Capital Grille's Generous Pour

A few weeks ago, I attended a preview event for Capital Grille's The Generous Pour (TGP) event at the Denver location. The premise of the 7-week event (July 7 - August 31) is that the restaurant chain is offering guests unlimited pours of seven different wines or $25 per person. Sounds like a good deal. The restaurant's website states that the selection includes "five highly acclaimed wines, two exclusive premieres, and all seven hand selected by our Master Sommelier." Diners can buy just one bottle or sample all seven through the course of a meal. The premise sounded interesting, so I made plans to attend to see what it was all about.

The Wine World is Changing and Some Wine Writers ARE Losing It (Influence, that is...)

One of the favorite discussion items in the wine industry of late revolves around changes in wine criticism. Some recognize changes and others hold on to the belief that wine writing is a static enterprise. In the past few years, the rise of wine bloggers has caused traditional writers to get a bit defensive. This rise in the democratization of information is upsetting the critical dictators. Those in the ivory towers continue to say that wine criticism and the traditional media in which it has been conveyed is stronger than ever. Those that say otherwise are attacked as losing their minds. Regardless of the ridiculous amount of navel gazing going on, the short and skinny of it is simple: yes, the wine industry is changing and the role of wine criticism is a big part of that change. To say otherwise is to proclaim your stubbornness (or ignorance).

Taking local to a whole new level

Colorado wineries are small. Even the big ones are small. The biggest wineries in the state produce about 20,000 cases annually. In fact, the entire state produces about 115,000 cases each year (much of it from Colorado-grown grapes). One winery takes the small and local approach to a whole new level. Settembre Cellars is perhaps the smallest winery in the state. Blake and Tracy Eliasson founded the tiny endeavor in their Boulder home in 2007. They made wines in lots as small as 4 and 5 cases. Today, their biggest lot is still a miniscule 84.2 cases and they have just recently crossed the 500 case annual production threshold.

DrinkLocalWine.com celebrates Regional Wine Week in November

DrinkLocalWine will hold its fifth annual Regional Wine Week from Nov. 12 to 16 , where wine writers, bloggers and enthusiasts share information about wine from "The Other 47" states (excluding California, Washington and Oregon) - providing a one-stop shop to see what's cutting edge in regional wine. The non-profit proudly proclaims that the fourth annual regional wine week, held last year in October, was one of the most successful in the group’'s history.

This year, DrinkLocalWine will announce the site and dates for its national DrinkLocalWine Conference during Regional Wine Week for the first time, giving away two pairs of tickets. The annual conference, which spotlights regional wine, was held in Denver this past April and featured the Colorado wine industry and its cool-climate varieties like riesling, gewürztraminer and cabernet franc. Previously, the conference has been held in Missouri, Virginia and Texas.

Writers from across the United States are asked to post stories to their blogs, websites, magazines and newspapers about their favorite regional and local wines, wineries and events. Then, the DrinkLocalWine website aggregates the stories, providing a snapshot of regional wine. Over the past four years, writers from across the country have covered dozens of states' wine industries.

Regional Wine Week is open to anyone – from professional wine writers to wine enthusiasts with Facebook pages or Tumblr sites –to submit stories about wineries, winemakers and wines from the Other 47 states. For information about Regional Wine Week or to submit a story link, contact Jeff Siegel, President and co-founder of the organization, at jeff-siegel@hotmail.com. Let's keep Colorado in the national spotlight!

Meet the Winemaker: Parker Carlson (Carlson Vineyards)

Parker Carlson

Parker Carlson is an icon of the Colorado wine industry. Carlson Vineyards is one of the oldest continuously operating winery in the state. Started in 1988, Carlson Vineyards is known for its locally themed wine names. As the proprietors are "cat people," they offer a three lines of wines with the monikers Fat Cat, Laughing Cat and Cougar Run. Parker also has fun (he has quite a sense of humor as you may gather from the interview...) with western Colorado's geologic history by branding his Lemberger, Tyranosaurus Red. Despite the negative associations with the unfortunately named Lemberger, T-Red is one of the more popular local wines in the state. But what Carlson Vineyards is best known for is its Riesling. In 2004, their 2003 Riesling was declared the World Riesling Champion at the International Eastern Wine Competition. If you like Austrian and German grape varieties (riesling, Gewürztraminer or Lemberger (Blaufränkisch)), Carlson Vineyards should be on your list of wines to buy!

The Key is Tasting (blind)

There are a lot about misconceptions of Colorado wine. First, and most egregious, is the quality factor. Sure, just as with any wine region, Colorado wineries produce some not-so-tasty juice. But consider Bordeaux. There are somewhere on the order of 10,000 producers just in the broad Bordeaux wine region. 10,000. That is more than all of the wineries in the United States! When most wine aficionados discuss Bordeaux, we are referring to less than 100 producers. The current evolution of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification includes 61 châteaus. A handful of right bank producers in and around the towns of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol are now as highly regarded as the classified châteaus of the Médoc. My point is, only about 1% of the wineries are Bordeaux are considered to produce high-quality wine. The rest is probably mediocre to less than mediocre (or at least by the standards of the wine tastemakers). The same concept can be applied to the wineries of California. There are more wineries in California producing plonk than meticulously crafting fine wine, and I bet you can name a few wineries in both camps. The good news is, if you know which wineries to seek out, you can find wine you like.

Colorado is no different. With over 100 wineries in the state, I'd be willing to bet (not $10,000) that the average wine consumer in the state could not name more than 5 wineries. If they were to taste wines from all 100, consumers might find wines that they consider to be at the same quality level as wines from California or even (gasp!) France. One of the best ways to get wine drinkers to try new wines is through restaurant wine lists. When I worked in the retail tier of the industry, I was surprised how often people came into the store and said they tried a wine at a restaurant and wanted to by a bottle. I was relieved when people actually new which wine it was and not just that it had a red label. Unfortunately, one of the problems with the idea of getting Colorado wine onto reputable restaurant wine lists is convincing the wine buyers!

Luckily for Colorado, there are more than a few chefs and sommeliers who are open to the idea of adding more local juice to their lists. With the help of Colorado Wino (Jacob Harkins) and Swirl Girl Denver (Kendra Anderson), we've put together the #DenverWineCru where we blind tasted Colorado Wine against the world. Our goal is to see how Colorado wines compare to wines from established wine regions.

We were joined at the first by a group of eager winos and Jensen Cummings, Executive Chef at Row 14. We tasted a lineup of five different wine styles with wines from Colorado and elsewhere around the world in each flight. When things were all said and done, everyone left impressed with Colorado's quality. Colorado didn't "win" every flight, but even when it didn't there were many more home runs than strike outs (and there were a few...).

Here are my notes of the wines that I took as we tasted without know what was in each bottle:

Ben's Bubbly: Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Sofia Mini

Ben has really started to discover his voice. Rarely is there a quite moment in our house anymore. While he has babbled for quite some, he is learning how to adjust his volume. When mom and dad are talking and Ben is not included in the conversation, we usually are notified of the injustice by very loud baby noises. When we recognize Ben's presence (and usually pick him up), we get a smile and quiet from the little man. He also lets us know when he wants our attention by cruising the furniture and attempting to pull himself up our legs. He definitely makes sure that we don't ever forget about him!

Our sparkling wine (or at least the packaging) this week is also trying to insert itself in the wine conversation. Canned wine has been around for almost 75 years, but is recently seeing a resurgence. Last week, The New York Times, Palate Press: the online wine magazine (written by yours truly) and The San Francisco Examiner all published articles about the revitalization of putting wine into aluminum cans. Just as with Ben, canned wines are starting to discover their voice. I predict that we will start to see more wines in cans in the near future.

Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Sofia, Blanc de Blancs, California

This funky little can should fool you about what is inside. With less than 1% residual sugar, this is true sparkling wine and not a gimmick. This fruit forward bubbly also comes in a tradition glass bottle, but the straw-adorned travel-size cans add a bit of zestiness to the boring row of bottles on the liquor store shelf. This blanc de blancs (82% Pinot Blanc, 10% Riesling, 8% Muscat) is very aromatic with pear and flowers tempting your nose. The bombardment of fruit continues in the mouth with pears dominating the show, but golden apples and zesty lemons make a cameo. We drank it with the straw, from the can and poured into a flute. I definitely recommend using a glass. But, when you’re in the mood for something different, yet familiar, grab a can from this reputable produce and try drinking from a straw. You might have more fun than you think you can with wine. 11.5% abv Purchase $5 (187 mL) Good

Ben's Bubbly: Clusserath Weiler Riesling Trocken Sekt

Last week, Ben started to find his voice. He would babble and grunt and squeal while he played with his toys. He is also starting to understand he can move to get toys. While he has only put a roll or two together to get a toy, he is already spinning around on his stomach to reach objects at his side or just out of reach. He is doing so much now, I don't want to miss him learning any new tricks. Nevertheless, over the weekend I went to Boston and Cape Cod for a bachelor party. While it was incredibly fun to hang out with a group of friends that I have only seen once in the past five years, I missed my little guy. It is so satisfying now when Ben gets excited when he sees me after school or a long weekend away. It will make this weekend away for the Colorado Mountain Winefest a bit easier. Who knows, maybe next year he'll be able to make the journey with me!

Clusserath Weiler Riesling Trocken Sekt, Mosel, Germany

This week's sparkler is something a bit different. This sparkling riesling was produced by the traditional winzersekt method (méthode champenoise). It is bright yellow, almost like Mt. Dew, but without the neon glow. It has a very floral nose with notes of pears and apples. The palate is quite different than most bubbly. I tasted Meyer lemons, nectarine and golden delicious apples in this viscous but not syrupy sparkler. It has a long, slightly nutty finish. Very interesting sparkling winzersekt riesling worth a try. 12% abv Purchased $13. Very Good

What to pair with Thai food?

Pairing wine with food is probably one of the most vexing issues that consumers face when deciding what to drink. Unless it is steak, people often worry about pairing the wrong wine with their meal. Red wine with meat and white wine with fish are popularly held parings. However, this steadfast rule often falls apart; Chardonnay can complement pork and Pinot Noir often goes well with tuna. When the food selections starts to get complex, the perfect wine becomes less clear. Thai food often has a plethora of flavors that seem to present problems when planning what to pour. Jalapeno, coconut, cilantro, peanuts, shrimp and fish sauce were all ingredients in a tasty Thai curry that we made. A variety of different wines could be able to complement all of those flavors. A good choice when eating Asian cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.) is one of the aromatic Germanic varietals: Riesling or Gewürztraminer. The high acidity and moderate residual sugar that these wines are often made with balance the sweetness and spiciness of these foods.

The best pairing advice, however, is to drink what you like. If you happen to like a big brooding Cabernet Sauvignon with a salad and a biting Sauvignon Blanc with barbecue beef, then by all means go for it. Don't ever let anyone tell you that what you enjoy drinking is the wrong thing to drink. There are some classic pairings, but if they aren't your cup tea don't sweat it. The best pairing is matching your palate to the wines and food rather than simply matching the wine to the food.

2009 Guy Drew Vineyards Gewürztraminer, Colorado

In a slightly unusual twist, this Gewürztraminer soaked on its skins for two days. While it is common for Gewürztraminers to see more skin contact than any other white wines, most winemakers only allow 4-24 hours before pressing. This skin contact allows for extracting the typical spicy flavors for which Gewürztraminer is known. This Colorado Gewürztraminer is a pale pink-tinted golden color. The pink tint is so slight that you might think you are seeing things, but I assure you that it is there. This wine is very aromatic with lychees, peaches, pie spices and floral notes emanating from the glass. It is fun to just swirl and smell without even taking a sip. Lemon peel, nutmeg and allspice dominate the palate. The 1.2% sugar is barely noticeable and complements the spiciness nicely. The wine could use a bit more acidity and is a bit woody (probably from the extended skin contact). Overall, this is a nice varietally correct Gewürztraminer that went well with the hot and sweet Thai curry. 13% abv Purchased $16. Good (tasted 12/17/10)

United Slurps of America: Colorado edition

Happy Halloween! I hope that you are enjoying vinous treats tonight! A friend of mine in Boston is starting a new Halloween tradition by offering beer for parents chaperoning their little monsters. I hope that this tradition is mainstream, and with wine, by the time my little one is making the Halloween rounds. If anyone is looking for wines to offer as Halloween treats next year, I have a few ideas for you!

Colorado wines do quite well for themselves at wine competitions throughout the country. Gold medals and best-in-shows are abundant. However, few other wineries can proclaim the hardware and recognition that Boulder Creek Winery has accumulated over the past few years. Founded in January of 2003 by Mike and Jackie Thompson of Boulder, CO, Boulder Creek Winery has really made a name for itself recently. Winners of 3 Best of Shows at the since 2004, including the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon in 2010, a First Lady’s Choice in the first annual Celebration of Premier Colorado Wines for the 2009 Gen Y Riesling and most impressive of all, Colorado’s first ever Jefferson Cup for their almost sold out 2006 VIP Reserve in 2009. While I am not a huge fan of wine competitions, this is some impressive commendation for Boulder Creek’s wine.

In addition to awards, Boulder Creek Winery was one of two Colorado wineries to travel to Paris, France to pour their VIP Reserve at the Tasting of American Wines at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to France. About 500 members of the French wine industry gathered to sample wines from throughout the United States. Mike and Jackie reported that their 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot blend was well received by the French. Boulder Creek Winery was also featured the January 2010 issue of Wines & Vines because of Jackie’s extraordinary attention to detail. Jackie laboriously removes seeds during délestage for her red wines. She credits seed removal with improving the quality. This level of craftsmanship is also reflected by the medals and plaques on display in the winery.

For a fitting follow-up to DrinkLocalWine.com’s Regional Wine Week, Colorado Wine Press has teamed up with the award-winning blog Swirl, Smell, Slurp and arranged to slurp a couple of Boulder Creek wines for their United Slurps of America. Every state produces wine, so why not taste at least one from each? Thus, the United Slurps of America was born. I am honored to be along on this journey as we cruise the Diagonal Highway north of Boulder, CO to slurp some local wine. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Gen Y Riesling were graciously provided as samples by the winery.

2009 Gen Y Riesling, Boulder Creek Winery, Colorado

This wine was actually made by Will Thompson, Mike and Jackie’s 20-year old son. Will has been instrumental in winery operations since its inception in 2003. Last year, winemaker and mother, Jackie, decided to give Will a bit more authority in the winery’s operation and allowed him to choose one wine to make from start to finish by himself (with mom closely watching, of course). Will chose Riesling, the winemaking tradition was passed down to the next generation and the 2009 Gen Y was born. This pale yellow Riesling is very aromatic. Citrus, pineapple and ever-so-slight petrol aromas emanate from the glass. The Gen Y is medium sweet with honey and Asian pear on the forepalate. This sweetness is followed by good acidity of citrus and piña colada flavors briefly on the midpalate. Minerality and Riesling’s characteristic petrol rounds out the finish. This first wine by a first-time winemaker provides a good balance of sweetness and acidity. The nose is just fantastic. It is a touch too sweet for my preference, but overall it is a very good wine. 12% abv Sample ($16). Very good (tasted 10/16/10)

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Boulder Creek Winery, Colorado

This award winner is Colorado’s rebuttal to anyone who says good Cabernet Sauvignon cannot be made in the Centennial state. This wine is almost black throughout but with a dark red rim. It smells dark and brooding. The complex nose provides aromas of characteristic black currants, herbs, pencil shavings and black pepper. A hint of tobacco and smokiness is evidence of its time in oak barrels. After just smelling this wine for a few minutes, it fills my mouth with a good amount of smooth yet strong tannins that don’t dry out my mouth like so many over-extracted Cabernets and is balanced by a healthy amount of acidity. Currants and dark plums come to the front of the palate but are quickly replaced by a long finish of mesquite and pepper. Another aromatic wine by Boulder Creek, but I would like the fruit flavors to linger around for a while longer. This wine definitely deserves to be paired with a proper meal. 14.2% abv Sample ($24). Very Good (tasted 10/17/10)

You're the expert on what you like...

All too often consumers depend on scores given by The Wine Advocate, The Wine Spectator or The Wine Enthusiast for choosing which wines they purchase. How often do these consumers know if their palates match those of the reviewers? How often do high scores and even higher prices create an unconscious (or even conscious) bias in the consumers' evaluation of wine? Many people, including myself, often fall to the peer pressure of thinking a wine that is more expensive or from a more highly-regarded region is better than the wine they actually like best. Critics often argue that this bias is removed when tasting wines blind. In some ways this is true. But the palate of Robert Parker is quite different from that of John Doe. Wine critics are experts at tasting the potential of what wines may achieve in 20 years time. They too have excellent memories and can pick out certain wines in tastings that they know ought to receive high scores solely based on their geography and price point. Well, how do "regular" wine consumers compare to the experts? Which wines do normal people prefer?

To investigate this question, I assembled 13 friends, family and colleagues to taste two flights of wine. Each flight consisted of a few local Colorado Wines and two top international wines. I joined in on the tasting, but offered minimal input and did not score or formally review the wines. The first flight consisted of two Colorado Rieslings plus one from Germany and one from Australia. The second flight consisted of three Colorado Cabernet Francs, one from Italy and a Cabernet Franc-dominated blend from Bordeaux. Participants were each asked to taste, compare, discuss and rank individual preferences for each flight. Each person was asked to rank the wines (1-4 for Riesling and 1-5 for Cabernet Franc) and the rankings were summed. The wine with the lowest total score (highest average ranking) was determined the best in category.

In the Riesling flight, the tasters clearly preferred a little sweetness in their Rieslings. This is not surprising as most everyday drinkers of Riesling expect to find some residual sugar. The results for the Riesling flight are as follows:

1. Loosen Bros., Dr. L Riesling 2008, Mosel, Germany
2. Boulder Creek Winery, Gen Y Rielsing 2009, Grand Valley, Colorado
3. Settembre Cellars, Riesling 2009, Grand Valley, Colorado
4. Grosset, Polish Hill Riesling 2008, Clare Valley, Australia

The participants identified the balance of the sweetness and acidity as positives and the marked acidity and petrol characteristics as negatives. In a what many wine enthusiasts would consider a surprise, the Grosset, one of Australia's finest Rieslings, came in last and was only deemed the favorite Riesling by one taster.

On to the Cabernet Francs, the "judges" had their choice of four 100% Cabernet Francs and one 58% Cabernet Franc/42% Merlot blend. As a varietal that most participants were not used to drinking, the earthy flavors were new to a few drinkers. The results for the Cabernet Franc flight are as follow:

1. Creekside Cellars, 2007 Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley AVA, Colorado
2. Canyon Wind Cellars, 2007 Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley AVA, Colorado
3. Dithyramb Winery, 2008 Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley AVA, Colorado
4. Château Angélus, 2003, Saint-Émilion Premier grand cru classé B, France
5. Blason, 2008 Cabernet Franc, Friuli Isonzo DOC, Italy


In an exceptional surprise, the Colorado offerings took the top three places and beat out one of the top Right Bank Bordeaux from a very good year! Perhaps the Angélus and the Grosset need a few more years before their potential is met. But the average consumer is not going to buy a bottle and let it sit for 10 years before drinking. With the wines that are on the shelf and ready to drink right now, Colorado holds its own with some of the best wines and wine regions in the world. Let this be a lesson to the casual wine drinker; price and region may not be as important as you thought. Follow your palate and you might be pleasantly surprised at where you end up! You are the expert on what you like. Drink what you like and give Colorado Wine a try!

For what it is worth, my own favorites of the night were Boulder Creek's Gen Y (followed by the Polish Hill) and the Château Angélus (followed closely by the Creekside Cellars and Canyon Wind Cellars).

Reeder Mesa Vineyards

One of the gems of Colorado's wine country has its home off the beaten path. If you take Highway 50 south from Grand Junction towards Whitewater, you'll see the gravel Reeder Mesa Road on your left. If you follow this path for about eight miles you'll come upon Reeder Mesa Vineyards. Doug and Kris Vogel own and operate this family-run winery. Trooper, the golden retriever, is head of security and hospitality.

Doug, a former mechanic, is in charge of winemaking, while Kris is in charge of sales, graphic design and many of the other operations. Started in 2003, Reeder Mesa Vineyards is quickly becoming one of the wineries to know in Colorado. The tasting room at Reeder Mesa Vineyards has the best view in the valley with the Grand Mesa staring back at you in all its basaltic glory. Outside, the Vogels have planted 2 acres of estate Riesling. They produce award-winning wines from grapes purchased from the Grand Valley AVA. When my wife and I visited a few years ago, we bought a few bottles of 2006 Syrah. The last of our stash has been popped and is the impetus of this post. Time for me to stock back up! My advice to you? Taste what Reeder Mesa has to offer and buy a few bottles of your favorite. Try one or two now and put a few aside to drink over the next few years!

2006 Reeder Mesa Vineyards Syrah, Grand Valley AVA, Colorado

This aged Syrah pours with a black core yielding to a dark red rim. At first the nose is a little tight, but then slowly opens up with blackberry jam, freshly roasted coffee, black olives, hints of clove and what smells like bacon fat! At first taste, spices, black fruit and tobacco dominate but after a few sips the olive tapenade comes to the forefront. Even on the second night, olives and cigars continue to be the best descriptors of this lovely Syrah. I hope that a few library editions of the 2006 Syrah are still available. If not, I'm sure that the current 2008 release will be just as good. 15% abv Purchased $20. Very Good/Excellent (tasted 9/29/30)

Summer of Colorado?

In today's NY Times, Frank Bruni wrote about sommelier Paul Grieco's interesting wine proposition for this summer: The Summer of Riesling. In short, Paul decided that he would change the wine menu at Terroir, in NYC, to only include Rieslings in the wine by the glass selections. If you want a Chardonnay: buy a bottle. If you want a Merlot: buy a bottle. Paul's goal with this endeavor is to educate the public about the differences and nuances of the noble Riesling. Many people believe that all Riesling is sweet uncomplicated wine. While Riesling is responsible for much lackluster sweet fermented juice, it is also responsible for some of the world's most highly prized and expensive sweet wines. Surprisingly to some, but not all, Riesling can also be a esoteric dry wine. The sugar, acidity, and aromatics of Riesling allow this single grape variety to be made into a plethora of styles! Germany, France, New York, and even Colorado produce wines along this spectrum that are sure to find a place within your palate; so give a Riesling a try.

Back to the original impetus for this post! Paul Grieco was bold enough to force patrons at his restaurant to buy only a particular wine by the glass. So many restaurants and retail stores do the exact opposite. They buy the brands that the distributors want them to buy and then turn around and sell these, often, dull wines to the public. In the wine industry, it is often said that regional (in the US this means wines NOT from California, Oregon, Washington and those on the east coast, New York) wines are difficult to sell because either the quality is low or the public has no demand for wines from terra igncognita. However, examples can be found all across this country that shoot holes in this argument. Just last week, I was dining with Jeff Siegel, aka The Wine Curmudgeon, at Jonesy's Eatbar in Denver and we discussed the idea of "locavore" restaurants not serving local wines. As both Jeff and I have posted, Jonesy's serves, almost exclusively, Colorado microbrews. While Colorado Wines are not a majority on the wine list, they are present in more than just token numbers.

What if a restaurant put Paul Grieco's and Jonesy's ideas together and took it a step further? Could a restaurant flourish by only serving Colorado Wines on its wine list? Could a happy middle be reached with only CO wines available by the glass? Would patrons stop dining if they couldn't find their favorite bottle of Clos du Bois hiding amongst a bunch of Argentinian, Australian and Spanish wines that are nothing but international? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy wines from all over the world (Spanish wines would have to be at or near the top of my list). Are local wines hard to sell because restaurants and retailers don't actually TRY to sell them? I think that if a restaurant that prides itself on using as many local ingredients and foods as possible took the initiative to devote itself to this idea it would work, and work well, with CO wines. Afterall, wine is and should be thought of as a food.

First Post!

Welcome to Colorado Wine Press. As a wine fan, I enjoying experiencing new and exciting wines from all over the world. This website is devoted to sharing my exploration of such wines with you. My plan is to focus on Colorado’s wines but any and all wines/wine experiences are fair game. The Colorado wine industry has been rapidly growing these past few years. In 1990, Colorado was home to only 5 wineries. Today, approximately 100 wineries and 2 American Viticultural Areas (AVA) call Colorado home. Every year Colorado wines wine medals from various competitions from across the country. In fact, just this year a Colorado wine (to be revealed in a later post) won a prestigious Jefferson Cup. With Colorado’s wine competing with best wines of the world, it is time that you get acquainted with these world-class wines from right in your backyard. For this first post, I’ve selected four distinct wines made by four different wineries to start us on our journey together.

2004 Crooked Creek Meritage, Montezuma County

The wine pours into a dull dark black garnet from the core to the rim. The nose is quite light with some spices, cola, and a bit of toasty vanilla. The palate yields little fruit, low acid and minimal tannins. Bitter chocolate, leather and tinned vegetables show through the light/medium body. An acceptable wine, if not a bit past its prime. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot. Purchased $14. Average (tasted 6/28/10)

2008 Two Rivers Riesling, Mesa County

This clear pale lemon wine packs a punch on the nose. Powerful aromas of honeysuckle, nectarine and citrus peel emanate from the glass. I want to just keep smelling this glass. The light body provides less intense flavors of gooseberry, tart nectarines and wet slate. The slight sweetness is countered with zesty acidity. A bit on the sweet side for my taste, but overall a lovely wine. 100% Riesling. Sample (retail $12). Average/Good (tasted 7/12/10)

2008 Balistreri Merlot, Barrel 212, Bennett Vineyard, Colorado

A deep purple core yields to a violet rim. The nose shows blueberry pie and blackberry liqueur with a hint of clove. Ripe and fine-grained tannins combine with complex slight jammy flavors of black plum, tobacco, lavender and a trace of black pepper. A very good, concentrated and complex wine. 100% Merlot. Sample (retail $26). Very Good (tasted 7/12/10)

2008 Plum Creek Palisade Red, Colorado

A clear ruby color. The nose is quite floral dominated by violet and dried cranberry. A light body with low acidity and light supple tannins yields red currant, black cherry, cinnamon, mint and a hint of pepper. These complex flavors supply a long finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Sample (retail $12). Good (tasted 7/12/10)