A real chill has set in to the Grand Valley, marking the beginning of the winter season.  Vines are deepening their dormant state and will hopefully stay there until well into spring.  Activity at the wineries is likely to be pretty high still with the aftermath of harvest, putting wine to barrels, and bottling for the Christmas season.

If you didn’t make the Wine Club fall gathering last month, we hope you can make the next one, probably in March.  It was a lot of fun.  The take-home message was “Thanks for being a Wine Club member!”  We’ll continue to have these sorts of functions two or three times per year, at no or low cost to members.

Enclosed are your Wine Club bottles.  This month’s wines for the Dry Colorado Wine Club are:

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Whew . . .  what a handle!  What it all means is that this special wine is to be shared with special friends and family in a suitable fashion.  Try this wine with pork tenderloin, marinated, seared and then gently grilled to a tender, light pink at the center.  To complete a beautiful and nutritious meal, augment the pork with sautéed bell peppers, onions with couscous on one side of the plate, and steamed red Swiss chard on the other.  Sprinkle a bit of kosher salt, followed by a drizzle of olive oil on the chard.  Yum!

Garfield Estates Winery Fumé Blanc

Fumé Blanc is simply a Sauvignon Blanc fermented in oak barrels.  “Fumé” means smoke in French.  The slight smoky flavor comes from the barrels which are toasted over a fire on the inside before they are finally assembled with the hoops and ready to hold wine.  This wine displays mild smoky flavors and a pretty, complex bouquet.  It is slightly more complex than its unoaked cousins.  It’s great as an aperitif with nuts and potato Gouda cheese, or with mildly seasoned fish for the main course. 

As always, enjoy the wines in good health!

 Sincerely,

Glenn & Natalie Foster