Denver Wine Radio

This time Paul and 'Cha get together to sample some Tempranillo and go over some of the robust flavors that emit from it. We also hear from Doug Kingman from Kingman Estates Winery.

10 acres and a barn in the Grand Valley of the Colorado River, near Palisade. Really, it started with a dream and a strong desire to create Colorado Wines that are equal to, or better, than wines from other great wine producing regions throughout the world.

The unique climate and soil conditions in the Grand Valley of Colorado yield a grape with outstanding characteristics enabling the production of uniquely exquisite wines. We are proud to be among the wineries in Colorado that serve authentic, handcrafted wines made right here in our facility.

Cha-Cha's back again! This time we're trying a well-bodied 2019 Malbec from Vinnie Fera Wineries in Boulder, CO. It's called Hogback, which might sound like an odd name, but it makes sense once you hear founder Tim Moley explain it. Vinnie Fera has been around since 2016, and they say they pick their grapes based on what fits best in the Colorado landscape. They're not forcing anything here- they want to allow the full flavor and potential of their grapes to come through when the wine hits your tongue, and spoiler alert, they definitely succeed with the Hogback. You can check their website out here if you'd like to pick some up for yourself.

Paul is joined by Colorado Music Experience founding director and author, G Brown. G covered popular music at The Denver Post for 26 years, interviewing well over 3200 musicians, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, and Kurt Cobain. He's also amassed an archive of close to 150 rare promotional photos, and he's put them all into a new book series called On Record.

ChaCha's back! And we're back to wine tasting. This week, we've got a lovely selection from Carboy, a fast-growing and award-winning winery with four locations across Colorado. We test their 2019 Riesling from Grand Valley, and it's quite the treat. We also get a special audio clip from Tyzok Wharton, Head Winemaker at Carboy, where he walks us through their whole winemaking process.

Carboy also has 3 wines in the Governor's Cup this year. If you'd like to learn more about them or pick up some of their wines yourself (which we'd definitely recommend), you can visit their website here.

I recently attended a wine tasting event hosted by Blanchard Family Wines in downtown Denver. Four winemakers each presenting one Colorado wine to an enthusiastic and thirsty crowd during Colorado Wine Week. In attendance was Doug Kingman from Kingman Estates Winery, Tim Moly from Vinny Fera Winery in Boulder, Tyzok Wharton from Carboy Winery in Littleton and myself. After the tasting and presentation, we had a panel discussion for the attendees to ask us questions. This is a part of that discussion which will hopefully give you some insight into the world of Colorado wine special. Thank you to James Blanchard for hosting this event and letting us pour our wines in his tasting room.

Nationally, October is Italian Heritage Month and since 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a proclamation designating October as Italian Heritage Month in Colorado. The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver drafted the proclamation noting the many different ways in which Italians helped and contributed to the establishment of many industries within the state. My guests are Susan Gurule from The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver and Alisa DiGiacomo from History Colorado.

Alisa DiGiacomo is the director of curatorial services and the senior curator at History Colorado. In 2007, she curated the Italians of Denver exhibit at the Colorado History Museum. A fifth-generation Italian American in Colorado, she holds a B.A. in art history and photography from the University of Northern Colorado and an M.A. in art history and museum studies from the University of Denver.

We encourage people to explore, document, share and celebrate our Heritage. In case people are not aware, History Colorado has one of the largest Italian American research archives in the nation. Developed in partnership with the Colorado Italian American community (beginning in 2002) it is a rich resource currently in the final stages of processing. Many items are available online and work continues.

Paul sits down with Alwyn "Fitz" Fitzgerald, the former President of Fisher King Winery which closed in 2020 when there were staffing shortages. In this episode you will find out first hand that it is not too cold to grow amazing grapes in Wisconsin, and that Paul finds similarities between Colorado and Wisconsin when it comes to growing grapes. He also tells the story of his mother and how he used to watch her make wine and why he decided to go into the wine business in 2011.

First of all, a disclaimer: No wine bottles were opened in this week's episode, but you certainly don't need a drink to enjoy this week's guest.

Angel Mendez-Soto grew up in New York City’s East Harlem (El Barrio), and he's a man with a storied career in theatre. He has been a member of Su Teatro, directed by Anthony J. Garcia, for over 40 years. In the 1980’s he was also a member of the the Black theatre company Eulipions, directed by Jo Bunton-Keel. Angel is a former recipient of the Mayor’s Excellence in the Arts Award. Earlier this year he portrayed Grandpop in the Theatreworks production of Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue at the ENT Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs.

Paul has known Angel for years, but the reason he's coming on the show now is because he's currently in Puerto Rican Nocturne, a powerful historical drama which will be at The Bug Theatre in North Denver from August 11th to the 21st. To grab your tickets, click here.

Paul and Angel dive into Angel's background on-stage, his experiences with telling Latino stories, and the importance of the story behind Puerto Rican Nocturne.

Fate and a combined passion for the wine industry brought two families together to create Continental Divide Winery. 

Part-time Breckenridge residents Jeffrey and Ana Maltzman owned two successful wineries in California. Ten years ago the Maltzmans, their two daughters and their two Australian Shepherds were walking down Main Street in Breckenridge when they spotted Colorado winemakers and Alma residents Kent Hutchison and Angela Bryan, their two daughters and their two Australian Shepherds walking the other direction. The couples and their girls have been fast friends ever since. 

The families quickly discovered their mutual passion for the art and science of wine. Today Continental Divide is owned and operated by the Maltzman family with Kent and Angela serving as contributing winemakers producing some of our most acclaimed Colorado reserve wines.    

By tasting different wines crafted from both California and Colorado grapes, guests can learn and experience the differences that altitude, soil and weather make on wine.   

They produce all of their wines in a state-of-the-art winemaking facility in Fairplay, making Continental Divide the highest altitude winery in the world. Crafting and aging wines at over 10,000' altitude minimizes oxygen exposure and results in a slower and more gentle fermentation that allows the true flavors of the fruit and land to come through. To further capitalize on our unique alpine location, they use a patented winemaking system to craft many of the wines in a nearly zero oxygen closed-cell environment as well as the use of snow and the extreme temperatures of the alpine environment to control fermentation instead of mechanical and artificial cooling.  

Continental Divide Winery invites you to come visit our tasting rooms in both Breckenridge and South Park (Fairplay) and experience first-hand our award-winning wines.  

Jenne Baldwin-Eaton started her career in winemaking with Plum Creek Cellars in 1994. For 22 years, Baldwin-Eaton made award-winning wines from 100% Colorado grown grapes and was involved in all aspects of running a commercial winery. The success and growth of the Colorado wine industry is very important to Baldwin-Eaton and as an instructor her goal is to pass along years of accrued knowledge and practical experience. She is currently developing and teaching the first Colorado AAS in Viticulture and Enology program, at Western Colorado Community College. She teaches courses in fermented beverage, sensory analysis, fermentation science, winemaking and viticulture.

Baldwin-Eaton teaches the courses through a combination of ground work fundamentals and hands-on experience. Students have an opportunity to work at the college vineyard, and make wine and gain knowledge from folks in the wine industry.

This week, Brad Page from Colorado Cider Company in Denver joins Paul to try ciders from his esteemed cidery. Colorado Cider Company is the oldest operating cidery in the state. Owners Brad and Kathe Page have also been planting cider and heirloom variety apples and pears at their property in Hotchkiss since 2012. Some of their most well-known products include the Glider, Dry Glider and Ol' Stumpy, produced in 2011, but they're also known for our unique lemon grass/dry hopped Grasshop-ah as well as other botanical favorites such as Pome Mel (Cyser with rosemary and Lavender) and their session cider Radl'ah.

The first cider on the list is the Colorado Cider Company's Block One Radler. This cider is made from the first planting (2013) of eleven plus cider and heirloom apple varieties at their orchard in Hotchkiss, Colorado. CCC are trying to determine what traditional apples will grow at altitude and produce unique flavorful ciders. They are happy with this first Block One harvest and think you’ll like it too! The 11 heirloom apple varieties are: Yarlington Mill, Golden Russet, Ellis Bitter, Major, Michelin, Kingston Black, Dabinett, Northern Spy, Foxwhelp, Brown’s Apple, and Wickson Crab. For more info and purchase options, click here.

The second option Paul and Brad tasted in this week's episode is Colorado Cider Company's Grasshop-ah. Aromas of lemon zest and cut grass lead to flavors of light hops and a citrus kick of lemongrass. An award winning gateway cider for beer lovers and unique thrill for cider adventurers. A hoppy cider! For purchase options, click here.

Third on this week's tasting list is the Kingston Black Cider. The classic single variety cider apple is considered a ‘bittersharp’ - it has the right balance of tannin and acid. No need to blend with other apples! This is the first single varietal from their orchard in Hotchkiss, Colorado. For information and purchase options, click here.

This week on Denver Wine Radio, Jacob Harkins joins Paul to taste four wines from around the world (of course one is from Colorado) in another episode of Colorado vs. the World. Jacob Harkins is a self-described wine geek, former wine journalist, and recovering ski bum. His current gig is running the marketing efforts of VintageView, the world leader in metal wine rack manufacturing. Paul has a VintageView set up in his winery!

The first wine tasted is the 2020 L'ESCALE SAUVIGNON BLANC, which is ripe, fresh and thirst-quenching. Showing notes of ripe stonefruit, gooseberries, nettles, and dried grass with hints of stony minerality. Click here to purchase.

The second wine tasted in this episode is the 2020 Cono Sur Organic Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. It's a very green-forward, flinty wine that goes well with greens. Click here to purchase.

The third wine on the docket is Colorado's Buckel Family 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, made in Gunnison. The Buckel Family Wine Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp white wine with notes of Palisade peach, grapefruit, melon, and apricot with hints of green pepper and a long mineral finish. Click here to purchase.

The final wine of the episode is the Manu Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. Powerful, exotic and varietal aromas of Sauvignon Blanc with tropical fruits of mango and passion, then apple and grapefruit. Click here to purchase.

Click here to view the documentary Jacob Harkins had a hand in making that was mentioned in the episode!

After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Management and Human Resource Management from Colorado Mesa University in 2011, Cassidee was hired in 2012 as the executive director of Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE), the only non-profit dedicated to the winemakers and grape growers in the state. Since then, she has restructured the organization into one of the premier wine-related associations in the USA. As the director of CAVE, Shull is responsible for organizing their regional trade conference, VinCO, as well as Colorado Mountain Winefest, the largest fundraiser for CAVE. Mountain Winefest has received national acclaim, being named the Best Wine Festival in the Nation by USA Today as well as receiving the Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative Award from the Colorado Governor's Tourism Conference. Each year, Colorado Mountain Winefest brings in attendees from all over the world, as well as over one million dollars of economic revenue to the Grand Valley.

Shull is active on many boards and committees including the Palisade Tourism Advisory Board, the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, the Western Colorado Horticultural Society Board, and the Colorado Tourism Destination Development Advisory Board. She received the inaugural Young Alumni Who’s Who award from Colorado Mesa University in 2018 and was participant in the Colorado Tourism Office Leadership Journey Class of 2019.

Outside of work, she enjoys supporting live music, D&D and spending time with her one-eyed Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Ruca – all over a glass of Colorado wine!

Blanchard Family Wines is the story of how wine can bring people together, build bridges and ignite passions that make dreams come true. This boutique winery expresses the vision of two brothers and the uniting qualities of great wine shared among friends and family.

A first-generation wine venture, the roots of the company are grounded in a family concept. The founders, Mark and James Blanchard, follow the tradition of two Blanchard brothers that can be traced back to at least the last four generations in the family.

Blanchard Family Wines is dedicated to the creation of limited production, hand-crafted, artisan wines, sourced from the top vineyards in the Sonoma Valley. They showcase the world-class appellations of Russian River, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley and most of their wines are either 100% varietal or single-vineyard products. Their family roots blend into the company philosophy, from the logo to the product names.

The first wine tasted in this week's episode is the Blanchard Family Wines Rosé. This wine is the winery's very first Colorado-made Blanchard rosé. Made from grapes grown in Palisade, Colorado, this wine is a juicy, fruity upfront tasting, heavy red-based varietal wine. Its distinct colour and flavour profile make it a rich, juicy, full bodied rosé that catches you off guard in the best way. To purchase this wine, click here.

The second wine of the episode is Blanchard's Dairy Block Blend. This wine also happens to be their first Colorado-made red wine! This wine is a delicious blend that would fit in any line-up in a Sonoma winery tasting. It's a unique varietal blend of Petite Pearl and Verona, which produce bold, rich, delicious red wines. Click here to purchase.

Jayme Henderson + Steve Steese of The Storm Cellar Winery join Paul this week to try two more of Colorado's finest wines. The Storm Cellar is a collaborative vision between Steve and Jayme; during their many years in the restaurant industry, whether for business, study, or pleasure, they spent most of their time away from work in wine country, and fell in love with it. Steve and Jayme traveled the world’s wine regions in search of their next home and adventure for years, only to finally realize that it was just over four hours west of their former home in Denver, on Colorado’s western slope. The Storm Cellar is a project founded upon a love of Colorado, a desire to make great wine in this great state, and a goal of helping to put a relatively unknown, yet up-and-coming region, on the national map.

For more info on The Storm Cellar and what Jayme and Steve are up to, visit their website, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

This week, ChaCha Chavez (re)joins Denver Wine Radio to try two fantastic Colorado wines. ChaCha is a radio personality who has spent 30 plus years on the air in Denver, Colorado, as a Program Director and on air talent at these legendary radio stations: KS104, KS107.5, Alice 105.9, Jammin 92.5, Kool105, Jammin 1015.

The first wine on the docket for this episode is the 2018 Riesling by The Storm Cellar based out of The Redstone Vineyard on Sunshine Mesa. "The alpine desert climate, along with a compact growing season, at nearly 5,900 feet above sea level, produces grapes of high concentration and vibrant acidity. Silky in texture, the off-dry style of this Riesling is brimming with notes of ripe peach and starfruit, and it pairs perfectly with a multitude of cuisines, especially spicy dishes."- The Storm Cellar Official Website

Wine Specs:

Variety - 100% Riesling

Clone - 9

AVA - West Elks

Vineyard - Redstone Vineyard, Wind Machine Block

Harvest Dates - September 29 and October 13, 2018

Fermentation - temperature-controlled stainless steel

Aging - stainless steel

pH - 3.2

TA - 6.55 g/L

RS - 30 g/L

Alcohol - 12.6%

Production - 330 cases

To purchase The Storm Cellar's 2018 Riesling, click here.

The second wine of the episode is the BookCliff Vineyards 2016 Ensemble Red. This award-winning wine has black pepper and baking spice aromas which are 'inviting on the nose, with a ripe blackcurrant tone adding levity to this blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 5% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. On the palate, a black cherry flavour is bright, balanced by dry tannins and oodles of spice, tobacco, oak and cinnamon. The finish is spicy in notes of peppercorn and bay leaf.'- F.A.

This wine is unfortunately sold out, but for more delicious wines offered by Bookcliff, click here.

Doug Caskey will be the first to tell you that he has one of the best government jobs in Colorado. At one point Doug was the store manager at the Boulder Liquor Mart. Now the executive director at Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, Doug shares thoughts about this week's wines, his thoughts on sake being considered a wine, and makes many recommendations on some delicious new drinks to try. If you want to know what's what when it comes to Colorado wines, hangout spots, the technicality of making wine at Colorado wineries, or just where the good grape growing areas are, ask Doug.

This week's first wine is the Carlson Vineyards NFSW white wine. People who rave about this wine note its lightly sweet, acidic, fresh and refreshing taste, but you'll have to listen to what Doug and Paul have to say for a metaphorical taste of this wine, since it's currently sold out.

This week's second wine is another red table wine from Whitewater Hill Vineyards, the 2018 St. Vincent. As described by Whitewater Hill Vineyards, 'This wine boasts red currant and raspberry notes on the nose, with delicate flavors of cranberry and apple on the palate. This wine has a subtle aftertaste of pecans and walnuts.' This wine was recognized by both the Colorado Governor's Cup and International Eastern Wine Competition (East Meets West) in 2021. To buy this wine, click here.

Blues guitarist Jack Hadley drops by to talk about his new CD, Daybreak In Alabama The Langston Hughes Project. A two year project in the making that features the poetry of Langston Hughes and Jack's music.

Show Notes:

[0:44] Who is Langston Hughes?

[4:44] How did you get the idea for this project?

[7:59] Any obstacles along the way?

[11:27] What's your favorite track?

[13:30] Listen to a sample of track 1: As I Grew Older

[17:00] What did you learn during this process?

[22:46] Giving credit to The Estate of Langston Hughes

Buy a CD at https://jackhadleymusic.net/ or stop by Bonacquisti Wine Company.

This is the final part of our meetup for C.A.V.E., Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology.

Marcel and Julie Flukiger of Aspen Peak Cellars have the most incredible story of starting and rebuilding their winery not once, but twice. 

Show Notes:

[1:46] Lightning strikes the winery

[3:10] An 18 Wheeler ran over the winery

[4:45] The Whack-a-Mole Winery

[6:51] Snowshoe and Fondue

[8:32] Tasting 285 Fusion

This is the second part of our meetup for C.A.V.E., Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology. 

We sat down with Steve Flynn, owner and winemaker at Vino Salida Wine Cellars in Poncha Springs, Colorado.

Show notes:

[1:44] Local Italian influnce

[4:22] They do mead.

[8:08] Let's taste some wine!

[8:50] What is barrel fermenting.

[12:10] Bourbon barrel Cabernet Sauvignon

Congratulations to Vino Salida for winning Double Gold at the 2019 Colorado Governor's Cup for their Vino Vermouth.

Last month we hosted a meetup for C.A.V.E., Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology. Winemakers and wine people who belong to the organization getting together to taste and talk about the wine industry in Colorado. We sat down with a few of the wineries and talked to them about what's going in their world of wine. First up was Carboy Winery, located in Littleton. At the time, they were a couple weeks away from opening their Denver location at the old Governor's Park at 7th and Logan, which is open now. 

Show Notes:

[1:01] Meet Ty, Kevin and Jason crushing 140 tons this year

[3:39] New location at Governor's Park

[7:17] What's pouring at Carboy

Bobby LeFebre is a writer and poet who lives in our Northside Denver neighborhood and wrote a play about it. He and cast member Angel Mendez stopped by to talk about the sold out show at Su Teatro and help us give away some tickets. 

About the play: Two couples vie to buy Mrs. Lujan’s home, as the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood is now appealing to suburban dwellers, Teo and Luna must fight to return to where they grew up and are now being priced out of home ownership. A tale of where the heart lives. 

Christopher C. Romero is a busy guy these days. Whether he's performing his record Rocknrolla, creating abstract art or acting in movies, he's always willing to take the time to sit down and talk with us. 

Show Notes:

[2:30] Romero talks about his movie premiere of Vault in theaters June 14th.

[6:18] What was the first movie you were in? How he got the part in Things to do in Denver When Your Dead.

[9:57] Killer Ink and Chewbaca came over for dinner

[14:20] Rocknrolla coming out on vinyl!

[20:22] Frustrations of being an independent artist

[22:45] Cha flashback to Alice and Fleetwood Mac

[29:00] Grateful that people still want to buy a cd with pictures.

We hit the canned wine isle and tasted 6 different wines including: Canterris Colorado White Wine

Tangent Sauvignon Blanc

Underwood Pinot Noir (Oregon)

Canterris Colorado Red Wine

Essentially Geared Red Wine (California)

Tasting wine from Guy Drew Vineyards with Jo Mama Myers.

[2:50] Guy talks about his chardonnay

[7:56] Growing grapes in the Four Corned area.

[11:07] Guy Drew Syrah: One of two wines that proves Colorado is the next wine region to watch. https://goo.gl/7PqZEv

[17:38] Who was your favorite rock star you met

If you grew up in the Mile High City listening to the radio, then you should remember Jo Mama Myers from KBPI, KAZY and KIMN. She stopped by to talk and taste some Colorado wine. We start off with Guy Drew Vineyards Chardonnay and later in Part 2, Guy Drew joins us on the air.

It's always nice to make new friends, but when they're fellow winos in Colorado, it makes it a lot more special. Stephanie Davis and Valerie Caruso from the Wine Two Five Podcast stop by to talk wine education.

Paul and Cha Cha talk Prosecco with Jelena Meisel from Zonin International.

Our show from Father's Day Weekend, Paul and Cha Cha compare dad's to Cabernet Sauvignon and taste Chateau Beauregard-Lagupeau, Two Rivers-Colorado, Altocedro Ano Cero-Argentina and Edge-Alexander Valley. Plus, a live studio audience and special things dad's say to kids. Thanks for listening.

One of the funkiest sax players in the Mile High City stops by to taste some riesling and play some music. It’s Jason Justice from the New Orleans style funk band, Gumbo le Funque. Recorded on March 17, 2018

We're tasting three box wines that are great for weekend barbecueing. Kingman from Colorado, Bota Box from California and Capoeira from Portugal.

Cha Cha picks out some wine based on the label and we tasted them.

In our final segment Kyle opens a half-botlle of 2007 Rossj-Bass Langhe.

In this segment we taste the 2014 Plum Creek Colorado Chardonnay and we take a phone call from Ray Ray!

In this segment we taste 2015 Joseph Drouhin LaForet Chardonnay and 2015 Folie a Deux Russian River Valley Chardonnay.

Our guest in studio is Kyle Schachter from the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. Kyle was featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine as 40 Under 40 Tastemakers. And today we're tastiing Chardonnay. in this segment we start with 2015 Two Rivers Colorado Chardonnay

www.winemag.com/content/40-under-40-2017-kyle-schlachter/

More with Michelle Cleveland from Creekside Cellars, winner of the 2017 Colorado Governor's Cup. Grapes need to get happy in the winery and Michelle and Paul share their music playlists for crush season. Then at the [4:25] mark Cha Cha spills the wine, literally, in the studio! Also, Colorado Winefest and what pair's with Chubby's.

Our Cabernet Franc tasting continues with Chinon and Colorado and Cha Cha's wine vocabulary is growing every week with adjectives like rustic, fresh and Denver Botanic Gardens.

We're tasting Colorado's Cab, Cabernet Franc, on the show today. here's the line-up: Lo Fi 2016 Cabernet Franc – Coquelicot Vineyard $27, 2016 Le Grand Bouqueteau Chinon $18, 2016 Bonacquisti Cabernet Franc, Colorado $19, 2015 Creekside Cellars Cabernet Franc, Grand Valley $45. We also talk about alcohol content at [3:45] mark and we get our first caller, luchador Ray Ray, at the [8:40] mark.

Michelle Cleveland, winemaker from Creekside Cellars, is our guest on Denver Wine Radio. Creekside Cellars has had a banner year scoring a 91 with Wine Enthusiast for their 2014 Colorado Cabernet Franc, winning the 2017 Colorado Governor's Cup and being named Winery of the Year from the Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology.

80% of the grapes in Colorado are grown around Palisade, Colorado in the Grand Valley AVA, a must visit with lots to do. Graciano is a spanish grape that John Garlich grows and happened to bring in for us to taste. Deeelish!

Tasting two more Malbecs and a Bruno Mars Breakdown. And Congratulations to the Bookcliff Vineyards, named Colorado Grape Grower of the Year.

We did a live on-air tasting of four Malbec wines. One from France, one from Argentina and two from Colorado with John Garlich from Bookcliff Vineyards while Cha Cha discovered the color of Malbec would make a great hair color.

John Garlich from Bookcliff Vineyards talks about Malbec in Colorado.

Wine and Music: That's what Denver Wine Radio is all about.

Paul and Doug talk about grapes grown in Colorado and how Paul aproaches those to fit his winemaking style.

Grand Valley, Colorado is named one of the top ten wine getaways in the world by Wine Enthusiast.

Doug Caskey, Executive Director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board is our guest in the studio.