Ben's Bubbly: 1998 Freixenet Brut Nature

Changing diapers is now officially a wrestling match. I thought it was a challenge a few weeks ago when he would keep rolling over. Now, with Ben pulling up on everything to stand, I am getting good practice at putting diapers and clothes on him whether he's vertical, horizontal or somewhere in between. He even likes to stand while nursing. He's not even seven months old and keeping the kid off of his feet is a task! Also, this past week Ben got to play with the snow for the first time. The ground stayed white for only two days after our big Denver storm (why are all the East coasters complaining about snow in October???). He liked to grab the snow, but didn't quite know what to think about the cold. What he really liked was dipping his wooden clothes pin in the snow and then chewing on it.

1998 Freixenet Brut Nature, Spain

Surprisingly bright upon opening, this aged cava was bright yellow and slightly carbonated. Different from regular brut wines, this wine saw no sugar in the dosage before being recorked and encapsulated. Unfortunately, not adding sugar when the wine would be better balanced with it is not a good thing. This wine is not bad, but it is exceptionally tart. Mouth puckering green apples and lemon peel dominate the palate. I was more surprised that this wine stood up for so long, especially after standing on the shelf of the non-climate controlled liquor store for most of its life.11.5% abv Purchased $12 Average/Good

Meet the Winemaker: Jackie Thompson (Boulder Creek)

Jackie Thompson

Most Colorado wineries are small family operations and Boulder Creek Winery is no exception. Mike, Jackie and Will Thompson are the husband, wife and son team that is quickly rising to the top of the Colorado wine hierarchy. Only opened for 8 years, they have been consistently putting out award-winning wines, including Colorado's first ever Jefferson Cup for their 2006 VIP Reserve. They also offer a unique series of blending seminars in which their wine club members actually are responsible for choosing the cépage of Boulder Creek's top red blend. Jackie is the enologist and principal winemaker for Boulder Creek and she joins us this week in our Meet the Winemaker series.

Ben's Bubbly: Barefoot Brut Cuvée

Ben has added a new weapon to his arsenal of mobility. One of his favorite new things to do is to stand on his feet. He mostly likes to hold onto mom or dad's fingers and pull himself up, but he is slowly starting to grab onto things, like the edge of the bathtub or laundry baskets, and stand up on his own. While holding on to our fingers, he has no balance, but still tries to lift his little feet and step towards a toy, or even more exciting: a cat. Speaking of the cats, they both are developing more patience with Ben although he still gets a paw to the top of the head when he gets too grabby. Pretty soon they will have their worlds completely upside down when Ben can run after them.

Barefoot Brut Cuvée

After drinking sparkling wines weekly 30 weeks, it is about time one of them actually disappointed. First, it annoys me to see the term word "champagne" on a wine label not from Champagne, France. Unfortunately, an agreement between the U.S. and the E.U. allows U.S. wineries to use the term "champagne"  in conjunction with an appropriate appellation, such as "California," if winery used the semi-generic name (i.e. Champagne) prior to 2006. I am hopeful that with the efforts of the Center for Wine Origins the use of eponymous place names will no longer be allowed on wines from anywhere else.

To top it off, what was in the bottle was also disappointing. I'm not sure what I was expecting, though I have been pleasantly surprised by Barefoot wines in the past. Too bad this sparkling wine isn't a part of that list. When a winery website features a link for cocktail recipes for the wine, you know that it is meant to be mixed. A disjointed mess of acidity and crisp apple make this wine something to avoid if you're planning on drinking it straight. I happen to enjoy mimosas, but feel that using quality wine to mix with orange juice does the wine an injustice. Well, that is where wines like this can serve a purpose.11% abv Purchased $8. Poor/Average

Meet the Winemaker: John Barbier (Maison la Belle Vie)

John Barbier

Colorado is home to just over 100 wineries, most which are owned and operated by families that started careers in other fields. Some even see their winery as a retirement endeavor. Last week's winemaker/proprietor is the only winery to be run by the second generation. This week's winemaker comes from a long line of winemakers, but from an ocean away. John Barbier grew up in the Loire Valley of France where his family has been making wine for 150 years. John introduced the first vintages of Maison la Belle Vie (French for "House of the Beautiful Life") in 2006. He also owns and operates Le Rouge restaurant and piano bar in downtown Grand Junction. The food is very good, but I was surprised by the numerous spelling errors on the restaurant's fairly extensive wine list and the staff's apathetic response when I pointed out the misspellings.

John is in the process of selling Le Rouge to his brother-slash-restaurant manager so that he can focus on the winery and vineyards. John's wine philosophy is to produce old-world style food-friendly wines. The winery and vineyard also doubles as a wedding and event site dubbed Amy's Courtyard. If you are looking at hosting a beautiful event outside with food and wine as the main attraction, I highly recommend you inquire about John's services.

Ben's Bubbly: Kluge Estate 2003 Brut

This past week was quite a week. First, I started a new Meet the Winemaker series to coincide with Regional Wine Week. Second, I attended a Terry Theise grower Champagne tasting with the likes of Pierre Gimonnet, Pierre Peters, Varnier-Fannière, Henri Goutorbe, Gaston Chiquet, L. Aubry, Henri Billiot, Chartogne-Taillet, Pehu-Simonet and Vilmart & Cie. I will report on my thoughts in a few days.

However, the biggest event of the week was Ben's first airplane ride. The three of us traveled to Lawrence, KS for a friend's wedding. We had originally planned on driving, but a deal on airfare convinced us to try flying. It could not have gone any better. Ben mostly spent his time either sleeping or smiling at our neighbor. On the way there, most of the people in the rows around us were actually surprised to see a baby on the plane when they stood up to deplane.

Ben was also lucky enough to spend most of the weekend with his grandma and grandpa who came to Lawrence just to watch him so that we could enjoy our weekend with friends. He was so excited to see them and poke them in their faces instead of just breaking my laptop while talking to them on Skype. The two days went by fast and the grandparents were sad to see him go, but we all hope that it won't be so long until the next visit.

2003 Kluge Estate Brut, Virginia

Much has been published about the winery recently acquired by Donald Trump. So, in the spirit of Regional Wine Week, we popped the cork on this trumped up Virginia bubbly. I decided to open this first of two bottles I recently purchased, because it showed several centimeters of ullage. After pouring into tulip glasses, the dark yellow juice yielded fresh baked bread and lemon aromas. On the palate, it presented bright acidity along with toast, lemons, grapefruit and a disappointingly short finish. This was a fun and decent wine and definitely could have held its own with some of the nondescript Champagne at the tasting, but is far from being mistaken as a top sparkling wine. 12% abv Purchased $18. Good

Regional Wine Week 2011: Welcome to Colorado

In case you didn't know, this week is Regional Wine Week! Part of the festivities include a 47-word essay contest. DrinkLocalWine board members will select winners based on creativeness, inventiveness and whether they’re 47 words long. Prizes for the winners include tickets to DLW 2012: Colorado, a signed copy of The Wild Vine, copies of The Sipping Point, and Wine Shields. Have you submitted your entry yet? To celebrate Colorado Wine, here is my 47-word essay:

Welcome to Colorado

We have mountains, plains, dunes and trains.
We ski, hike, raft and bike.
But people experience a loss of words when they find
That we also produce world-class wine.

I'm usually quiet, but I’ll be vocal
When it comes to wine, please Drink Local

Carlson Vineyards

Meet the Winemaker: Jay Christianson (Canyon Wind Cellars)

Jay Christianson

Starting today, and every Wednesday, I will pose nine questions to one of Colorado's winemakers and he or she will pose one to you and me. This new series is intended to introduce the people who make Colorado wine happen. Let the winemakers know that you care by commenting and responding to their question.

For the inaugural "Meet the Winemaker" interview, I ask Jay Christianson of Canyon Wind Cellars nine questions and he asks two! Canyon Wind Cellars was founded in 1991 by Jay's parents at the eastern edge of the Grand Valley. In 1996, the winery produced its first commercial wines. With the help of consultant winemaker Bob Pepi, Canyon Wind Cellars produces 14 wines utilizing low-intervention winemaking and sustainable practices. In 2011, Jay and his wife Jennifer took over the leadership and winemaking of Canyon Wind Cellars and started a new wine project called Anemoi Wines. The first Anemoi release, Boreas, is already a standout wine!