Need to find the perfect wine for your holiday meal? Look no farther than Palisade, where the largest concentration of wineries in Colorado offer a variety of wines and meads to suit almost any taste.
But before we get into specific suggestions from some of the wineries, consider the advice of Lis Muse, who works in the tasting room at Carlson Vineyards, 461 35 Road on East Orchard Mesa.
“Don’t be afraid of wine,” she says. “A lot of people tend to shy away from wines because of the wine snobs."
Don’t be intimidated by people who might or might not know what they’re talking about when they sniff, taste, swish, and spit.
“Unless you’re trying to impress your boss or your in-laws, drink what you like,” Muse says. “Play with your food and wine.”
So with that philosophy in mind, here are some wines and pairings that Palisade wineries suggest to get you started on your wine/food playtime.
For Holiday Dinners
The folks at Grande River Vineyards, 787 Elberta Ave. (http://www.granderiverwines.com/), suggest its Meritage Red with a good prime rib for Christmas dinner. Meritage Red consists of 40 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 31 percent Cabernet Franc, 25 percent Merlot, and 4 percent Petit Verdot. “It will go with pretty much anything. If you’re having prime rib or ham, the Meritage Red is good,” says Jenny Nichols of Grande River Vineyards.
For white-wine lovers, Nichols suggests Grande River’s Meritage White, composed of 67 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 33 percent Semillon, or the winery’s Viognier. “The Viognier goes with white cheeses and lighter food if you’re having a holiday get-together,” she says.
At Plum Creek Winery, 3708 G Road (http://www.plumcreekwinery.com/), Winemaker Jenne Baldwin-Eaton suggests Riesling for the holidays, especially if the menu includes poultry. For tables where prime rib or ham will be served, Plum Creek’s Palisade Red is a good choice. Palisade Red, made with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, “has a wide range as far as matching things, so it really is food-friendly,” Baldwin-Eaton says.
Canyon Wind Cellars, 3907 North River Road (http://www.canyonwindcellars.com/), recommends its Chardonnay with the Christmas turkey. But if you want to get a little more exotic for your holiday meal, Winemaker Jay Christianson recommends grass-fed roast buffalo served with Canyon Wind’s Petit Verdot or the winery’s newest offering, IV, which is 50 percent Petit Verdot, 32 percent Cabernet Franc, 16 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2 percent Merlot.
If you’re serving beef, Christianson recommends Canyon Wind’s Cabernet Franc.
At Carlson Vineyards (http://www.carlsonvineyards.com/), Lis Muse recommends the winery’s Riesling paired with a Christmas ham. “It makes ham less salty and brings out the flavor,” Muse says.
Carlson’s Gewurztraminer goes well with turkey and dressing, and the winery’s Sweet Baby Red (a blend made primarily from Merlot) goes well with barbecued meats or deep-fried turkey. Tyrannosaurus Red, made from Lemberger grapes, pairs well with turkey, prime rib, or grilled steak with cracked black peppers. T-Red also would go well with spaghetti or lasagna on New Year’s Eve, Muse says. If you’re thinking seafood such as shrimp or lobster, Muse suggests Carlson’s Dry Gewurztraminer.
Sandy Broughton, who works in the tasting room at St. Kathryn Cellars, 785 Elberta Ave. (http://www.st-kathryn-cellars.com/), suggests Talon Wingspan White, which is 69 percent Chardonnay and 31 percent Viognier, to accompany holiday turkey. St. Kathryn also makes Cranberry Kiss, a surprisingly tasty cranberry wine that would go well with poultry and ham.
If you’re serving red meat on Christmas, such as prime rib, Broughton recommends Talon Cabernet Sauvignon or Talon Wingspan Red, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.
A good all-purpose wine from St. Kathryn Cellars is Sweet Scarlet, which is 50 percent Merlot and 50 percent blackberries. It’s generally considered a dry dessert wine, but it doesn’t taste like a dry wine and could go well with red meat. “For me, it’s an anytime wine, but for people who like dry wines, it’s a dessert wine. It’s our top seller,” Broughton says.
Time for Dessert
Now comes the fun.
At Meadery of the Rockies, 3701 G Road (http://www.meaderyoftherockies.com/), you can find a variety of wines made from honey (mead is fermented honey) and some delicious products perfectly suited for holiday desserts. The meadery’s Chocolate Cherry Satin is good from a glass but best from a cordials cup made of chocolate.
“It’s a dessert wine. It tastes like a chocolate-covered cherry,” says Donna Lively of the meadery.
The meadery also offers a raspberry chocolate satin – yes, break out the chocolate cordials cups again – and a Honey Shere that Lively describes as having “a brandy spirit without that brandy burn.”
Carlson Vineyards offers several fruit wines that are suitable for dessert sipping, but worth a special mention is the winery’s Cherry Wine. At the tasting room, you can buy a bottle of Cherry Wine with a block of Enstrom’s chocolate; for a great holiday dessert, melt the chocolate, dip a wine glass in the chocolate just far enough to coat the rim, then drink your cherry wine from the chocolate-dipped glass.
For yet another dessert treat, or for an après ski warm-up drink, add mulling spices to warm mead or peach wine. Mulling spices are available at several tasting rooms, including St. Kathryn Cellars and Meadery of the Rockies.
If traditional dessert wines are more to your liking, several Palisade wineries offer ports. Grande River Vineyards sells its Tawny Port, made from Merlot grapes, and Canyon Wind Cellars offers a Cabernet-based port fortified with brandy made at Palisade’s Peach Street Distillers.
Where the Wines Are
These are just a few ideas of various wines and pairings to make the holidays tastier. Many more wineries with an array of different products exist around the Grand Valley and throughout Colorado. For a complete list of Colorado wineries, visit the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board website at http://www.coloradowine.com/wineries/wineriesList.cfm. For a list of local wineries in the Grand Valley, visit the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau’s website at http://www.visitgrandjunction.com/attractions_culture/index.php?Heading=Wineries. Most of the wineries have tasting rooms and welcome visitors. A self-guided wine-tasting tour of the Grand Valley is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Douglas B. May, CFA, is President of May-Investments, LLC and author of Investment Heresies .
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