A Life of Wine

   First off, Grand Junction Free Press Managing Editor Josh Nichols tells me I should introduce myself, just so you know I’m not some random guy off the street. So here’s a quick bio.

   I grew up in the California wine business. In 1976, my father founded Ravenswood, a successful Sonoma winery famous for its Zinfandels. I was 12 then. My brother and I were occasionally put to work on the bottling line. These occasions were called bottling parties, because it was a bunch of people who wanted to help and learn, and we all had a good time, even though it was pretty exhausting work.

   I left California in 1982 for college on Colorado’s Front Range. After a decade of numerous and sundry activities, during which time I earned an undergraduate degree, I was invited to join the production staff at Ravenswood in 1993. Ravenswood had begun its steep growth curve and was expanding rapidly. They needed help and I needed to learn winemaking. There I worked and learned for two years as a “Cellar Rat”, aka “Hose Dragger,” learning the trade from the ground up. My final project there was to write a production manual for standardization and training.

   In 1995, my wife and I, having met and married in Colorado, decided that Grand Junction, with its burgeoning wine industry, was the place to put down roots. So here we moved and I started to work with the local wineries. Three wine producers, and 10 years later, Natalie and I then decided it was time to start something of our own: The Colorado Wine Room, which opened in April 2005.

   At CWR, we conduct blind panelist tastings to help us select wines that we offer in our store by the taste, glass or bottle. We do make a small amount of wine, under our Talon Winery license, but our main business is offering top wines from all around the state, teaching classes about wine and food, and hosting special events with the same.

   Why Wine?

   There were no commercial wineries in the Grand Valley in 1975. Now there’s 18. On the national scene, wine has surpassed beer in U.S. consumption, and there are now commercial wineries in every state, including Hawaii and Alaska. Why all this growth in wine consumption, production and appreciation?

   There are several factors tipping the scales. Wine used to be only for the elite, upper class wealthy folks. But it’s much more approachable now and not as snooty as it once was. Wine is interesting, and intellectually challenging, like no other beverage. Wine brings with it a rich heritage, spanning generations back to prehistoric times. Wine is romantic and is a great social lubricant. Wine complements everyday meals, transforming the mundane into something meaningful and special.

   While wine is fun and enjoyable, it’s also good for you, assuming you’re not a child or expecting to have one. Studies show that blood pressure goes down as wine is consumed, while it goes up as beer is consumed. Many doctors recommend wine, in moderate amounts, on a daily basis for improved health, particularly relating to heart and circulation health.

    Wine enhances our daily lives, adding a whole new dimension that’s otherwise impossible. Future articles will go into more detail about these admirable qualities as well as keep you informed on other topics in the wine world.

This article appeared in the April 12, 2006 edition of the Grand Junction Free Press.

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