Colorado Wine Room's Latest News
Can You Handle This?
Winemakers as a rule are an interesting breed. Although each one is different, there is a group of hardcore vintners that
really like a big, robust, tannic mouth bomb of a red wine. In a recent conversation with John Sutcliffe of Sutcliffe Vineyards in Cortez, we were discussing this very phenomenon regarding the new Sutcliffe Pinot Noir. It's young with lots of youthful exuberance, a deep purple hue, a fruity but deeply complex aroma, and a serious, tannic undercarriage. It's a wine most owners would be afraid to release, because there's not a broad audience for this type of wine, but for those that are familiar with the elusive, haunting story of the Pinot Noir grape, it's very interesting. You see, even though we wouldn't call this a "pleasant beverage" right now, as we would many of our wines, there's a certain game that winemakers play. It's like a challenge: Can you handle this? Are you experienced enough to understand that this wine may turn out to be absolutely fantastic 5-10 years from now? It takes a good winemaker to taste through a wine's youthful awkwardness and appreciate its potentially majestic maturity. There's no doubt it will be very interesting to see how this wine develops over the next ten years. We have one bottle open for tasting. When it's gone, you'll just have to buy a bottle!
I got Her Number!
One of our favorite movie scenes in the last ten years occurs in Good Will Hunting, where the main character is leaving a bar after a few rounds of intellectual antler clashing over the attentions of Minnie Driver's character. Will sees his defeated opponent and loudly asks him through the glass, "You like apples?" The guy gives him a glum, confused affirmative and Will slaps a piece of paper on the window and yells back "I got her number! How do you like them apples?" Speaking of apples, we have a new item in our self-serve fridge: Gourmet Caramel Apples by The Apple Lady, a new local business here in the Grand Valley. They're deadly delicious, and a wonderful addition to any gift basket you might be contemplating. She uses only the best ingredients available, making them from scratch in her new commercial kitchen.
Classified Information
Want to learn more about wine and food? Or maybe you just want to have some good clean fun. Here are some classes you will enjoy, but only if you sign up - two of these are this week, so sign up soon!
River, Vine and Sea
John Tierney, aka "The Fish Guy", and winemaker Glenn Foster have teamed up to offer this exciting wine pairing class. We had our first class already and people had lots of nice things to say about it. 
John will cover all aspects of selecting, thawing, and preparing fish and seafood. You will enjoy generous samplings including scallops, salmon, trout, and halibut paired with delicious Colorado wines. Glenn will discuss more advanced wine pairing strategies that go beyond the white wine only rule usually associated with fish and seafood. Participants will receive a handout featuring all the recipes and wine pairing suggestions.
Join us Saturday, July 29th from 6:30-8:30 pm. Registration for this class is through the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department -- 254-3866. The cost is $45 for GJ residents and $56.25 for non-residents.
Wine Tasting 101
Do you find wine intriguing? Want to learn more? Join us as we sip and swirl our way to a better understanding of wine and its complexities. We will discuss such wine concepts as dryness, fruitiness, tannins, and acidity. Come spend an evening sampling a variety of fine Colorado wines accompanied by light hors d'oeuvres.
Join us on July 8th from 6:30 to 8:30. Registration is offered through Grand Junction Parks & Recreation department -- 254-3688. Cost is $32 for GJ residents and $45 for non-residents.
Summer Appetizers and wine
Celebrate the season's bounty in small bites as Chef Diana Tarasiewicz of DMT Catering shows you how to prepare
delicious appetizers perfect for summer entertaining. Each appetizer will be paired with a fabulous Colorado wine and served to participants. Diana will also reveal the secret to sensational Sangria. Participants will receive a handout featuring all the recipes and wine pairing suggestions. So, grab some friends and join us for a fun and tasty evening!
Join us Thursday, July 6th from 7-9 pm. Registration for this class is through the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department --254-3866. The cost is $45 for GJ residents and $56.25 for non-residents.
New Starters
As you may know, we have the most extensive list of Colorado wines available for tasting on the Western Slope. We normally have 22, because that's how many sample valves we have. The wines are chosen carefully using data from our blind panelist tastings. We rotate the wines as an ongoing process. Wines are sold out, new wines are bottled, and there are seasonal changes as well. For example, we like to have more white wines, since they are served cold, during the hot days of summer .
I grew up playing team sports like soccer and basketball, as well as individual sports like diving and squash, so forgive me for the athletic references, but we do have a new member of the starting lineup. It's the 2004 Chardonnay from Hermosa Vineyards. This is a big robust Chardonnay with lots of varietal character. We served it with Halibut at our recent "River, Vine and Sea" class on wine and fish. It was fantastic - a great food wine.
Cheers!
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