Dear Colorado Wine Club Member,

Budbreak, as you may have read in this month’s E-News, is about complete in the Grand Valley.  Buds are extremely important to winemaking.  What’s in a bud?  Shoots, leaves, flowers, nodes –it’s got pretty much everything it needs to ripen grapes for your wine.  It’s all compressed in microscopic detail, just waiting for the soil to warm enough to stimulate the vine to start pushing.  However, if the bud or young shoot experiences a freeze and dies, there are two more buds buried in the node that will grow in its place.  The secondary bud has about half the amount of fruit as the primary bud.  The tertiary bud, in most cases, has no fruit, but the buds formed during the growing season will contain next years crop.  You can see that the grapevine is very determined to ripen grapes, and has numerous contingency plans to help it do just that.

This month’s wines for the Sweet Colorado Wine Club are:

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey Colorado Nouveau

This big, dark, rich and sweet red wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Mesa County.  It’s got some characteristics of port, only without the high alcohol.  Loaded with dark berry fruit with hints of cocoa and cassis, this is an unusual style of wine we’re seeing has quite a bit of appeal now that it’s widely accepted that red wine is good for your heart.  Enjoy with Mexican food, wild game, chocolate, or by itself.  Chill before serving.

Stoney Mesa Winery 2005 Riesling Special 10th Anniversary Release

This half bottle, or “split” as we call it in the biz, is a special and unique wine.  It conjures up images of tangerines, lichee fruit, honeydew and apples, with a nice long sweet finish.  It’s perfect by itself or with fruit tarts or cheesecake.  Lovely wine we hope you’ll enjoy with family and friends on a warm spring afternoon or evening.

As always, enjoy the wines in good health!

Sincerely,

Glenn & Natalie Foster