Colorado Wine: Isn’t It Grand? Grand Valley, Colorado Wine

I often talk about the large state of Wyoming like it is a small community all its own…that just happens to be spread out over 97,000 square miles.  (Keep in mind we are like a small city, since there is only about 500,000 people in the entire state!)  I also often talk about how everything is "close" in Wyoming terms because we are so used to driving all over for everything.  I realize most people would think it was crazy to drive eight hours (one way) to visit wineries, but not this Wyoming sommelier!   Last week my hubby and I decided to hop in the car to visit our neighbor state of Colorado for a long weekend in the closest AVA (American Viticultural Area) to Wyoming:  the Grand Valley of western Colorado. 

Vines growing in the valley, surrounded by earthen hills.

The Grand Valley AVA was Colorado’s first of two AVAs (West Elks is the other).  Though the Grand Valley became an official AVA in 1991, grapes have been grown in the area since the 1890s, and the towns of Fruita, Grand Junction, and Palisade have been famous for cherries, peaches, and other produce for decades.  The 32,000 acres of growing area are unique in many ways.  First, the region only averages around ten inches of precipitation a year, and though grape vines grow well under adverse conditions, this just would not be enough water for great vineyards.  However, what the Grand Valley has as its secret weapon is the Colorado River!  The river runs through the entire valley, from the Grand Mesa on the east to the Colorado National Monument on the west, providing wonderful irrigation for grape and produce growers.  The Grand Mesa (the largest flat-topped mountain in the world) provides shelter for the eastern most vines.  The high altitude—4,700 feet in elevation and among the highest elevation of vineyards in the world—allows for cool nights to partner with hot days.  The winters here are much milder than in the mountainous parts of the state, and a longer growing season allows for grapes to reach later stages of ripeness while still retaining good acid structure.  These factors make superb growing conditions for a multitude of vitis vinifera grapes—no need for hybrids here—like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, etc.  In fact, the Grand Valley loves the Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vines; these grapes grow incredibly well here.  Many single varietal wines are made from these two unique grapes usually saved for blending only. 

Beautiful vines in the green valley.

Unique landscape of desert soil and the canyon walls.

The Grand Valley grows a large part of the grapes used to make wines all over the state of Colorado.  It is also home to seventy-five percent of the wineries in the state; there are currently 26 wineries, and I look for that number to keep growing.  On the east end of the valley, near the Grand Mesa, is Canyon Wind Cellars, our first stop.  This well-established and venerable winery has been producing wine since 1996 and has some of the older, modern vines in the area (growing since 1991).  This "grand" first stop set the bar high for the vineyards on the rest of our trip!  In the desert area in the southern part of the valley is Reeder Mesa Vineyards, a smaller, family-owned operation that was recently named the Best Winery at the Mesa County Fair (among other awards, as well).  Here, winemaker Doug tasted with us and took us through his Riesling vines.  In the more central area of the region was another small winery, Hermosa Vineyards.  Again, the winemaker, Kenneth, tasted with us and did a barrel sample for us.  Farthest west was Two Rivers Winery, producing wine since 1999 and one of the larger producers in the Grand Valley, making an average of 15,000 cases a year.  In between these we also stopped at Carlson Vineyards, Colorado Cellars Winery, Maison La Belle Vie, Mesa Park Vineyards, Plum Creek Cellars, and Whitewater Hill Vineyards. 

The Grand Valley--Colorado wine country!

I plan to write specific blogs on several of the ten wineries where we tasted over the course of the two days (Canyon Wind Cellars, Reeder Mesa, and Hermosa Vineyards), so I don’t want to give away too much here.  However, I will say that the Grand Valley and Colorado wines have an incredibly bright future in this “grand” and booming wine industry!  Most of the tasting rooms we spent time at gave us wonderful and exceptional attention, letting the wines sell themselves, but also helping us get to know the wines along the way.  The friendly faces and customer service made for a very special weekend spent visiting our close neighbor, Colorado.  The Grand Valley was worth the "short trip" where we were treated to great wines and even grander hospitality.  Colorado’s first and largest AVA definitely lived up to its name!  Colorado wines…they are "grand"!

Grand vines in the Grand Valley.

Wine Drinkers are Made, Not Born--Black Hills Wineries

Okay, I am not sure if this is scientifically true, but I know this is anecdotically (may have just made my own word) true.  What I mean is I have seen numerous people become drinkers of better wine just from drinking more wine.  My favorite story is of my sister-in-law who when she started drinking, drank only the sweetest wines she could get her hands on, like Moscato.  Within one year of drinking wine regularly, she was a California Cabernet drinker!  Now that is a palate that developed quickly!  At the end of June, my daughter turned 21, so I saw the fabulous opportunity to build the palate of her and her newly-21-year-old friends!  They weren’t born with Riedel in their hands, but they are now on the path to learning how to drink wine, that’s for sure!

            Finally legal, the last of her friends to be so, Ashlyn came home for the long Fourth of July weekend.  Before coming I asked if she might want to stop at a winery (or two), and she was very excited.  So of course, I took that inch she gave me and went a mile, deciding to visit three of my favorite wineries in the Black Hills over two days.  Each winery has different qualities that make it special and different qualities for wine newbies to enjoy.  (I have written about each of these wineries at some point before, but they are worth a recap today.)  Of course, Ashlyn, Caitlin, and (later) Dorothy were trying the sweeter wines at each stop.  However, please don’t cringe at this.  I have always considered sweet wines “gateway wines” that will eventually open the door for other wines.  Again, making a wine drinker does not necessarily happen over night!

Winery One:  Naked Tasting Room, Hill City

            Naked Winery is a tasting room for Naked Wines produced in Hood River, Oregon.  There are two tasting rooms in the Black Hills, the Hill City location, where we stopped, and the Custer location.  Hill City is unique in that it is now producing its own beers under the Sick and Twisted label and has started to blend its own wines that were first produced in Oregon and then shipped to South Dakota for blending, bottling, and labeling.  My only rule here was I wanted the girls to try the traditional vitis vinifera grape wines, not the super-sweet other fruit wines.  The novice wine drinkers balked at first…that is until they took their first sip!  They started with an off-dry pink wine—Booty Call Blush—and their love for wine began.  They tried several whites, from Score Sweet White to Tease Riesling to Sundressed Outdoor Vino.  The girls enjoyed them all, but their favorite was Cougar, a semi-sparkling white from Oregon grapes.  They did try one peach-Moscato blend, and I was very pleased when that was almost too sweet for their blooming pallets…all good news for a sommelier mom!

Winery number one--Naked Winery tasting room in Hill City.

Fun and funny merchandise at Naked.

Winery Two:  Prairie Berry, Hill City

            My daughter has been to Prairie Berry on several occasions before; it is one of my favorite places for lunch, and I have requested Mother’s Day brunch here with the family on more than one occasion.  However, she was excited to be able to enjoy some wine with her food for a change!  We ordered food before tasting, and Ashlyn tried a wine cocktail, the Blue Suede Shoes blueberry wine with lemonade.  (I have had this before and knew it was a yummy summer drink!)  After the fabulous food, we started sipping some of PBW’s sweeter wines.  Of course, the first one to try had to be the flagship wine that put Prairie Berry on the map, Red Ass Rhubarb.  This and Lawrence Elk were standouts in the wine lineup.  The girls did try one of the sweetest wines on the menu, Calamity Jane, reminiscent of Concord grape juice.  Again, I love Calamity as a gateway wine that gets people hooked on wine, but to my pleasure, it was also too sweet for my wine drinkers in-the-making.  Stop two and once more, sommelier mom is happy with the palate progress. 

One Prairie Berry's outdoor stairway.

Winery Three:  Belle Joli, Deadwood

            I love Belle Joli’s story.  Winemaker Matt went to enology school in California, then came back to South Dakota to grow the majority of the fruit for the wines he and his wife Choi make.  Belle Joli is very much a family affair, with Matt’s parents also acting as brawn (and maybe some brain) for the operation, which is still small but has plans for expansion with new vines and a new facility near Sturgis.  My group of wine novices had grown to three by this point, and the young ladies were very pleased with all of the Belle Joli wines they tasted.  La’ Lure (an award winning wine) started off the tasting with a splash, and the positive progress continued through the Edelweiss, Mon Cherry, pear dessert wine, and peach dessert wine (both mimicking the sugar content of ice wines).  The favorite was a tie between La’ Lure (a blend of Edelweiss and Riesling) and Edelweiss, showing that the beginners have already moved on to German-style wines, a wine win as far as sommelier Kara is concerned!

Tasting at the outdoor tables at Belle Joli in Deadwood.



            So yes, building a wine palate that can impress others often takes years; however, learning to appreciate wines is the first step to loving more complicated and serious wines.  I often think of where I would be now if I had started appreciating wine at age 21.  Over twenty years of wine experience instead of ten and who knows what I might know now…I guess we’ll see in ten years, won’t we (wink).  I do know that I loved sharing one of my loves (wine) with one of my loves (my only daughter).  I also tried to use it as a tool to teach these college students about responsible drinking for enjoyment, of which I have always said wine is the epitome.  Wine is meant to be sipped and enjoyed, slowly with food, as an experience often shared with others.  This experience is now passed on to three more (hopefully) wine lovers.  And to all of you:  keep building that wine palate!  Cheers!

Wyoming Wine That Will Make You Jump For Joy--Buffalo Jump Wines

Denis Waitley once said, "Chase your passion, not your pension.”  Like good entrepreneurs, that is exactly what Beckie Tilden and Scott Wagner did to fulfill their dream of making wine in Wyoming.  This passion-filled endeavor didn’t just happen overnight.  It was a labor of love that has felt some growing pains as Buffalo Jump Wines leap to success.

Before making wine a full-time business, Scott commuted to his former job…in New York City!  The Powell native worked in finance and boarded the plane to Wall Street every week.  After the economy turned in 2008, Scott did economic development work for Cody.  During this time, Beckie (from a six-generation Meteetsee, Wyoming ranch family) was known as “Beckie Home-Eckie” since she was the middle school home economics and then the Title I reading and math teacher for a total of 16 years in Cody.  Scott had been making wine for decades—literally; his first wine making experience was in his college dorm room in Utah.  In April of 2011, the couple started the federal and state licensing processes to open a commercial winery in Cody.  They sold the first bottle of Buffalo Jump Wine on December 8, 2011.  By mid-2012, the winery was taking off so fast that it could no longer be just a part-time venture.  Scott left his day job and began making wine full time.  Beckie finished the school year in May of 2012 and made the decision to leave teaching.  This was scary for her, but as she said, they, “Have never looked back!”

Buffalo Jump Wines on display in a Wyoming liquor store.

Of course, one of the biggest wine-making obstacles in Wyoming is where to get the grapes.  Buffalo Jump sources its fruit from different areas of California, depending on the grapes.  The Cabernet Sauvignon (also made into a rose) comes from the Suisun Valley, the Sauvignon Blanc comes from Lake County, and the Chardonnay from Santa Maria.  All of these grapes are chosen for their specific wine-making qualities, and the vineyards that grow these grapes have long-term contracts with Buffalo Jump.  The grapes are handpicked, crushed, and fermented before the trip to Wyoming because Scott and Beckie do not yet have the facilities to do the crush in-house.  Once in Cody, the art of winemaking continues.  The wines are fined (removing visible particles in the wine) with vegan-friendly measures—though this isn’t necessarily advertised on the label.  Some of the white wines are filtered and some also go through cold stabilization to remove certain acids and particles that might cause sediment.  Few additional sulfites are added during the process.  (An ironic side note to this is that Scott has a sensitivity to sulfites.  His slight allergy makes for wine drinkable by others who may also have this  same issue.)  Wines are aged in French and American oak before they are bottled and labeled on site. 

 Here, Laura (University of Wyoming chemistry and molecular biology student) tests and quality controls the wine in the new production area.  Alex (UW graphic design student) and Jerrod (smart phone app writer) also help run the tasting room and bottle wine.

Though the winery is growing by leaps and bounds due to passion and perseverance—Scott and Becky were just moving into a new tasting room with triple the space when I visited—there were hurdles to jump.  Most of these issues occurred because Buffalo Jump was a venture no one in Cody knew the exact steps to follow for legality purposes.  For instance, the city was unsure of what to do to fulfill the federal, state, and city licenses.  The health inspector wasn’t aware of how harmful chlorine could be to wine at any step in the winemaking process so had to rethink the health inspection of the facility.  (The winery uses acid sterilizers, which have no effect on the wine, for disinfection purposes instead of chlorine and bleach.)  Scott and Beckie have even called on their Republican senator, Mike Enzi, to help them clear up a few issues with the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau).  However, all of these “problems” then became positives as Buffalo Jump paved the way for other area businesses that may want to follow in their footsteps.  The other difficulty faced has been marketing the wine.  Let’s face it…Wyoming is a HUGE state.  Scott traveled over 75,000 miles in one year promoting Buffalo Jump Wines to those around the state.  Wyoming has been incredibly receptive though, as people all over have supported Scott, Beckie, and Buffalo Jump Wines. 

New winery tasting room space. 

When I heard Scott and Beckie talk about their wines, I could hear the passion in their voices.  Scott said, “We just love it!”  And this love for the craft of winemaking is evident in each wine they make.  The 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is a unique wine with ample lemon and melon notes, very smooth on the palate.  The stainless steel fermented 2011 Chardonnay is a crisper style of Chardonnay with mineral and a hint of butter.  The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon rose is a great summer wine.  Beautiful light ruby in color, it is filled with tart strawberries and just a slight suggestion of leather.  (Plus, I love a single-varietal pink wine.) The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is filled with baked fruit, vanilla, and cedar.  Aged for 16 months in French and American oak, it has smooth tannins.  I also love that it is only 12.6 percent alcohol, proving that a good Cab doesn’t have to be hot with alcohol.  The Petite Sirah from 2007 is one of Buffalo Jump’s reserve wines.  With notes of forest floor, pine, earth, baked plum, and cedar, this is a special wine.  The last regular tasting wine was the 2007 Merlot, with smells and tastes of berries, petrol, garage, berries, earth, and spice; this was a solid Merlot with a very-pleasant finish. 



 The regular tasting lineup.

When we finished tasting in the front tasting room, Beckie and Scott led me back to their new and improved production area for barrel tastings of some unique wines they bought when they were trying to source grapes.  A winery in California was actually going out of business, yet still had wines in barrels; some needed bottled and some still needed aged.  Beckie and Scott helped that winery bottle its final vintage and then purchased the barreled wines to continue aging in Cody.  The wines included a 2006 Petite Sirah, a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2007 Cabernet Franc, and a 2006 Petite Verdot.  Scott and Beckie aren’t sure yet what path they will take with these wines, but whatever they choose to do…I want to be able to purchase these wines!  The extended aging has softened the tannins while bringing out the fruit.  My two favorites were the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (already achieving a brick-orange color with baked fruits, pepper, oak, and soft tannins) and the 2006 Petite Verdot (inky, brick-red with Fig Newton, dried fruit, vanilla, and supple tannins).  These are wines I will jump at the chance to have in my glass!

The new tasting area. 

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you,” said Oprah Winfrey.  Beckie and Scott make Buffalo Jump Wines with a true passion, and these wines are exciting for all who taste—and all wine lovers in Wyoming.  The future of Buffalo Jump is also exciting as they plan to make mead (honey wine from Lovell, Wyoming honey) and a moscato; they are also looking at the possibility of opening another tasting room in Wyoming at some point and creating a wine club for customers.  I have jumped on the bandwagon of Buffalo Jump Wines, a bandwagon I will be riding well into the future!

Personalized glasses at the tasting room for Buffalo Jumpers who stop in to enjoy wine. 

Wonderful Wines in the Wyoming West--Cody, Wyoming

Cody, Wyoming—made famous by Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Rodeo—nestled in the north-western corner of the state, is often overshadowed by the more well-known, and much more posh and expensive, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Cody is on the edge of Yellowstone National Park like Jackson.  However, Cody is also on the edge of becoming the preeminent wine destination of Wyoming.  On my recent trip to and through Cody, I was impressed with the promotion of wine and the wine industry in the quaint and comfortable town.  I was so impressed, in fact, I had to write about it!

Impression number one:  a master sommelier!

Perhaps a driving force behind some of the wonderful wine experiences happening in Cody is Amanda Luther, master sommelier in training.  (And from one sommelier to another, this is INCREDIBLY remarkable!)  In her mid-twenties, Amanda is near the half-way mark of her sommelier studies.  She is doing most of this work through independent study with online and social networking resources, while sipping and evaluating wines almost daily.  Amanda teaches wine classes at Juniper Wine and Spirits (more on that business soon), teaching about anything wine related, whether it be Chardonnays or Greek wines.  (During a recent Greek wine class Amanda paired Greek wine with Greek food…yum!)  As if this isn’t enough, Amanda is working on her MBA through a Colorado university.

Master Sommelier in training, Amanda Luther.  (Photo from the Casper Star Tribune.)

Casper Star Tribune article about Amanda--click here.

Impression number two:  Juniper Wine and Spirits

Juniper is the absolutely adorable liquor store and gift shop where Amanda spends many of her hard-working hours.  In addition to the wine classes, Juniper has an incredibly well-organized wine and liquor selection.  Every wine has been tasted (Amanda and other staff at work) with tasting notes for customers to use to help guide buying decisions.  Juniper also has a cute tasting bar in back where clientele can sit and sip a taste or a glass of one of the wines on the ever-changing tasting list.  Juniper has plans to expand in the next year because the current space just isn’t big enough for this growing wine-centric business.



The tasting bar at Juniper Wine and Spirits.

Impression number three:  Libations

Libations is an incredibly unique full-service liquor store.  It is has a large wine selection spread out so patrons can easily see what wines are available for purchase.  What makes Libations so one-of-a-kind is in the large wine area are pub tables and three, four-bottle Enomatic wine dispensers just waiting for wine lovers to try one of the twelve wines on tap or buy a bottle to sit and sip in the store.  Wine glasses just happen to be waiting in this serve-yourself establishment.  If sitting inside doesn’t sound appealing during these beautiful summer months, there is a patio area for sitting and relaxing with a drink.  If wine isn’t the preferred libation (wink), there are also multiple daiquiri machines to choose from, or a six pack of beer could be purchased with the same serve-yourself premise. 

Enomatic wine dispensers at Libations.

Impression number four:  Buffalo Jump Wines

Last, but definitely not least, is Buffalo Jump Wines. Winery owners and winemakers—husband and wife Beckie Tilden and Scott Wagner—are producing wines right in Cody.  Though the fruit is sourced from California, the winemaking process continues in Cody.  In fact, when I was in Cody last weekend, Beckie and Scott were just moving into a larger space because within two years they had already outgrown their former facility.  Buffalo Jump has wines ranging from a Sauvignon Blanc, to a Cabernet Sauvignon rose, to a Merlot.  I don’t want to give away too much since I am planning on a full blog about Buffalo Jump.  However, let it suffice to say that even in the middle of a move, Beckie and Scott showed me wonderful hospitality, and I sipped on some of their equally wonderful wines. 

Buffalo Jump Winery's tasting lineup. 

Though Cody may be thought of as the second entrance to Yellowstone, or the “other” town in the north-western corner of Wyoming when compared to Jackson, I see Cody creating its own reputation when it comes to wine.  (I should also add one microbrew is already up and running with an amazing restaurant—Geyser Brewing Company and the Terrace restaurant—with two other microbrews in different stages of planning, so Cody isn’t focusing solely on wine.)  I look forward to going back to Cody again next summer; I truly think that all of these wine-loving businesses will be doing well and continuing to expand.  I want to witness the evolution of Cody as the Wine Capitol of the Wyoming West! 

Cork Craft Craziness

The sharp metal point pierces into the soft material in the neck of the bottle.  The “squeak, squeak, squeak” echoes as the cork screw is imbedded into the cork.  After pressure to remove the stopper, a familiar “pop” sounds, followed by a waft of aromas entering the air.  The dark, chokecherry-colored liquid slowly fills a clear piece of crystal stemware.  Pouring a glass of wine remains a beautiful routine that many love to repeat.  Nevertheless, this common practice also has some universal drawbacks, number one being the garbage left after enjoying a wonderful bottle of wine:  glass and cork.  However, there are some truly fun ways to reuse wine waste, especially corks.  Hello, my name is Kara, and I am a cork craft-aholic!

Cork craft one:   Corks themselves can be fun décor, especially when put in a cork cage, which there are currently multiple designs.  If something more distinctive than a cork cage is desired, find a unique antique bowl or glass vessel.  Stores also carry many glass containers that can serve double duty as cork holder and candle holder or other function.  This is the easiest craft of all; just put the corks in after each bottle is empty, and a simple cork craft is born!

 

 

Cork cage easily purchased at a wine or kitchen store.

 

 Antique glass bowl used to hold corks--art in itself.

 

Large, antique pickle jar that holds hundreds of corks.

 

 Candle holder that can hold corks in the bottom, found at home decor stores.

Cork craft two:  Tables can be set with many different objects made from corks.  Corks with a slit cut in the top make great placecard holders.  With just an easy jewelry-making kit, corks can also be used to make wine glass charms.  I have seen center pieces and napkin rings fashioned from corks.  Of course, used wine bottles also make great crafts for the table, but that is another blog entirely!

 

 

Placecard easily made with slitting the top and flattening the bottom of the cork.

 



Corks with string as wine glass charms, placecards, or table decorations.

Cork craft three:  Corks used as bulletin boards, trivets, and coasters are fairly easy to make and are very popular.  The larger the board, the more corks needed; however, the hardest part of hot gluing all of the corks in place is making sure that the corks are the right size to fit in the necessary spot on the board.  Corks can be split in half horizontally or vertically to use half as many corks to finish the project, but this takes a very sharp blade to complete.  I usually use whole corks for my bulletin boards.

Heart-shaped cork trivet; kit can be purchased from home and wine shops.

 

Large bulletin board from whole corks.

Cork craft four:  Though this project takes many corks, cork wreaths of varying sizes make wonderful decorations during any season of the year.  There are multiple patterns that can be found for different style wreaths; one internet search can show these varieties.  I did a random pattern and then tied a bow that matched the kitchen of the individual to whom I was gifting the craft.  This was a really fun project and one I am going to make to keep for myself at some point!

All-season cork wreath--took almost 200 corks.

 



One search for “cork crafts” online shows very unique cork projects for completion, anything from vests, to bathmats, to table tops, to wall coverings.  I haven’t decided what my newest venture with corks is going to be, but I do know I will continue to hear the squeak of the corkscrew in the bottle before the pop of that cork.  After the routine of pouring the final drops of what I like to think of as “the nectar of the Gods” from its bottle, I will save my cork to continue my crafting.  Don’t throw those corks away!  Use them to counteract the only drawback I see to responsible wine drinking—the waste involved. 

 

 

A Sommelier’s Shame

The word “sommelier” is so sophisticated sounding, so beautiful as it rolls off one’s tongue.  Just so…French!  However, even though I am a certified sommelier, sometimes I am forced to not be a sophisticated wine drinker.  Part of this is the area I live and part of this is the circumstances of my life.  I sometimes drink cheap wine (really cheap wine) out of cheap glasses (really cheap glasses).  It happens.  In Wyoming and the Black Hills, not every restaurant is an awesome restaurant; sometimes it is just an amazing burger joint, and not every amazing burger  joint has a wine list.  Or if said burger joint does have a list, it often consists of Cabernet, Merlot, and white Zinfandel, that's all.  I try to stay away from box wines, but I had to try the wine that came in a box that looked like a purse, and I love Bota Box wines for hikes and picnics.  But today I am not talking about that kind of sommelier’s shame, a shame that sommeliers in metropolitan areas don’t have to contend with like I do in my rural surroundings.  Today I am talking about the shame that I have made it my goal to explore and promote all things wine related in the Black Hills and Wyoming, and I have knowingly not done this.  Here’s my confession: 

            About five years ago, I stopped at Stone Faces Winery outside of Hill City, South Dakota.  (Wines made by Valiant Vineyards in eastern South Dakota; Stone Faces is the western SD tasting room with a different name.)  The non-descript sign out front and lack of branding/marketing put me off right away.  I went inside, tasted some wines, and left…never to go back until this past weekend.  Shame.  On.  Me!  I claimed to be promoting area wine businesses, and yet I had chosen to neglect one.  I was so glad I got back to following my own advice; I don’t know why I wasn’t impressed last time, but my second trip made up for this. 

 

The sign welcoming visitors to Stone Faces.

            Once I got past my sign issue, I bellied up to the tasting bar to try my six wines (with no tasting fee).  Because there are still so many newbie wine drinkers in our area, wineries need to have a mix of both sweet and dry wines.  I focused on the dryer reds and whites.  Stone Faces makes wines from both grapes and other fruits, sometimes mixing the two.  The wines also have names primarily dealing with South Dakota or the Black Hills, like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Mount Rushmore.  This was shown in the first wine I sipped, the Full Throttle red that was a brandy-fortified wine with 16 percent alcohol.  I was impressed that this was not too hot from alcohol, though the heat did show up more on the finish.  I then was able to do a short vertical tasting of the Sturgis Merlot 2011 and 2013.  These grapes were sourced from California, as Merlot does not grow well in the harsh Midwestern winters.  The 2011 was dryer with more baked plum notes, while the 2013 was more Pinot Noir-like in body and taste.  (Possibly because grapes were sourced from completely different vineyards, areas, etc.)  Since I was in the process of getting my summer wine palate on, I bought the lighter-bodied 2013…and drank it already!  The next dry red was the Artisan, a mix of California Cabernet and South Dakota St. Croix grapes.  This was also very pleasant, and I liked the idea of the state-sourced grapes. 

 

2011 and 2013 Sturgis Merlots.

            The final red was sweeter, the Rushmore Red.  This was made from California Merlot and eastern South Dakota Noirette.  I transitioned from the reds to the whites with Stone Faces’ pink wine, Pasque (named for the South Dakota state flower).  This was a blend of Frontenac and Niagara grapes, both SD grown.  This was another great summer wine, and I bought a bottle.  It was filled with floral aromas and flavors and had a clean laundry smell--a fun wine with a really beautiful color.  Rushmore White boasted a German style, made from Riesling and Edelweiss grapes—Edelweiss grapes grow well in this area.  The final white, called Sweet White, used Niagara grapes.   There were six other wines on the tasting list, but these were all other fruit wines (like rhubarb and blueberry) and a bit sweet for my palette. 

Stone Faces blueberry wine, with a picture of the tasting room on the label.

            After my stop, I don’t have to be ashamed that I am not experiencing and promoting all aspects of wine in our tiny, budding wine world of the Black Hills as I said I would.  Stone Faces taught me to not judge a book by its cover (maybe I am finally going to get over the issues I have with their poor signage).  I enjoyed the wines I tried, and my tasting associate, Cynthia, was informative, friendly, and energetic.  I could also tell I was not the only one giving more attention to these wines.  The tasting room was quite busy with patrons of all ages:  from me, to distinguished gentlemen, to 20-something couples.  (I always love it when I see young people experiencing wine!  It makes me so happy for the future of the industry.)  Now my sommelier’s shame only has to be when I am forced to drink cheap wine (I don’t mean inexpensive and good quality…I mean CHEAP) out of a red Solo cup (hey, it happens!). 

When it’s Hard to Watch the News

          This is another one of those weeks when I turn on the television, and I inevitably walk away with tears in my eyes.  There just seems to be so much bad news lately:  Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, Boston Marathon bombing, Oklahoma tornados.  It is really hard for me to focus on wine and writing about wine (a subject that makes me so incredibly happy and joyful) with so much sorrow and pain in the world.  I wish I could write words that would help the victims, help the families of victims, help those of us who want to do more…but instead I write about wine.  At first I was thinking of how trivial wine seems in times like these.  Then I realized, wine is very serious business, and it is the livelihood of thousands and thousands of people in the United States alone, not even taking into account how many people in the world rely on wine for the roofs over their families’ heads and the food for their children’s mouths.  Wine is a very important industry.

            According to the National Grape and Wine Initiative in 2007, the wine industry is responsible for over 162 billion (with a B!) dollars of economic impact in the U.S.  Research done by MFK Research LLC in a report entitled The Impact of Wine, Grapes, and Grape Products on the American Economy: Family Businesses Building Value, the wine industry provides over one million full-time American jobs.  Part-time and seasonal work could also be added to this number.  Wine making starts with the grapes, which is essentially an agricultural business, and big business at that.  In 2005, there were 23,856 grape growers—that’s a lot of grapes!  In 2000, there were a total of 2,904 wineries in the U.S.; in 2005 there were 4,929.  By 2012, Winebusiness.com estimates that number at 7,116.  All of these wineries create over 11 billion dollars in winery sales revenue (again from the 2007 article).   Over three billion dollars can be attributed to winery tourism expenditures.  These numbers are proof of the growing importance of wine in our country.  Grapes and grape juice also add to the overall industry (though they may not be as fun for us to consume…wink).  The non-fermented family members of wine add another 1.669 billion dollars to the economy.  All of these numbers add up to a lot of tax dollars:  17.1 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.

            Many of us may automatically think of the large wine producing areas, like California, Washington, and Oregon, when we think about the above numbers.  However, all 50 states now have wineries; my little, old, sparsely-populated Wyoming already has three—only one using state-grown fruit.  South Dakota, a state where agriculture is the number one industry, now has multiple vineyards and wineries.  Though grapes are still in the “other” category of agricultural products here (where corn and soybeans are royalty), growing grapes and fruit for wine on a commercial basis is a part of the ag industry that didn’t even exist twenty years ago!  This can be said for many states in the Midwest, like Minnesota, Wisconsin (both in the forefront of creating and using hybrid grapes), Nebraska, and Colorado (which now has two AVAs—Grand Valley and West Elks).  Wine has turned into a budding (pun intended) and important growth industry all over America. 

 

Scenes from the "budding" wine industry:

Table Mountain Vineyards--Huntley, Wyoming

 

Belle Joli Winery--Belle Fourche, South Dakota

 

Grand Valley AVA--Colorado

            During these hard times that are so much in our thoughts and minds, it may be hard to focus on the fun parts of wine—the smelling, sipping, laughing, and loving.  However, it is essential to remember the serious side of wine.  It is an important industry all over the nation, an industry that a mere two decades ago was non-existent in many states, like the area I call home.  I wish all of the families hit by the recent disasters well and will keep praying for them.  I also wish all the wine industry families well and will keep praying for an industry that continues to strengthen our economy. 

Unfaithful

I admit freely, have admitted it freely for years, I am a wino.  (I often like to spell it wineaux…it makes me feel better.)  I enjoy a glass of wine multiple nights a week with dinner.  I love new and different wines when I find them.  I love experiencing the culture of wine, learning about wine, and teaching about wine.  But lately…lately…I have been neglecting my lover wine and spending a bit more time with beer…and as a friend pointed out, it is as if I am cheating on wine!  The first weekend in May I led a Brinery Tour through the Black Hills, enjoying both wine and beer (see blog post below).  This past weekend, a group of friends and I went to Fort Collins, known as the Napa of Beer, to attend a private beer tasting there with Lauren Hoff, founder of the blog with the same name—Napa of Beer.  Lauren, knowing I was a wineaux, focused the very unique tasting on “Beer for Wine Lovers.”  Then we tried some truly one-of-a-kind beers. 

Beer One:  Funwerks Saison—This beer was produced right in Fort Collins, though I have not visited Funwerks yet.  Saison beers were originally brewed for farm hands to drink in the French speaking areas of Belgium.  Special yeasts were used that made this beer sweet and smooth with “funky” flavors.  It had a light straw color, and at 30 IBUs (International Bitterness Units) was considered not overly bitter.  This was my friend, and fellow beer taster, Jody’s favorite beer of the six. 

Though not sipping the Saison, Jody and Michelle enjoying the tasting.

 



Beer Two:  NoLi Born and Raised IPA—India Pale Ales like this beer are known for their bitterness from the hops used during production, and the NoLi was no exception.  Its score of 80 on the IBU scale shows the “hoppiness” in the drink.  However, people--like my hubby--who love IPAs, love the hoppy bitterness.  This second beer was his favorite in the tasting.  The brew master who makes NoLi beers got his start in Fort Collins, then took his talents to Washington to start his own brewery.  It was made in Spokane, and all the materials used came from within 200 miles of the brewery.    

NoLi Born and Raised IPA.

 



Beer Three:  Midas Touch Clone—When King Midas’s tomb was discovered, beer was found buried with him.  Scientists and beer enthusiasts have broken down the ingredients in the beers found, and this mix of beer, mead, and grapes was a clone of the ancient beer.  (Many ancient beers have been scientifically mapped and then recreated in modern breweries.  Who knew?!)  The hobbiest brewmaster who brewed this beer, Matthew Burton, was on hand for our tasting.  He brews in his garage in his spare time; this particular beer he aged for four years, mostly in bottle.  I enjoyed the mix of the wine and beer world in this taster; the mead (honey wine) was evident on the palette.  This brew was my favorite.  I drank another glass later in the tasting and found I liked it even more when it had warmed up a few degrees.  (This is usually the exact opposite of how I feel about beer:  I want it colder than cold can get.)

 

Midas Touch King Clone.

Beer Four:  Blue Moon Impulse—The only beer we had that was not technically from a craft brewery (must be small and independently owned), Coors produced the Blue Moon Impulse.  It was a combination of wheat beer and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes as part of the Vintage Ale series combining beer and wine.  This beer was lighter, sweeter, and softer than any of the others.  To me it was reminiscent of church wine with some carbonation.  However, many liked the softer style that wasn’t beer-like or wine-like.  My sister enjoyed this one; it was her favorite. 

Beer Five:  Odell Amuste—Odell Brewery’s community room played host (with Lauren and Matthew) to our private tasting, and this fifth beer represented the host brewery well.  Amuste was an imperial porter aged for two years in oak barrels with Tempranillo grape juice sourced from the western slope of Colorado.  Beautifully brown in color, the porter showed hints of coffee and chocolate.  It was a very robust beer, and my Fort Collins friend Rhonda especially enjoyed this one.

 

O'Dell's Amuste porter.

Beer  Six:  Solera Old Ale—A second project from one of our tasting hosts Matthew, Solera started as a group barrel with multiple brew masters adding ingredients to create a sour ale.  From 2008 to 2011, ten gallons were removed from the barrel for consumption each year, and ten more gallons of new brew were added.  Our batch was pulled in 2011, and not long after, the entire barrel was emptied for use.  What that meant was we were truly drinking an exclusive beer.  Many thought this was too bitter for them, but it was actually my second favorite beer of the tasting.  This wine lover found I actually liked the beers MOST that tasted the LEAST like beer.  Go figure. 

 

With Lauren and Matthew--thank you both!

 

Though I don’t usually drink beer, I love the whole culture behind the microbrew and craft beer industry.  People are fun, friendly, and accessible, while the brewery tasting rooms are noisy, boisterous, and vibrant…all qualities I enjoy.  Lauren taught us how to taste beer, and though there are similarities to wine tasting, there were unique aspects just for beer.  Sometimes I think the wine world can be too stuffy and pretentious; the craft beer world takes this stuffiness and laughs in its face!  I don’t see myself ending my love affair with wine anytime soon; however, I truly enjoyed our beer tasting and learning even more about beer.  I may “cheat” on wine periodically to get my fill of the alternative, and entertaining, culture of beer! 

 

Our group enjoying our private tasting.

 

Please visit Lauren Hoff's Napa of Beer.