the judges chose one hundred sixty-seven wines (there was no pre-ordained number or percentage) that they believed were truly excellent wines, roughly equivalent to Gold Medals in other competitions. Those will receive medallions announcing them as “Medals of American Excellence”.
This year, seventy-seven wines were selected as Jefferson Cup nominees; these wines were
nominated by the six judging committees to be considered for Jefferson Cups. Out of those seventyseven
honored wines, the judges collectively picked twenty-five wines to be awarded the Jefferson
Cup.
This is the third time BookCliff Vineyards was awarded a Jefferson Cup.
The 2012 Petit Verdot was a Jefferson Cup Nominee

BookCliff Vineyards Holiday Farmers Market

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; buy some beets to go with Mulefoot pork. My Mom’s Pies will have a selection of pies to sample, for purchase and to order; if you don’t want to buy the traditional pumpkin pie, or my favorite the berry pie. Buy some Colorado fruits and vegetable in a jar from MMLocal; the beets and the pears are my favorite. And not to forget sample and purchase some of the fabulous cheeses from Haystack Goat Cheese made right here in Boulder County; for a special treat get yourself the Chevre en Marinade.
And to add to the fun you can taste five wines for free to find the perfect pairing to go with the food.
Date: Sunday, November 24th, 2013
Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: BookCliff Vineyards winery, 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304

Swamped with Grapes at BookCliff Vineyards

The long days are not over yet. We are still harvesting and still receiving grapes at the winery. This week we are getting Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin. The Cabernet Franc is the crown jewel making a wine unique to Colorado. Chambourcin is something new to us and we are still evaluating whether to use it for blending or make something totally new, a sparkling Chambourcin. Two more down and one more to come. Next week we will receive the final truck load with Cabernet Sauvignon wrapping up the 2013 harvest season. Luckily the weather cooperated for most of the time. Only once was it raining and cold all day.

2013 Harvest Started at BookCliff Vineyards

The crew in front of the press

Due to the low crop load and the hot days in late August and September the grapes are ripening quickly in 2013. We started our 2103 harvest with Muscat Blanc. Unfortunately we only harvest about one ton of grapes, as this variety experienced a lot of damage from winter freeze and spring frost. 2013 follows a year of abundance in 2012 where Colorado was blessed with good quantity and quality at the same time.
It looks like the different varieties are ripening quickly and we can expect to crush Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon next week.

BookCliff Vineyards Black Muscat Barrel Aged

Finally the Black Muscat is back. Back in February 2013 we embarked on our new bottle and label design for the Black Muscat, a dessert wine made from Black Muscat grapes and our own wine distilled. We decided on a new design using silk-screened bottles rather than a paper label. The entire process from design to production took much longer than anticipated. Last week we received the new bottles and we are very pleased with the result. I hope you like it too. Bottle and wine are a great match.

BookCliff Vineyards Wine Dinner - Jazz with your Ensemble

Instead of celebrating the start of the summer with Jazz we are going to have Jazz with your Ensemble towards the end of summer. What could be better than a fabulous dinner (five courses) paired with Ensemble (red blend) and other wines while listening to Jazz (keyboard and saxophone).
Date: Saturday August 24th, 2013
Time: 6:30pm
Location: 1501 Lee Hill Road Unit #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Cost: $65.00
Reservations: [Click here]

2013 Colorado Governors Cup - BookCliff Vineyards

The 2012 Unoaked Chardonnay from BookCliff Vineyards received the Best Chardonnay award of all Colorado Chardonnays submitted to the 2013 Colorado Governors Cup Wine Competition. This is the first time BookCliff Vineyards made an unoaked Chardonnay. Every year our Chardonnay spent less time in oak barrels. The 2012 grapes also produced a rich flavor full of fruit. The wine shows a smooth, buttery finish. This is a wine to enjoy on its own. Cheers!!
Ron Carlton, deptuty agriculutral commissioner and Doug Caskey, director of the colorado wine development board, present the award to John Garlich, owner/winemaker at BookCliff Vineyards.

BookCliff Vineyards - Open House

Seating area with new paint and pictures

It has been four years since we opened our doors on Lee Hill Road. We decided a fresh look was needed. We did not want to stop at the fresh look, but make some more room as well and add some seating so you can linger for a while. What will stay the same is the friendly staff - Justin, Megan, Will and Holly. Come join us and celebrate the new look with BookCliff wines and appetizers from Trattoria on Pearl.

Date: Saturday 5/18/13

Time: 1:00pm-6:00pm  

Location: BookCliff Vineyards Winery, 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Cost: FREE 

Fun at the Cheese and Wine Pairing Class



People are having great fun at the cheese and wine pairing classes. Here are same great pictures that tell the story. Join us at our next wine and cheese pairing class and receive a 50% discount. Six courses with cheese, wine and appetizers. Learn about cheese and wine making at the same time.

Date: Friday March 8st
Time: 6:00pm- 8:00pm
Cost: $70.00, use discount code "cheese-3-8-13" to receive a 50% discount
Location: BookCliff Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room, 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Reservations: [Click Here]

Wine and Cheese Pairing Class at BookCliff Vineyards

For the past month Haystack Goat Dairy and BookCliff Vineyards invited people to the winery for a wine and cheese pairing class. The class starts out with a welcome glass of Viognier. Haystack and BookCliff are two local gems that are dedicated to making an awesome local product and the two of them double up for a great experience. You get to taste six cheeses from fresh to wash rind perfectly paired with six wines (three red and three white) each accompanied with cold cuts and crackers from Cured in Boulder. You will learn about wine and cheese making from the people involved in doing it. The evening concludes with a light fare and more wine and every guest receives a courtesy gift.
Here is what some attendees said:
"This was an awesome experience overall. It is was well worth the price of the event as you left with a free bottle of wine and package of cheese. There was absolutely no pressure to buy anything else, but trust me, you'll want to!"

"Lots of good information, wines & cheeses were in abundance and wonderful!!"
Date: Friday March 1st
Time: 6:00pm- 8:00pm
Cost: $70.00, use discount code "cheese-3-1-13" to receive a 50% discount
Location: BookCliff Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room, 1501 Lee Hill Road #17, Boulder, CO 80304
Reservations: [Click Here]

Valentine's at BookCliff Vineyards

Why wait until Valentine's Day? Come and visit the tasting room on Saturday the 9th, 2013 and Sunday the 10th, 2013 for wine, chocolate and music.  You have our permission to indulge yourself and enjoy a flight of three wines perfectly paired with three chocolates from Concertos in Chocolates . Listen to live music (jazz piano) on Saturday 2/9/13 from 2:00pm - 5:00pm. 

Date: 2/9/13, 2/10/13

Time: 1:00pm - 6:00pm

Cost: Chocolate and wine pairing flight $8.00

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