Million dollar views

Well, I've been in southern Illinois for almost three weeks now and I'm tired of the landscape. When I look out the window all I see is the flat horizon with corn fields, and some trees way off in the distance with a pale blue sky. I need contrast, damn it!

Where we live in Palisade, the views are spectacular on three sides of the property. In addition to what you see on the horizon, there's also that beautiful azure blue color of the Colorado sky that is hard to find anywhere else. Most everyone who lives in Colorado appreciates the deep blue, the color of a clear, endless sea. Your eyes are driven to find an end to the depth, but they finally just have to give up and relax. Timeless.

That Colorado blue sky complements perfectly the Bookcliff Mountains that we can see to the west and the north. If I look to the west, I look through the vineyards and see the view of Mt. Garfield. That mountain rises to an elevation just above the six thousand foot level. In respect to the local topography it is two thousand feet higher than the floor of the Grand Valley. It really gives quite a contrast. In addition to its height, the Bookcliffs are this redish sandstone color with streams of black from coal veins. The red of the range against the blue sky is what really makes it stand out. I was told the range was named by an exploring civil engineer that thought the mountains looked like a stack of books. I think it looks more like the lucious folds of a velvet tablecloth on a table. To each their own.

To the north, the Book Cliffs peek out of the canyon formed by the Colorado river. There is a slight smaller mountain called Mt. Anderson that pokes its head up. And the cliff contrast is still just as stunning. The morning and evening shadows are an artist's fantasy. The shadows with the sunset skies are dreamy. The stark contrast of barren cliffs towering over the green growth of Palisade makes everyone appreciate the view. Many a photographer tries to capture the essence of what they see here. You can't not be moved by the vision.

Then to the east is our view 0f the Grand Mesa. It is five thousand feet higher than Mt. Garfield, attaining a height of eleven thousand feet above sea level. The Grand Mesa deserves the title GRAND by virtue of its own merit. It is the largest flat topped mountain in the world, and lies to the south and the east of Mount Garfield. I love looking up the mountain and still seeing the top covered with snow in July. I look out the window at the top of the Mesa and can gage what to wear for the day by its snow melt, or not. The range has a nickname of amber ridge because during a sunset, the sun's light on the barren cliffs below the Mesa produces a red glow that cannot be captured by camera. And it is gone in a few moments.

Ok, now I think I'm more homesick for the views than before. Shoot. Well on Friday I'll be back and they'll be there.

Remember Imbibe and Enjoy!

Cheap wine

I'm back from another relaxing weekend at the river off of Missouri. We did a whole lot of nothing and boy, was that fun. I joke that "What happens on the River stays on the River", but truth be told, I really just can't remember anything that happened on the River. It wasn't like I was a blubbering puddle of alcohol, it's just to say nothing really of note happened. And that is good.

Another good thing that happened was drinking that $3.59 bottle of wine. I brought a bottle of Argentinian wine, wanting to check it out. Definitely not expecting much. I was very surprised. This bottle of 30% Pinot Grigio/70% Torrentes from Lost Vineyard of Argentina is a winner. Light and fruity with a hint of kiwi (I'm serious this time, I really DID taste kiwi). The first taste on your tongue was a hint of sweet, then it moved on to kiwi, and then it finished with a lemony fade. All for under the price of a McDonald's Value Meal. A real test of a cheap wine is that killer, cheap wine hangover headache. No headache. Wow! And you can order it off of the internet for $2.99 a bottle. I'm in.

I also brought that bottle of 2005 South African Chardonnay from Storyteller winery. It was drinkable, but not very noteworthy. One of the things I did note was the initial taste of diesel. That was a little strange for that grape. It was tangy but not much else. It didn't overload you with tanginess so that was okay, but it didn't give you anything more to speak about. It is probably because of its age. A Chardonnay is normally best drunk within two years of its life. This one needed to go on to the retirement home.

Taking chances on cheap wine, I love the game!

Remember Imbibe and Enjoy!

The River and Wine

This weekend I'm going with good friends, Jan and Fred, to the River. River with a capital "R" because it's a religious routine for those two with good reason. On Friday afternoon, they strip themselves of their weekday work-laden corporate suits and don the beach clothes, but more importantly, the beach attitude. If someone was to ask me what we do there specifically, I'd respond, "Nothing."

And nothing it is, a whole bunch of nothings, but they're all trivial somethings of some sort. But one thing they're not is painting the kitchen ceiling, or mowing the grass, or cleaning the fridge. And that's why I'm really going to enjoy myself this weekend.

Of course, no weekend is complete without some beach-complimentary bottles of wine on hand. I'm bringing two bottles of white with us for the weekend, plus a good amount of beer. Both of the wines are white grape varietals. No self-respecting wine drinker would bring a heavy red to the beach, a rose maybe, but no way a Primitivo or a Cab Sav. So white it is.

My choice of purchase was very scientific. The first one I selected by price. I passed by the bottle in the Shop-n-Save, and exclaimed, "What? That price can't be right!" and put it in the cart. The second bottle I chose because I like the label. I don't know about you, but I choose a bottle by its label all the time. My method is...I normally have a grape in mind, like this weekend I knew I wanted a white, something that won't wither agianst the heat or weigh me down. Maybe a Pinot Grigio or a Fume Blanc, or it could be a light Chardonnay. And that's what I got.

The first one is a blend of Pinot Grigio and Torrontes by Lost Vineyards of Argentina, no year. Hmmm. That's kinda concerning but even if it's swill, who cares? Mix it with lots of ice cubes and you're set. When you purchase a bottle of wine for $3.59, yep....you heard me, you give it a lot of leeway.

But the price is not extremely concerning to me because when Kenny and I were "working", touring the Malbec vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina at the beginning of this year, we feasted on some great wines. And even the best wines were under $20. Most other things were comparable prices to the States, but the wines were not. So I'm going to check out this white. Here's what their website has to say about it:

"blah, blah, blah, blah.........slightly more fruity and aromatic than traditional Pinot Grigio, the addition of the highly prized Torrontes grape creates the perfect blend. This wine is everything but boring!" (https://www.lostvineyards.com/argentina/pinot.htm)

And this bottle of wine won a gold medal in the 2008 Hilton Head Area Hospitality Association Winefest.

Well, ok then! And on the internet they're selling the wine for $2.99 a bottle. Shoot! I paid 60 cents too much. Darn it! Like I said, anybody can make a good $50 bottle of wine but it takes a real master to make a $2.99 bottle of wine that you want to drink. So we'll see how it goes. The website didn't say not boring in a good way. :)

Then there's the 2005 South African Storyteller Chardonnay. I couldn't find a thing on the winery, so maybe there's no "winery" per se, but since I bought it because of the label, I will pass on the story on the label that caught my attention and solidified my purchase... "Chapter IV (looks more official) "The Sea Serpent" There once existed an imposing rock wall barrier, which had kept The Young Man of the Sea from his village bride. To claim her, the Young Man of the Sea brought with him a glittering green sea serpent. Swimming headfirst into the imposing rock, the sea serpent created a gaping hole though which the Young Man rode his ocean wave through and swooped up his bride. Upon the wave retreating....." What?! What?! Wave retreating what? The rest of the story is finished on the back of the bottle. That's why I bought this bottle. On a quality of the wine note.....

This wine did win a silver medal at the 2007 Los Angeles International Wine and Spirit event. On the bottle it says, "A provocative mix of apricot, rich melon and honeyed peach flavors, with good minerality enhancing the fruit." That last part really is a good thing. The wine was cheap at only $9.49.

Well I think this is going to be a good weekend. I'll let you know.

And always remember, Imbibe and enjoy!

Food Pairing

One of the main things that makes drinking wine interesting is what food should I serve this with?

Well the experts say white wine with white meat, red wine with red meat. In today's dining climate, however, this saying does not hold true. Properly matching food and wine is a little more complicated, partially because wine makers are more sophisticated in their wine making than 20 years ago. Today winemakers try to impart specific qualities out of their wine.

Now when pairing any wine with food, the eater needs to think about the body of the beverage and the body of the food.

Malbec is a medium-bodied wine that is ideal with flank steak in fajitas. But if you take the flank steak and serve it wrapped in blue cheese and proscuitto, you need to pair the steak with a full-body wine like Zinfandel.

Or you have a salad. That would be great with a light, fruity Sav Blanc. But if you add spiced chicken to the salad, it would be best to serve it with a Chenin Blanc.

The most important thing I think is that you like the wine you are drinking. Many a time I'll pour a glass of Cab Sav, put in ice cubes and drink it with salmon. The triple no-no. But you know what, the only thing that is important is that you like what your drinking. And the food tastes good. Screw em if they can't take your taste.

Remember imbibe and enjoy!

Whites

Whites! I love white wine, but I tend to drink more reds. It's probably because in the magazine, Wine Spectator, they only mention red wines providing the healthy benefits. And of course, the only reason I drink wine is for my health. :) The poor white wines just don't get a fair shake.

So let's talk about whites in the general sense for now. Whites are normally light. You can easily drink it without food. And white wine is SO refreshing on a summer day. You can even put a couple of ice cubes in the glass without a wine snob turning up their nose. Well, maybe not, but who cares.

If you are a new wine drinker, you cannot go wrong with a Riesling. It tends to have a range from super sweet to barely sweet. That sweet flavor doesn't mean the wine cannot be complex, it's just that our new-wine-drinker taste buds tend to like sweet wines more than non-sweet wines. A Riesling is perfect with Asian food, and appetizers like artichoke dip and spring rolls.

A great grape that Kenny and I always like to start our night with is Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is rarely harsh. Most times the wine has a fruity, sometimes lemony, flavor. It can sometimes give you a little tangy kick at the end. Sav Blanc is perfect with salads, breads and crackers, and even chicken soup. The same can be said of Pinot Grigio and Fume blanc.

There's a wine called Viognier (vee-en-yay) that grows exceptionaly well in our Grand Valley area. Before moving to Palisade I never heard of it, and it was my loss....until now. The grape has powerful flower and fruit aromas. Viognier is intended to be consumed young. Viogniers more than three years old tend to lose many of the floral aromas that make this wine unique. The color and the aroma of the wine suggest a sweet wine but Viognier wines are predominantly dry. When I worked at Grand River winery, I would pour a taste for customers with this to say....I suggest you save enough for three sips. The first sip you'll taste a sweet wine, the second taste you'll taste a fruity but dryish flavor, and the third taste will provide you with a dry, smooth fruity flavor that will last the rest of the bottle. Truly a unique wine. This wine is great with fish, vegetables, and can hold its own with pork, depending on how it's cook.

Then of course, there is the Chardonnay. The wine can give you a wider range of flavors. My favorite Chardonnay is one that has a bit of a smoke taste but not too much, with a hint of peach, ending with a buttery finish. It is the only wine that is fermented in barrels for a period of time. I believe that fermenting is what brings forth the complexity in this white. I have a friend that is a Chardonnay fanatic. It's the only wine he'll drink. Bruce says the flavors are one of the reasons for his preference, but more importantly it's the great memories the wine bring to the forefront while drinking it. He associates the glass of Chardonnay with good times and the good life.

On that note, I think I'll pop open a bottle of Chardonnay right now.

Remember imbibe and enjoy!

Does size matter?

Does size matter? What kind of silly question is that? Of course, size matters.

That's why when K Squared Vineyards had to decide what size the spacing should be between each row during our vineyard development, we took the decision very seriously.

The space between each one of the rows is a crucial part of vineyard management. If the width between the rows is too far, then you've wasted precious property that could yield something besides weeds. If the width between the rows is too narrow, then the vines are not able to grab all that precious sunlight and the grape yield may suffer. It has to be JUST right, like Goldilocks.

So before we made our decision we took a walk about. We walked hither and yon with a tape measure, measuring the distance between already established vineyards. We measured our neighbors vineyard, and they offered us a glass a wine so that was good. We measured our east of the peach orchard neighbor's vineyard and they offered us a glass of wine, and that was good. We measured one of the largest vineyards in the area and was chased off, and that was bad. The conclusion was that 9' was the magic number.

Now before I continue on, if any of you reading this is a farmer, then you can just stop reading from now on because you know what I'm gonna say but if you're not, then this may be of some casual interest for you. Farmers (and I am one) are notorious for rural legend. What starts out as a swag, within 15 years becomes a scientific fact.

Kenny and I have seen 100s of vineyards all over the world and depending on the area, they all build vineyards differently. Most times when we ask why use wood posts over steel posts for example, there's no real good answer. Why is the spacing 9' between rows we asked as opposed to 6', there was no strong definitive answer. So we consulted an expert.

Horst Caspari of the Colorado State University Extension in Grand Junction (http://www.colostate.edu/programs/wcrc/pubs/viticulture/viticulturehome.html)
is the leading expert on vinticultural practices in our area, so we paid him a visit. He was very excited that we were planting Malbec. When we asked him about the spacing issue, he said he thought there was no reason we couldn't plant them as close as 5 feet. That seemed a little close, but it would really improve the grape yield that's for sure. Not for certain on going almost half of 9', we went to a real working expert.

Jim has been a vineyard manager for years. He used to work for Grand River Vineyards at the winery where we both worked, and now he is an independent consultant. Not by his own choice I would imagine. The winery sold all the vineyard at an auction two years ago and he had nothing to manage for them anymore. It was a shame. Anyway, he IS the expert we needed. That first year Jim was an invaluable resource for us and we couldn't have done it without him. Well, we could of but not nearly so well that's for sure.

Jim gave us a great answer. Why not space the rows 8' apart? It sounded logical. Far enough apart so an industrial tractor could still get through but close enough so you could get more rows in, meaning more yield.

And so that's what we did. By making the rows only 8' as opposed to 9', we were able to put in 5 more rows. That was a great idea. He and Kenny were the ones that put in the 116 posts with the tractor driven hydraulic post hole digger. Took them 4 days.

The funny part is when it came time for tilling up the soil between the rows, we hired Jim because he has a big commercial tractor that can do that work in a jiff. During a break, I walk up to him to chat. The first thing he does is complain about how god damned close those rows are. I just howled in laughter and retorted, "Well Jim it was you that suggested we space 'em this close!" Then he started laughing too.

Imbibe and Enjoy!

Ensemble

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!