Spotlight On BookCliff Vineyards

Between their Boulder tasting room and Palisade grape vines, BookCliff Vineyards offers the complementary mixture of Front Range and Western Slope, of urban and rural, of premium finished products and quality agricultural bounty near Grand Junction, Colorado. One Web site recently spotlighted BookCliffs and described the natural beauty surrounding their vineyards.

Under the headline, "BookCliff Vineyards - Palisade, Colorado," the Editor at Coloradobeautiful.com wrote:

"From the time of the turn of the century the region east of Palisade has been an area where grapes have been grown. In the case of the BookCliff Vineyards the location across from the Colorado River and underneath the BookCliff escarpment, our vineyards benefit from evening winds that prevent frost and provide moderate growing temperatures. This vineyard prides itself in the fact that the wines produced are 100 percent Colorado grown."

"The owners (and operators) of the vineyard began the winemaking business in 1999. John Garlich and Ulla Merz (married to each other) are the proud owners of the vineyard. The winery is located in the basement of their home in Boulder where they sell two-thirds of their grape crop to other Colorado wineries and make the famous BookCliff wines from the rest."

"During the Prohibition the early vineyards of the area were uprooted and replaced with orchards. Now modern vineyards have reestablished themselves on the Western Slope and across Colorado. It takes hard work and dedication to get a vineyard started and make it sustainable, BookCliff is a success story that you will want to visit and taste their wines."

"Check out the Wine Festivals held in the area throughout the summer and early fall and have a chance to taste wines from a number of different wineries."

Directions to the vineyard in Palisade:

"Coming from the east on I-70, take the first exit (#44) and head west (straight ahead). The road makes a gentle curve following the Colorado River. Our vineyard is on the north side of the road as it straightens out."

"Coming from the west on I-70, take the first Palisade exit (#42) and head south on 37 1/3 Road to G Road. Head east on G Road through Palisade and cross over the Colorado River. The vineyard is on the north side of G Road about 1/2 mile east of the Colorado River bridge."

Click here to read more about BookCliff Vineyards at ColoradoBeautiful.com.