Dear Colorado Wine Club Member,

Bud break is nearing 100% in the Grand Valley.  If they haven’t busted loose the chains of winter dormancy yet, there’s a good chance the primary bud is not coming out.  The secondary bud hides behind the primary bud and pushes forth a few weeks after the primary buds.  The secondary bud is about half as fruitful as the primary.  That’s actually a good thing for even ripening and high quality wine. With only half the fruit to ripen, the secondary shoot has a chance to catch up to the primaries that got a two week head start.  The tertiary bud is not at all fruitful.  If all you get is a shoot from a tertiary bud, you’re just growing next year’s crop.  Sometimes that’s the way it goes in the agricultural world.

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

Peach Wine, Carlson Vineyards

The Peach wine is a delightful little bottle of pleasure.  Parker himself gave me this recipe for Hot Peach Cobbler in a mug:  1 bottle Peach wine, 4-6 Tablespoons  pure maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon vanilla.  Combine ingredients in non-aluminum sauce pan and heat, but do not boil.  Adjust to taste and serve warm on a cold and stormy night with good friends and family.

Late Harvest Viognier, Grande River Vineyards

Viognier is one of our favorite grapes in the valley.  This late harvest wine is a groundbreaking new tradition.  You take the rich complex fruity character of the Viognier grape, pair it with an extended growing period, possibly involving botrytis (aka Noble Rot) and desiccation, and you end up with a very sweet, very rich, wine such as this bottle from Grande River Vineyards.  It’s really delicious, and would be fantastic with pecan pie or cheesecake, or candied cashews, or toffee!

As always, enjoy the wines in good health!

Sincerely,

Glenn & Natalie Foster