Stomping Grapes at 2009 WineFest

Stomping grapes is a millennia - old tradition, one that that has been continued in a good natured contest at the 2009 Colorado Mountain Wine Fest. Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Reporter Emily Anderson covered the event.

Under the headline, "WineFest A Foot-Stomping Good Time," Anderson wrote:

“Slippery,” “squishy” and “juicy” are the words Barbara Magill and Joanne Peterson used to describe the sensation of stomping gapes.

The pair stepped into wooden buckets filled with green grapes Saturday afternoon during a grape stomping event at the 18th Annual Colorado Mountain Winefest in Palisade. Stompers liquefied grapes to the sound of live accordion polka songs. Some wore Bavarian hats. A few posed for pictures with grape vines stuck between their toes.

When the song stopped, Peterson and Magill washed their feet in plastic water buckets.

“I never thought I’d be stomping grapes in Palisade, Colorado,” said Peterson, a Rhode Island resident visiting Boulder resident Magill. “I tried to look at the mountains the whole time to get the full effect.”

To read the rest of the article, click here.

2009 WineFest Helps Boost Local Economy

The Colorado Mountain WineFest continues to be an economic boon for the Grand Valley. Or so says one local T.V. reporter. Under the headline, "'Fun' Winefest Boosts Local Economy," KJCT8 Reporter Don Coleman writes:

"It was time to fill in those last-minute summer activities this weekend in the Grand Valley. The last weekend of summer was a busy one, across the community."

"The event that highlighted the entire weekend was in Palisade - The Colorado Winefest. Even organizers said this one was all about promoting Colorado."

"The gates opened at 10:30 Saturday morning, with people showing up by the dozens. "6,000 tickets were sold, we have 300 volunteers, and all of our wineries and vendors, so we'll probably max out at 7,000," said Winefest Director Sarah Catlin."

"For some people, the Winefest is an annual getaway; a time for friends, a time for fun. Kathy Kinsey and her friends have been coming for the last five to seven years. "It's a blast," Kinsey said."

"But for the communities of the Grand Valley, it's an economic booster. "[Our contractors] hire a lot of people, and they probably need work," Catlin said."

"Catlin also said the event is helping out a tourism industry that's down 15 percent so far this year. She said the hotels are filling up. She attributes that directly to the Winefest. "I think the people want a day in the sunshine. I mean, it's so beautiful over here," she said."

You can access the article here.

2009 Farmer's Market Closes October 25

Downtown Palisade is the place to be on Sundays from now until October 25th. The Palisade Sunday Farmer’s Market will continue to run through the month of October from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The peach season is almost over at the Sunday Market, so if you haven’t gotten to Palisade to buy peaches, you better hurry down before they’re all gone! The Palisade Sunday Market provides an opportunity for consumers to get all of the great produce that Palisade offers in one convenient location. In addition to selling their wares, Sunday Market vendors just love the unique atmosphere and small town feel of the Palisade Sunday Market. But the Market is not just about produce; freshly baked bread, shaved ice, green chili, hot dogs and turkey legs are also available at the Sunday Market. In addition to famous Palisade peaches, some of the other produce available includes many different varieties of squash, tomatoes, beans, leafy greens, cucumbers, several varieties of melon, fresh herbs, onions, garlic, potatoes, broccoli, chili peppers, plums, fresh cut flowers, lavender, sweet corn, and much, much more.

This weekly community event offers more than just edibles, it offers a chance to watch artists demonstrating their talent, enjoy live music, chat with your local farmers, and just slow down. When you’re thinking about some casual fun this weekend, think about a Sunday Drive to downtown Palisade for fresh produce, arts & crafts, great music, and good times! No matter where you live, it’s worth the drive!

Examiner Spotlights Colorado's Wine Community

Examiner author Christopher Davies continues his survey of Colorado's wine scene. Under the headline, "Colorado's Burgeoning Wine Country, Part 2- The Front Range," Davies writes:

"Colorado now boasts more than 80 bonded wineries. Most people would be surprised to learn that many of these wineries are not located on a vineyard. Boulder County holds the record for the most number of Front Range wineries."

"Several wineries are just a quick drive from downtown Denver. The most popular, family run operation is Balistreri Vineyards which produces a unique handcrafted range of hearty wines in the old-world tradition. Originally in the flower nursery business, John Balistreri made wine for home consumption, just like his Sicilian forefathers, before becoming a commercial wine maker."

You can read the rest of the Examiner article here. Part One of the series is located here.

Palisade Peach Festival Celebrates Record Attendance

The 2009 Palisade Peach Festival was another one for the record books. “We enjoyed a record number of visitors to all of our events,” said festival chairman, Leif Johnson. “With our new activities, attendance to all of the Peach Festival’s events over the four-day period was up 9 percent. “Attendance to all events over the four-day period was over 31,500,” said Johnson. “The Peach Festival at Riverbend Park was right around 10,000 paid admissions – our second-best year ever at the Park.”

New activities included the Alpaca Showcase, events in downtown Palisade Friday and Saturday evenings, and the Union Pacific Railroad’s Historic Miniature Parade Train. Governor Bill Ritter, Senator Michael Bennett, and Secretary of State Bernie Buescher enjoyed a visit to the Peach Festival at Riverbend Park Saturday afternoon, coinciding with President Obama’s trip to the Grand Valley. “Michelle Obama and daughters enjoyed a visit to High Country Orchards,” Johnson said. “And Air Force One left Grand Junction Regional Airport with cases of Palisade Peaches.”

Whole Foods Bears Fruit With Palisade Peach Display Contest

Last year, the Colorado Division of Whole Foods approached Palisade's Tourism Advisory Board with a contest idea. Whole Foods was interested in doing a sweepstakes on the Front Range to promote Palisade.

The promotion would feature Palisade as an area:

The Contest would be in all Whole Foods Store locations on the Front Range.The contest would take place while Palisade Peaches were in the stores.

Each store would come up with its own display, and that the store with the best display promoting Palisade would get to send its marketing team to Palisade for a weekend, and get to stay at the Wine Country Inn.

The contest has born some fruit not just for Palisade in the form of publicity, but for Whole Foods, as well. Since July 31, the Front Range stores have sold over $250,000 of local Colorado peaches!

So congrats to all the Whole Foods produce departments who are finalists in the display contest. Here are their displays:



The Cherry Creek store.



The Colfax store.



The brand new Southglenn store.

Customers were also allowed to enter the sweepstakes, with winner being drawn September 1 for a weekend getaway to Palisade.