Colorado Wine has been growing and improving by large leaps over the last thirty years. Which is especially welcome this time of year as wine from Colorado makes a fine holiday gift.
A good place to start is with the 2023 Governor’s Cup Wine Collection winners (https://coloradowine.com/governors-cup/) (all made from Colorado grapes, honey, or other fruit). The winning wineries include Alfred Eames, Balistreri, BookCliff, Dragon Meadery, Restoration, Sauvage Spectrum, Snowy Peaks, Peachfork and Storm Cellar.
Look for these and other Colorado wines at local shops or online. And of course, the Winery at Holy Cross Abbey is just down the road. You could travel to the Western Slope.
You also can go to Denver to pick up Balistreri’s award-winning Syrah-CSU Vineyard. At their north Denver winery, winemaker John, his wife Birdie and daughter Julie offer tastings, tours, a fine lunch seven days a week, and space for special events.
I also recommend a visit to nearby Spero Winery. Spero is open for free tasting on Saturdays 1-5 p.m. or by appointment. And expect complimentary cheese and deli meats available to accompany your tastes. They also can accommodate private tastings, group visits, and special events.
Another family endeavor, Clyde is the winemaker and his wife June (who is John Balistreri’s sister) manages the business (and just about everything else). The wines I tasted during my visit – Gewurztraminer, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc – fit the style Clyde said he seeks, robust and fruit forward.
One thing I found fascinating during my conversations with both families is that both John (since 1998) and Clyde (since 1999) have always made their wines using more “traditional” approaches. Clyde uses sulfites sparingly, doesn’t rack or fine his wines, and ages the reds at least two years in barrel.
John goes even further fermenting the grapes with their own yeast and eschewing sulfites, additives, filtering and fining, Basically what these days is called “natural winemaking”.
Both make their white wines fermenting the juice on their skins, an ancient way of making wine. Skin contact wines (recently dubbed “orange wine”) typically have a golden tint, tart and nutty flavors, and more body than the typical white wine.
Many in the wine industry praise “maverick” winemakers producing “natural wine” and “orange wine” like they are something new. Clyde and John were making such low intervention wines long before they became fashionable.
One thing for sure, these are not bland, homogenous wines. They are bold, fruity and (to me pleasantly) spicy. And one thing for sure these families know hospitality. Taking care of their customers seems to just be in their blood. And maybe most impressive is that Clyde is 85 and John is 81. Thankfully, they get up every day to make fine wine for us.