Here is a pretty cool video (from http://www.savoreachglass.com/) of winemaking at super high altitude around Paonia, CO. It is true that we are still trying to find to perfect grapes for our region. In our neck of the woods over in Palisade; Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Riesling, Syrah and Merlot seem to do pretty well. Only time will tell...
Meet the Makers - Colorado Wine in the North Fork Valley from High Country News from Tynan Szvetecz on Vimeo.
Thank you to all of you who submitted pictures and to those of you who voted for your favorites in our "BookCliff - Perfect Anywhere" photo contest. All of the pictures are great and we really appreciate all of your effort to make this contest a success. Congratulations to Tirzah Mills, her picture entitled "Sundrenched Desires" received the most votes and is the winner of the first place prize (8 bottles of BookCliff wine). The picture titled "Wine at the Royal Arch" took home second place and third place went to "On the Deck" (both winning 4 bottles). Thanks again to everyone who participated.
Note: This is a post from the blog "Life in the Vines". Thanks for the kind words!
Two weekends ago Kenny and I went to the recently opened Palisade Grill, aptly named because it is a grill in Palisade, CO. I highly recommend it. Now we have two restaurants that are worth their salt in Palisade, thank goodness.
One of the wines they are serving is the Book Cliff Vineyard 2006 "Ensemble". Marvelously named because it is a symphonic collection of Cabernet Sav, Cab Franc, and Merlot. It is a well put together wine and is quite drinkable.
This is what their website http://www.bookcliffvineyards.com/ had to say about the wine:
"The Merlot makes this wine approachable, the Cabernet Sauvignon adds body and structure, and the Cabernet Franc gives it a light fruity finish. This wine is easy and friendly, good with a fancy dinner and enjoyable on its own. Light tannins and a smooth finish."
I completely agree with their review of how it travels down your palate. In addition, I'd like to add that the color is pleasingly rich with hints of Cab Sav's deep, luxurious purple, and it lays well in the glass. You want to swirl it in your Cab Sav shaped vessel forever. If I was do a blind tasting and someone asked me what type of wine this was, I'd say it was a Cab Sav. Thus, it can hold its own with a hearty meal.
Ensemble's varietal blend is: Merlot - 46%; Cabernet Sauvignon - 31%; Cabernet Franc - 23%The great part about this wine is that the vineyard where these grapes were harvested is just east of the peach orchard right across our street. Hopefully, our grapes can produce some quality wine as well next year.
It's still tough to compete with those California reds, but I believe this is one of the best Colorado wines around this season.Find you a bottle and pick it up.
Remember Imbibe and Enjoy!
