Cottonwood Cellars is located on California Mesa. It just happens that California Mesa is located in sweet corn country near the town of Olathe, CO and not in its namesake state. However, the proprietors have a California connection. Diana Read is the face of Cottonwood Cellars and her husband Keith is the winemaker. They produce old-world style wines and are one of two local producers, that I know of, making Lemberger. Despite not displaying the bold fruit flavors of other Colorado wineries, Cottonwood Cellars took home the top award for the red wine at the state winemaking competition in 2011 (this will be renamed the Governor's Cup this year!).
Cottonwood Cellars is also taking full advantage of a Colorado statute that allows local wineries to operate five off-site tasting rooms. You can taste and buy the wine at the winery, of course, but also at Colorado Winery Row and at Coffee at the Point in Denver and at Cowbells in Woodland Park. Very few other wineries take advantage of this law and Cottonwood will soon fill its allotment this year with plans for two new tasting rooms. Wherever you are in the state, I'm sure you'll be able to find a bottle of Cottonwood Cellars that you can sip on while read our interview with Diana Read.
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Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Ben's Bubbly: Chateau Vincent Brut
We officially have a toddler. Ben is now walking more than he crawls and he even stands up on his own without pulling himself up on something. He has also taken up the sport of hockey! He got two hockey sticks from his grandparents for Christmas and he really is quite adept at using them to play with a tennis ball (or any other toy within reach). I need to get him kicking a soccer ball before he decides that hockey is the sport for him. In addition to the new mobility independence, Ben is feeding himself for most of his meals. We usually give him bite-sized pieces of his food, which he scoops up with his fingers and places in his mouth. We have to pace ourselves or else he'll fill up his entire mouth like a hamster. Even when we try to use a spoon, Ben usually wants to grab the spoon and do it himself. This has led to rather messy meal times and multiple clothing changes throughout the day. Good thing he has more clothes than we know what to do with!
Chateau Vincent, Brut, Hungary
I've had this wine a few years ago and thought it would be an interesting addition to the is little experiment. Plus, it is not too often that one finds 10-yr old Hungarian sparkling wine sitting on a retailers shelf, though surprisingly this isn't the first Hungarian bubbly we've had this past year. This wine is showing its maturity with its dark golden color. The nose is relatively muted, but there was a pleasant toastiness followed by a background of citrus and apple. The flavors mirrored the aromas by showing orange and yeast. Overall, I don't have much else to say about this wine. It was not unpleasant, but nothing exciting or worth revisiting one more time in the future. 12% abv Purchased $12. Average/Good
I've had this wine a few years ago and thought it would be an interesting addition to the is little experiment. Plus, it is not too often that one finds 10-yr old Hungarian sparkling wine sitting on a retailers shelf, though surprisingly this isn't the first Hungarian bubbly we've had this past year. This wine is showing its maturity with its dark golden color. The nose is relatively muted, but there was a pleasant toastiness followed by a background of citrus and apple. The flavors mirrored the aromas by showing orange and yeast. Overall, I don't have much else to say about this wine. It was not unpleasant, but nothing exciting or worth revisiting one more time in the future. 12% abv Purchased $12. Average/Good
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Meet the Winemaker: Parker Carlson (Carlson Vineyards)
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| Parker Carlson |
Monday, February 20, 2012
Ben's Bubbly: Kirkland Champange
It is amazing how much can change in a week. Last week, Ben was beginning to take a few "independent" steps here and there. Now, the child is walking across the house. In fact, he is now walking as often as he crawls. If he can pull himself up on something, he will then use his feet to stumble like a drunk cowboy around the house. However, if he really wants to get somewhere fast he'll plop down and crawl with a vengeance. Despite having a low-grade fever, a leaky nose and a cough for the past few days, he is being a trooper during the day. The nights are a different story, unfortunately. One of these days, I am confident we will sleep through the night again.
Kirkland Signature Champagne, Brut
For those of you that don't know, Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand. Now, of course Costco does not make Champagne, but has the wine privately labeled by an actual Champagne house; Janisson et Fils. With the current hype surrounding Grower Champagne, most consumers only know that the label codes RM and NM differentiate between Récoltant manipulant (farmer fizz) and Négociant manipulant (larger houses). Little do most Champagne consumers know that there are five other producer designations found on bottles. In the case of the Kirkland bubbly, it is designated as Marque auxiliaire (MA), which is a brand that is unrelated to the actual producer, such as Kirkland Signature. I doubt that you will see this designation much in the U.S., though you might find it more often if you were shopping at a supermarket in France.
It is darker than most other bubblies that we have poured over the past 46 weeks. It is a pretty amber color with medium-sized bubbles. The nose is a bit muted, but with a little citrus fruit. I was quite surprised that this wine showed so much tart grapefruit flavors along with a slight nuttiness. It was so tart that it wasn't all that pleasant on its own, but a bit of food made it a bit better. You can't beat this price for true Champagne, but unfortunately it doesn't come with the quality you would expect from Champagne. I you just can't stand non-Champagne bubbly, but can't stand the prices of good Champagne this might be a wine for you. 12% abv Purchased $20 Average/Good
Kirkland Signature Champagne, Brut
For those of you that don't know, Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand. Now, of course Costco does not make Champagne, but has the wine privately labeled by an actual Champagne house; Janisson et Fils. With the current hype surrounding Grower Champagne, most consumers only know that the label codes RM and NM differentiate between Récoltant manipulant (farmer fizz) and Négociant manipulant (larger houses). Little do most Champagne consumers know that there are five other producer designations found on bottles. In the case of the Kirkland bubbly, it is designated as Marque auxiliaire (MA), which is a brand that is unrelated to the actual producer, such as Kirkland Signature. I doubt that you will see this designation much in the U.S., though you might find it more often if you were shopping at a supermarket in France.It is darker than most other bubblies that we have poured over the past 46 weeks. It is a pretty amber color with medium-sized bubbles. The nose is a bit muted, but with a little citrus fruit. I was quite surprised that this wine showed so much tart grapefruit flavors along with a slight nuttiness. It was so tart that it wasn't all that pleasant on its own, but a bit of food made it a bit better. You can't beat this price for true Champagne, but unfortunately it doesn't come with the quality you would expect from Champagne. I you just can't stand non-Champagne bubbly, but can't stand the prices of good Champagne this might be a wine for you. 12% abv Purchased $20 Average/Good
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Meet the Winemaker: Jennifer Christianson (Anemoi Wines)
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| Jennifer Christianson |
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Ben's Bubbly: Valentine's Day edition
This sweet child of mine is growing up so fast. Just a few months ago he was completely dependent on us for everything. Now, he actually is mobile and can communicate. And when I say mobile, I mean that he finally has started walking. He's still mostly crawling, but he now can walk about 10 feet across the floor before he either reaches a piece of furniture or decides to sit. While this is exciting (and at the same time terrifying) the cooler thing is that he is also starting to use sign language to communicate. We've been trying to teach him (and ourselves) sign language. We haven't used a whole lot of signs, but just this week he has signed "more" and "all done," in addition to "milk" (which has been doing for a few weeks, though he prefers the dive and grab approach for that one...). We are so excited that he is now able to express his own feelings to us (and the cats). He has been waving hello and goodbye for a few weeks now and he especially likes to greet the cats whenever they enter a room with a quick wave, but they usually decide to vanish when they realize they've been made!
This week for the bubbly we didn't just have a bottle after Ben went to bed as we usually do. We invited a group of friends over for a Valentine's Day party, sans babies. We asked each couple to bring a bottle of bubbly to share. All told, we had six bottles of sparkling wine and a sparkling wine-based punch that also included rum and pomegranate. The punch was a hit and we only opened three of the bottles. It was a fun way to celebrate the holiday and try a few different bubblies in one sitting. I was more concerned with cooking (though I still managed to over-grill the oysters) and didn't take notes on the wines, but I'll at least give my general impressions.
This week for the bubbly we didn't just have a bottle after Ben went to bed as we usually do. We invited a group of friends over for a Valentine's Day party, sans babies. We asked each couple to bring a bottle of bubbly to share. All told, we had six bottles of sparkling wine and a sparkling wine-based punch that also included rum and pomegranate. The punch was a hit and we only opened three of the bottles. It was a fun way to celebrate the holiday and try a few different bubblies in one sitting. I was more concerned with cooking (though I still managed to over-grill the oysters) and didn't take notes on the wines, but I'll at least give my general impressions.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Five more people you should be listening to...
Last week I wrote about five social media personalities to whom Colorado wine peeps should be listening. The list includes five pretty kick-ass guys, but no women! This grave error didn't occur to me until after I hit the publish button. I still think those five guys are some of the most important people wine industry members in Colorado should start following, but I'd now like to invite everyone to get to know these five ladies.
1. Kendra Anderson, Westword's Swirlgirl. Kendra has a bit of work to do to make Colorado's winemakers believe that she truly is a supporter of the local industry after this article appeared in Westword this past summer. I know that she is, but that headline really ruffled some feathers. And the thing is, the article was rather positive despite the sensational title. Kendra is a true supporter of the local producers and has written many more positive stories than negative. She is turning into one of Colorado wine's biggest advocates. She truly wants Colorado wines to be found on every restaurant wine list in Denver, but she is not afraid to offer constructive criticism to the local winemakers and that is important. Make sure you are reading what Kendra has to say. You can follow her on Twitter at @SwirlGirlDenver.
2. Michelle Cleveland, Creekside Cellars. Michelle is the winemaker at Evergreen's aptly named Creekside Cellars. She is quickly becoming one of Colorado's most prolific social media gurus. She's on Facebook and she's on Twitter. Just last night, she tore up #winechat about #VAwine. If you're not hip to that last sentence, you need to get in touch with Michelle. Oh, and apparently she makes her own label, Nippersink Creek (which I still need to try). Follow Michelle on Twitter at @MCWineMaker.
3. Brooke Webb, Mesa Park Vineyards. Brooke is fairly new to the wine industry. That hasn't stopped her from making a big impact! Brooke and her family took over the reigns at Mesa Park Vineyards and have quickly turned it into one of the hottest wineries in the state. They are on the wine list at Frank Bonanno's Mizuna and quickly expanding to Denver's other big-name eateries. On top of raising the profile of her winery, Brooke was also just elected as the President of the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (C.A.V.E.), the state's wine industry trade organization. Fresh into her new duties, Brooke is working hard to improve the newly renamed Colorado Urban Winefest in downtown Denver. You can follow Brooke on Twitter at @MesaParkWines.
4. Jennifer Broome, Fox 31 News and Swept Away with Jennifer Broome. You're probably asking yourself why I put the meteorologist for Good Day Colorado on this list. Well, Jennifer also does the occasional travel bit on the show and publishes her own travel blog. As such, see has been visiting a variety of Colorado's wineries and vineyards and has become bit of an advocate for the local wine industry. She is also going to appear on the consumer perception panel at the Drink Local Wine conference on April 28. Make sure you get to know Jennifer before attending DLW and get some good weather advice along the way. You can follow Jennifer on Twitter at @JenniferBroome.
5. Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine. Ok, so you've probably figured out that not all five of these lovely ladies will not be at the 2012 Drink Local Wine conference, but it would be really cool if Jancis attended (please, Jancis....). For those of you who do not know her, she is sort of akin to the female and British version of Robert Parker, Jr. (in as much as she is probably one of the most influential members of the wine industry in the world). She was the first non-wine trade member (she's a writer) to rise to the ranks of Master of Wine. She writes for a number of print publications, including Financial Times and The World of Fine Wine, and has taken the lead in online publication with her eponymous website, www.JancisRobinson.com. Every time she writes or talks about wine, you should be listening. Follow her on Twitter at @JancisRobinson.
1. Kendra Anderson, Westword's Swirlgirl. Kendra has a bit of work to do to make Colorado's winemakers believe that she truly is a supporter of the local industry after this article appeared in Westword this past summer. I know that she is, but that headline really ruffled some feathers. And the thing is, the article was rather positive despite the sensational title. Kendra is a true supporter of the local producers and has written many more positive stories than negative. She is turning into one of Colorado wine's biggest advocates. She truly wants Colorado wines to be found on every restaurant wine list in Denver, but she is not afraid to offer constructive criticism to the local winemakers and that is important. Make sure you are reading what Kendra has to say. You can follow her on Twitter at @SwirlGirlDenver.
2. Michelle Cleveland, Creekside Cellars. Michelle is the winemaker at Evergreen's aptly named Creekside Cellars. She is quickly becoming one of Colorado's most prolific social media gurus. She's on Facebook and she's on Twitter. Just last night, she tore up #winechat about #VAwine. If you're not hip to that last sentence, you need to get in touch with Michelle. Oh, and apparently she makes her own label, Nippersink Creek (which I still need to try). Follow Michelle on Twitter at @MCWineMaker.
3. Brooke Webb, Mesa Park Vineyards. Brooke is fairly new to the wine industry. That hasn't stopped her from making a big impact! Brooke and her family took over the reigns at Mesa Park Vineyards and have quickly turned it into one of the hottest wineries in the state. They are on the wine list at Frank Bonanno's Mizuna and quickly expanding to Denver's other big-name eateries. On top of raising the profile of her winery, Brooke was also just elected as the President of the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (C.A.V.E.), the state's wine industry trade organization. Fresh into her new duties, Brooke is working hard to improve the newly renamed Colorado Urban Winefest in downtown Denver. You can follow Brooke on Twitter at @MesaParkWines.
4. Jennifer Broome, Fox 31 News and Swept Away with Jennifer Broome. You're probably asking yourself why I put the meteorologist for Good Day Colorado on this list. Well, Jennifer also does the occasional travel bit on the show and publishes her own travel blog. As such, see has been visiting a variety of Colorado's wineries and vineyards and has become bit of an advocate for the local wine industry. She is also going to appear on the consumer perception panel at the Drink Local Wine conference on April 28. Make sure you get to know Jennifer before attending DLW and get some good weather advice along the way. You can follow Jennifer on Twitter at @JenniferBroome.
5. Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine. Ok, so you've probably figured out that not all five of these lovely ladies will not be at the 2012 Drink Local Wine conference, but it would be really cool if Jancis attended (please, Jancis....). For those of you who do not know her, she is sort of akin to the female and British version of Robert Parker, Jr. (in as much as she is probably one of the most influential members of the wine industry in the world). She was the first non-wine trade member (she's a writer) to rise to the ranks of Master of Wine. She writes for a number of print publications, including Financial Times and The World of Fine Wine, and has taken the lead in online publication with her eponymous website, www.JancisRobinson.com. Every time she writes or talks about wine, you should be listening. Follow her on Twitter at @JancisRobinson.
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