Audio By Carbonatix
September in Colorado brings summer to a glorious close, with aspen trees ablaze with golden leaves and, on the Western Slope, vines in the wine country heavy with grapes ready for harvest. It’s the busiest time of year for Colorado’s winemakers, so why not drop everything and have a festival?
“There has been some talk of moving the date, but harvest time is the best time for people to see what really goes on in a winery,” explains Mary Carlson, co-owner of Carlson Vineyards, now celebrating its twentieth year in operation. “We shut down the crush for three days, but it’s worth it.”
Carlson and her wine-maker husband, Parker, “let his hobby get out of control” when they moved to Palisade in 1977, planting their first vines in 1981 and releasing their first commercial bottling in 1988. The first year, they produced 1,100 gallons of wine; since then, they’ve doubled production every year and are now bottling between 15,000 and 20,000 gallons of thirteen varietals and a half-dozen fruit wines made from local produce.
The Carlsons learned wine-making from Anne and Jim Seewald, founders of Colorado Mountain Vineyards, the state’s first modern winery. Together they helped organize the first Colorado Mountain WineFest in 1991.
“We wanted to have a festival like other wine regions, even though there were only four vineyards in the area then,” Mary recalls. “Today there are 32.”
The Grand Valley is one of two viticultural regions in Colorado designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — the other is West Elks, which is centered around Paonia and Hotchkiss south of Palisade — and from the 1880s until Prohibition in the 1920s, grapes were an important crop in the region. Both areas offer prime growing conditions for grapes: hot summer days followed by cool nights, and soil that has been compared to the wine-growing regions of Spain. The winters are milder in the valley than along the Front Range or in other parts of Colorado, but they can still take their toll on vines.
“We’ve lost vines to cold weather, but only one year did we have a down-to-the-ground killing winter,” Mary says. “Spring freezes are the hardest on the fruit.”
By May 10, the danger of frost had passed for this year, and the Carlsons expect a good crop to be ready for the WineFest, September 14-16.
Colorado’s wine industry is harvesting some recognition from connoisseurs as well. The Carlsons have received medals for their Gewürztraminer and their Cougar Run Merlot/Shiraz blend, and Mary is proud that all the local vineyards have been working together to build the reputation of Colorado wine.
“We’ve really come along lately, and Colorado wines are holding their own in both national and international competitions,” she adds. “It’s just starting to happen for us all.”
The WineFest is another way that Colorado winemakers work together. While the main event takes place in Palisade Park, participating vineyards are located throughout the state, coming from as far away as the Front Range to showcase their vintages.
The oenological festivities kick off on Friday evening with the popular Winemakers Dinners (reservations required), where participants can meet the vintners and sample wines paired with each course created by local chefs. Last year’s theme was Colorado Red Wine and Red Meat: A Hedonistic Experience, which Mary described as “a wonderful event.”
Saturday is devoted to the Festival in the Park. Your ticket gets you a souvenir tasting glass that you can fill at any one of the vineyard booths. You can also enjoy food, wares from fine artisans, the amateur wine-making competition and the ever-popular grape-stomping contest, all accompanied by Colorado musicians Dotsero, Laura Newman and others.
Another popular event returning to the WineFest this year is Culinary Adventures With Colorado Chefs, hosted by food and wine writer Bill St. John. All afternoon, the chefs will present new food and wine ideas and demonstrations.
In the morning, Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, will lead a 25-mile bicycle tour of Colorado’s wine country. About 1,000 cyclists are expected to join him on the tour, which benefits the Holy Family Education Foundation.
On Sunday, all of the local wineries and art galleries are open for touring. Mary says that each does its own thing with this open-house arrangement. At Carlson Vineyards, which is located in an old fruit-packing facility, the tasting is moved out onto the lawn, and finger food is served while a jazz trio plays.
“This is when visitors want to stop by to buy wines that they’ve tasted at the festival to take back home,” Mary explains.
An elegant way to stop by as many valley wineries as possible is by limousine or hired van. The tour companies, wineries and local visitors’ bureau are all cooperating on promoting this tour option. Adds Mary, “You’ve always got a designated driver that way.”
After ten years, the WineFest is really catching on. People from around the world come back year after year; as a result, the limited accommodations in Palisade fill up fast. Your best lodging bet is in nearby Grand Junction. What better excuse to hire the limo and go in style?
