Despite Colorado’s best efforts, springtime is happening and with it means new wine releases, pruning in vineyards, wine walks, bottling, and western slope wineries opening up their tasting rooms (although as I type this, The Storm Cellar duo of Jayme Henderson (follow her on the Gram at @hollyandflora) and Steve Steese (his Gram handle is @big_zen or @stormcellarwine) attempted to do some pruning today but due to 35 degree temps with 35 plus mph winds, and SNOW!, pruning is still at the whim of a very drunk Colorado weather.
But here on the Front Range, we are ready to start a Colorado wine walk along with our friends at Blanchard Family Wines through the gorgeous (and let’s hope sunny and warm) and fun Dairy Block (I just introduced Mandy and Ross Kaminsky on opening day as my husband and I celebrated our conclusion of the 75 Hard program.) If you are interested in seeing how my personal journey in 75 Hard went (and I am gearing up for the next phase starting on 24 Apr), please check out my blog post about it here.
I managed to snag the last two VIP tickets for the Colorado Wine Walk happening this weekend for my work son and me but there are a few tickets remaining for the Grand Tastings on Sunday and the Women in Wine Seminar panel discussion (to be honest, it was this panel alone that sold Garrett and I on this event. There are some badass female wine makers in this state and we are really looking forward to hearing from Jayme, Nicki McTague from Infinite Monkey Theorem, and Linda Brauns from Restoration Vineyards.)
James Blanchard, owner (and fellow Air Force vet) of Blanchard Family Wines, will join Mandy and I to discuss the new Colorado wines his winery is releasing as well as this weekend’s event and the August Colorado Wine Walk (tickets will go live this weekend…if you have a mama, wife, sister, gal pal, etc that you will be celebrating on Mother’s Day, consider gifting them with the August event. I plan to!) He will be brining some of those new Colorado wines for Mandy and I to try (which I am pairing with The French Kitchen’s Taste of April Green Onion and Gorgonzola Quiche and Sausage Friand…you can also sign Mom up for some amazing new classes offered at TFKCC…I have signed up for most of the baking classes with Chef Nate, formerly of The Broadmoor, and I am so excited! Up first is Macarons next week…be on the lookout for a blog post on all my upcoming class experiences.)
I will also be tasting Mandy on The Storm Cellar’s Gewürztraminer (which is part of the sold-out wine dinners on Saturday night) and Chill Switch’s Teroldego (I have a special place in my heart for West Elk AVA wines, and absolutely adore the winemakers at these two vineyards. I have an even more special place in my heart for the Teroldego varietal which is primarily grown in northern Italy in the Trentino region yet has proven a Colorado natural here on the Western Slope. Carboy has done really well with their Teroldego thanks to the deft hand of winemaker, and fellow vet, Tyzok Wharton, who you can find on the Gram @tangoyankeezulu). Carboy will be pouring their 2020 Native Fizz Rosé, 2020 Grand Valley Viognier, 2021 Grand Valley Rosé, and 2019 Petit Verdot Reserve.
Other wineries in addition to the ones listed above that will be participating this weekend include Buckel Family Wines (who we also love and adore! A must stop in Gunnison when heading over to Crested Butte or Telluride…be sure to try their Cinsault and Cab Franc…and look at this sweet pup!) Another winery from this area is one I am excited to check out as I have not yet tried any of their wines. La Noue Dubois is located in Montrose and hosts their tasting room with a view of the San Juans. I will definitely be checking their wines out this weekend!
Denver winery, Bonacquisti will also be there as will Sauvage Spectrum from Palisade. Patric from Sauvage is a fantastic wine maker who is bringing new ideas and concepts to his wine, expanding the allure of wine beyond traditional palates. I always have some of his wines on hand and love his Sparklet!
Additional Palisade wineries that will be pouring include Carlson Vineyards and Centennial Cellars. Both of these wineries are new to me so as with La Noue Dubois, I am looking forward to checking out what they’re offering this weekend, too.
If you decide to pick up some last-minute tickets, be sure to hit me up by messaging me over on my Gram account (I would also appreciate the follow!) @iamthewineyogi so we can connect and chat…and even better, chat about wine while we taste some!
As always, if you have specific questions or would like to connect, feel free to message me here, connect on Instagram or FB or Twitter, or shoot me an email at iamthewineyogi@gmail.com.
Cheers and namaste,
twy
the wine yogi 