Colorado Wine Room's Latest News
Intricate Irrigation
Irrigation becomes more important as temperatures rise and the vines need more water to protect their tender new solar collectors. If the vines don't have enough water, the leaves can dry up and die; now what good are they if they can't do their job?
However, depending on soil conditions, vine age and root depth, some viticulturists suggest not watering at all until vines slow their shoot growth to roughly 2" per week. This rate is chosen because we want the canopy - the curtain of green foliage - to be about 40" tall by the time August comes around. August is when the ripening of the grapes begins in earnest, and 40" is about enough space for twenty leaves on a normal, well-balanced vine, and that's approximately how many leaves it takes to ripen the usual two clusters of grapes on each shoot. So the goal is to grow up the canopy to 40" and then stop growing to focus on ripening grapes for the last part of the season.
Inexperienced growers may pour on the water all season only to discover that the canopy is too big, too shady, out of balance and less cold-hardy. Not only that, but the wine made from over-zealous vines is not as flavorful as wine made from grapes that have more sun exposure and a good fruit-to-wood ratio. Now that's worth some attention, don't you think?
Forks and Corks Slam Dunk
Those of you who didn't act quickly enough missed a great opportunity to enjoy top-level gustatory pleasures provided by the combined efforts of the Colorado Wine Room and DMT Worldwide Culinary Adventures. The six-course evening was accompanied by great Colorado wines which were matched specifically with each course. One of the wines was a special unveiling of a wine made here at the Colorado Wine Room. We learned a little, laughed a lot, and had a genuinely grand time. To boot we were wowed by what's available when you let out the stops at DMT catering. We played to a full house and hope to do so again for our next Forks & Corks fine dining event. Stay tuned as we're beginning to plan our next mission.
Class Acts
Want to learn more about wine and food? Or maybe you just want to have some good clean fun. Here are some classes you might enjoy.
River, Vine and Sea
John Tierney, aka "The Fish Guy", and winemaker Glenn Foster have teamed up to offer this exciting wine pairing class!
John will cover all aspects of selecting, thawing, and preparing fish and seafood. You will enjoy generous samplings including scallops, salmon 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, June 17th from 6:30-8:30 pm. Registration for this class is through the Fruita Parks and Recreation Department -- 858-0360. The cost is $45.
Join us Friday, June 30th from 6:30-8:30 pm or Saturday, July 29th from 6:30-8:30 pm. Registration for these classes 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, June 15th from 7-9 pm or Thursday, July 6th from 7-9 pm.
Registration for these classes is through the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department --254-3866. The cost is $45 for GJ residents and $56.25 for non-residents.
Viognier Under Cover
As mentioned above, we have released and now are offering for sale the first wine ever made at the Colorado Wine Room. Winemaker Glenn Foster has been making wine ever since he began to learn the craft in 1993. This will be the 
first wine released under his own label. Speaking of the label, the official Talon Viognier (Vee Oh Nyay) label is still in the creative design phase. It's illegal to sell wine at retail without a label. Luckily we have designed and received federal approval to sell the wine under a custom label we did for the Gateway Canyons Classic Auto Festival that took place on May 13th. So until the regular label is done, this is how it looks. As for the wine, it's fruit driven with a big nose and a medium body. We joke to some of our customers that it was aged for at least 2 days in oak. It's very clean and refreshing. Big fruity nose, with grapefruit, mandarin orange, and lichee fruit notes in the mouth. Come down to the shop and try it. We think you'll like it.
Cheers!
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