Family Celebrates One Year Owning Mesa Park Vineyards

Patty Price watches as daughter, Brooke Webb, opens a bottle of Merlot in their newly remodeled wine tasting room at Mesa Park Vineyards.

By DARRALEE MATTHEWS
Special from the Palisade Tribune

It was supposed to be a simple visit to Colorado's Wine Country. But for Brooke and Brad Webb, the trip became a life changing event.  The Webbs came to Palisade over Labor Day 2008 to do some wine tasting and met Lydia Felczak, one of the owners of Mesa Park Vineyards. The property was for sale. The Felczak’s had planted eight acres in Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in 1998.

The Webbs thought the views from the vineyard were really beautiful. The Grand Mesa rises up from the grape vines to the east. Mt. Garfield is in the north and grapevines travel up a little hill to the south, forming a perfect vineyard portrait.

“A seed was planted. We came home and talked to my parents, Chuck and Patty Price, and in a week we had made an offer that was accepted.” Brooke says, “We have always loved wine and wine tasting and had been coming to Palisade once a year for the last ten years. Dad was about to retire, so we sold our homes on the Front Range and here we are.”

They got here in March 2009 and took over the operation of the vineyards on April 1.

“This is really a family run operation.” Patty says. In his “past life,” Chuck worked for electrical engineers, but had studied agriculture in college, so he is the vineyard manager and winemaker. Patty had worked a Macy’s in Denver. Son Greg is helping with the vines. Brad, who is a bank manager, is the moneyman but doesn’t escape doing his share of the work at the vineyard. Brooke, a financial advisor, now handles sales and marketing and she and her mom, Patty both run the tasting room.

“We love it here.” Patty says, “We love the area. People have been very helpful.”

Brooke adds, “Everyone has been very neighborly. They have given us good advice when we needed it. Everyone wants us to succeed. We have encountered no negativity.”

CSU enologist, Steven Menke, came over one day and gave them a five hour “course” in marketing and planning. “It was a huge help to us.” Brooke says. CSU viticulturist, Horst Caspari, lives across the way.

In August they enlarged and improved the small tasting room. The new tasting room opened in August. Patty and Brooke really enjoy running it.

“It is really wonderful to have all the people on the wine trail stopping by. We get a good amount of folks on bicycles. Other wineries send people over here and we send people to them.” Patty says.

“Last summer we have had lots of people from the Front Range — Colorado Springs and Boulder, Durango, Park City, Utah; Jupiter, Fla.; Europe and recently Russia.”

Summer sales were good. Labor Day weekend was especially busy.

They survived their first Colorado Mountain Winefest. “We had all our friends come to help.” Brooke said. “We had just been informed that our Cab Franc 2006 won a silver medal in the Winefest competition.”

Following Winefest 2009 their first harvest and crush of their own grapes began. They have been constantly at work in the vineyard since they took over.

“From May through October we are busy with labor in the vineyard.” Brooke says.

It has been an exciting year in their lives.

“It was everything we thought it would be.” Chuck Price says, “We enjoyed the whole year.”

“The whole process was amazing.” Patty put in. “From pruning and watching over the grapes, our first Winefest, the harvest, crush, making wine and bottling.”

“Now we are getting more involved in Palisade. We were part of the February Pig Tails and Wine Trails. It was fun and are forward to Pig Tails and Wine Trails II on March 14,”  says Patty.

“We are going to be part of the agritours this year.” She said, “We are really looking forward to that.”

Price added, “It’s been great learning everything and we are looking forward to spring and starting the process all over again, as experienced growers this time.”

INFORMATION:
Mesa Park Vineyards
3321 C Rd.
434-4191
Tasting Room Open
Friday – Sunday
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Or by appointment

About the Author: Matthews is Editor-in-Chief of the Palisade Tribune in Palisade, Colorado. She is being remunerated by the Wine Country Inn for her contributions to this blog.

2010 Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Festival Line Up

The Town of Palisade is pleased to announce that music connoisseurs Josh Behrman and Amy Kimberly are the new Event and Music Promoters for the Second Annual Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival.

A town known as Western Colorado’s “home of fruit, wine, mountains, and more” Behrman and Kimberly are extremely thrilled to be part of weekend festival. Behrman and Mountain Groove Productions Inc. are also the Marketing Department for this year’s festival.

“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to work with the Town of Palisade and the Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival,” says Promoter and Marketing Director Behrman. “The site is exquisite, the campground is pristine and the venue has more potential than a promoter can hope for. We’re equally excited to work with the Town and bring an exceptional music lie-up to the Western Slope.”

So, make plans to be at the Second Annual Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival on June 11, 12, and 13, 2010. There’s no better way to kick off summer than a weekend in a shady park enjoying excellent acoustic music – Sip one of Western Colorado’s native beers, wines or spirits while the Colorado River rolls past the main stage.

This year’s festival is held right on the banks of the Colorado River in Riverbend Park featuring bluegrass musicians, on-site camping, jam sessions and children’s activities. Palisade is known as the Peach and Wine Capital of Colorado with the state’s greatest concentration of wineries/vineyards and orchards making it an ideal location for a weekend music festival. Local wines, micro-brews, food and artisans are ready to help make this the perfect weekend getaway for live music enthusiasts.

The weekend’s daily headliners are promised to make any music enthusiast smile and dance at the sound of bands listed below:

Friday, June 11, 5:30 p.m.: Missed the Boat
With the recent recording of their debut album “Rollin”, Missed the Boat has been stunning listeners at live shows and over the airwaves throughout Colorado with their unique Americana-Rock sound. Featuring acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric mandolin, tenor banjo, electric bass, drums, and harmonica, the band produces the energy infused, positive, upbeat sound that radio listeners deserve and concertgoers love. Recently nominated for the 2010 Grammy's in 4 categories, Missed the Boat is taking the Colorado and national music scene by surprise. From lonesome high country bluegrass to Americana-fed rock n' roll, this is a music experience you will not want to miss. www.missedtheboat.com.

Friday, June 11, 7:30 p.m.: Hot Buttered Rum
Initially formed as an acoustic string band, seven years of constant touring has transformed Hot Buttered Rum into a plugged-in, percussive powerhouse that wows critics and fans alike. Their left-coast rock reveals an access to jazz, country, and world music that few groups can match. While the band's music belies simple categorization, its songwriting and stage chemistry delights listeners at every turn. They’ve played stages at the Newport Folk Festival, Bonnaroo, Grey Fox, High Sierra, Wakarusa, and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Along the way, the group shared the stage with some of today's most accomplished artists, including Phil Lesh, Bela Fleck, Ben Harper, and more. Their most recent album, Limbs Akimbo, was released this fall and has received excellent reviews and acclaim. Hot Buttered Rum will kick-off the weekend in Palisade. www.hotbutteredrum.com.

Saturday, June 12, 11 a.m.: Stray Grass
Stray Grass specializes in a high-energy interpretation of acoustic music. Although played on traditional instruments, the musical stylings of Stray Grass are anything but traditional. Inspired by artists as diverse as Tim OBrien, Peter Rowan, Dave Matthews, New Grass Revival, Bob Dylan and Crosby Stills and Nash, their music has been categorized as Americana with a New Acoustic Flair. Stray Grass’ enthusiasm and love of great acoustic music will certainly keep you entertained. www.myspace.com/straygrass.

Saturday, June 12, 1 p.m.: Bearfoot
Bluegrass music from Alaska. It may sound like a bit of a non sequitur but Bearfoot, a band from Anchorage, is proving that the two aren't as unrelated as you might think. Bearfoot’s journey from music camp counselors to an established über talented national touring band has been nothing short of meteoric. Bearfoot earned one of roots music’s most prestigious awards – Telluride Bluegrass Band Champions – an honor they share with artists Dixie Chicks and Nickel Creek. They tour extensively and are regular crowd favorites at prestigious festivals including Wintergrass, Grey Fox, Strawberry Festival, and six consecutive years at RockyGrass. Bearfoot has nine years, major festivals, and three albums under their belt and the sound of their music will please roots and bluegrass fans. www.bearfootband.com.

Saturday, June 12, 3 p.m.: The Wiyos
The Wiyos play and compose Old-Timey American music inspired by the early American musical idioms of the 1920s and '30s. Everywhere they play, The Wiyos charm and amuse audiences with their exuberant style of old-timey music, passionately carrying this rich musical heritage into the 21st century. With an instrumentation of washboard/harmonica/kazoo, resonator guitar/banjo, upright bass and three harmony vocals, The Wiyos’ live performance transports audiences back to an era before TV and mass-media were the main sources of entertainment. With infectious exuberance and theatrical skill, they create a visual spectacle in the tradition of vaudeville-esque performers. They have released three full-length albums, seamlessly blending their original songwriting with a wide spectrum of vernacular American music. www.thewiyos.com.

Saturday, June 12, 7:30 p.m.: Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women

Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/bar-room guitar player Dave Alvin has been a constant force in traditional American roots music, both electric and acoustic, for over 25 years. During those decades he's busted speakers with roots rock kick-starters, The Blasters, as well as mined the depths of country, folk and blues with his solo projects. A mainstay during much of this journey has been Alvin's electrifying band The Guilty Men. Following the recent death of Dave's best friend and Guilty Men accordionist Chris Gaffney in early 2008, Alvin decided to move in an exciting new musical direction. In October 2008 he stepped onto the stage of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival with an all-star, all-female group. Since dubbed The Guilty Women, the group consists of Americana scene vets Cindy Cashdollar, Nina Gerber, Laurie Lewis, Sarah Brown, Amy Farris, Christy McWilson and Lisa Pankrantz. www.davealvin.net.

Sunday, June 13, 11 a.m.: Sweet Sunny South
Sweet Sunny South is an acoustic old-timey string band that plays a unique blend of new and traditional music. Based in Paonia, Colorado, the band has been making a name for itself at festivals and theaters throughout the region for the past 8 years and received invitations to perform as an official showcase band for both the IBMA and The Folk Alliance in 2006. The group was also featured as one of Colorado’s "Movers and Shakers" in Denver's Westword Magazine in 2007 and were selectedAudiences can expect a highly entertaining stage show featuring rollicking fiddle tunes, soulful ballads, tight vocal harmonies and an exceptional array of original songs combined with a heavy dose of humor that keeps the crowd smiling. They have recorded 4 unique and entertaining CDs which are receiving heavy airplay across the country. www.sweetsunnysouth.com.

Sunday, June 13, 1 p.m.: Spring Creek
Spring Creek, the award-winning Colorado bluegrass band, are bursting into the national scene. These musical road warriors have held tight to the bluegrass tradition, emulating the first generation greats while presenting a youthful, fresh sound. They eat, sleep and drink their craft within a musical community steeped in bluegrass. Spring Creek from Lyons, Colorado, are quickly gaining a reputation as the hottest young band in the Rocky Mountains. The quartet play a mix of bluegrass standards and compelling originals, and all four musicians are also accomplished vocalists. Spring Creek is built on the fundamentals of bluegrass, yet they create their own classic contemporary style. The band won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival band contest in June 2007, and won their second Planet Bluegrass title later that summer at the 35th annual Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival (RockyGrass) held in Lyons. Though they clearly appeal to traditional bluegrass fans, the Spring Creek musicians mix in a little something for everyone at their live shows. The band is the first ever to win back-to-back Planet Bluegrass titles in the same summer and earned the honor of performing on the mainstage at both prestigious festivals—Telluride and RockyGrass—in 2008. www.springcreekbluegrass.com.

Sunday, June 13, 3 p.m.: Jim Lauderdale

Jim Lauderdale is a multi-talented performer and songwriter, with successes in both country and bluegrass music. His roots stem from the Carolinas, yet his career has taken him all over the United States and abroad, making him an international recording artist with an ever-growing fan base. Jim won "Artist of the Year" and "Song of the Year" at the first "Honors and Awards Show" held by the Americana Music Association in 2002. Subsequently, he has hosted this same show for the last seven years. He is among Nashville's "A" list of songwriters, with songs recorded by artists such as: Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea, Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton. Vince Gill, and George Strait. He also contributed several songs to the successful soundtrack of the George Strait film, "Pure Country." Not content to just write hits for the stars, he's toured with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rhonda Vincent and Elvis Costello, among others. http://jimlauderdale.com.

Sunday, June 13, 5 p.m.: Asleep at the Wheel
Asleep at the Wheel, the famed western-swing, boogie, and roots-music outfit that is, amazingly, still on the upswing. That’s saying something, too, considering the group has been around for nearly 40 years, turning out an incredible 25+ albums while playing an unrelenting schedule of one-nighters that would make any musician dizzy. Nine time Grammy Winning Kings of Texas Swing, they have charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard country charts. www.asleepatthewheel.com.

“The opportunity to bring community and music together to create something that benefits all involved is a passion of mine,” says Kimberly. “Palisade is such a unique town and the festival site is a dream come true. With Josh's and my expertise, the town staff support and a community of creative people coming together, we can make this one of the best events on the Western Slope.”

Palisade’s moderate temperatures, fruit orchards, vineyards and a quaint downtown make the perfect location for a weekend getaway. So, take advantage of the music in the mountains and float on down to Palisade where you can kick back, relax, and enjoy the movement during the Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival June 11, 12, and 13, 2010.

Check out www.palisademusic.com for tickets, music line-up and more! Tickets are available at a special discount until mid-February, pre-event prices until June 10, and then gate prices after that.

Palisade Colorado 2010 Calendar of Events

By DARRALEE MATTHEWS
Special from the Palisade Tribune

Nearly 30 special events are listed on the Palisade Chamber of Commerce calendar of events for 2010 that was finalized by the Chamber and the Downtown Committee.

Two events are the Peach Festival and Olde Fashioned Christmas; nine events are “downtown events” which include events like the Antique Street Fair and Marketplace, the Honey Bee Festival and Octoberfest. The two “Pig Tails and Wine Trails” events are in conjunction with the Palisade arts community.

Two new events this year are the Palisade Sweetheart Weekend in February and the Downtown Music Festival in October. The Sweetheart Weekend will feature special shopping for your Valentine, dinner deals and dancing at several venues on Feb. 13. The plans for the Downtown Music Festival are in the works and more details will be announced as they become available.

The Honey Bee Festival has been moved to April, when the fruit blossoms will be out. It had a good start last year, but will be even better in 2010. If you have never seen the peach orchards in blossom you are missing a rare treat. Palisade has scheduled several events to coincide with the blossoms and it is well worth the trip.

April, in fact is packed with great events including an Antique Street Fair and Marketplace, the Palisade Art Lovers show and an Art Lovers Paint Out.

There are several bike oriented events for those who like to ride up through the orchards and vineyards. And at least a couple excuses to go wine tasting! Life really does taste good here.

The Palisade Tribune and Lion’s Club host the Olde Fashioned Independence Day Celebration that boasts a kid’s parade and old time games like sack and three legged races in the park. The mostly volunteer fire department gets involved and has water fights with the fire hoses and variations on that theme. The kids love it and everyone wins a prize for something.

The Town of Palisade sponsors the Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival in June and the Sunday Market that runs from June to October. Other events are wine related like the Winefest and barrel tastings and Varaison Vineyard and Winery events. Many people know about our wineries here, but not everyone knows about the great beers made at the Palisade Brewery and the amazing vodkas, brandies and whiskey at the Palisade Distillery. The Distillery makes some great drinks with their products and their Bloody Mary is incredible!

If you aren’t into events, I can’t think of a better place to sit back and relax, gaze up at the Grand Mesa or Bookcliffs and let out peaceful little valley soothe your soul.

PALISADE COLORADO 2010 EVENTS CALENDAR

February 13 and 14: Palisade Sweetheart Weekend
February 13: Special shopping opportunities downtown Palisade, Sweetheart Dinner and Dance
February 14: “Pig Tails and Wine Trails” Art and Wine Tour
February 21: German Fasching – Palisade Brewery and German Club
March 14: “Pig Tails and Wine Trails” Art and Wine Tour
March 28: Spring Fest
April 11- 18: Blossom Week
April 11: Palisade Blossom Brunch and Artist’s Paint Out
April 15-18: 30th Annual Peach Blossom Art Show – Palisade Art Lovers
April 16-17: Honey Bee Festival
April 18: Peach Blossom Blast and Art Show
April 24: “Barrel Into Spring” Barrel Tasting – Grand Valley Winery Association
April 24: Outdoor Heritage Day – Division of Wildlife
April 25: Antique Street Fair and Marketplace
May 2: German Mai Day - Palisade Brewery and German Club
May 7-9: Palisade Bike Festival
May 15-16: “Barrel Into Spring” Barrel Tasting Take II – Grand Valley Winery Association
May 29-30: 5th Annual Palisade Parade of Roses – Varaison Vineyards and Winery
June 11-13: Palisade Bluegrass and Roots Music Fest – Town of Palisade
June 13-Oct. 24: Palisade Sunday Market – Town of Palisade
July 3-4: Reds, Whites and Blues Festival – Varaison Vineyards and Winery
July 4: Annual Independence Day Celebration – Palisade Tribune and Palisade Lions Club
August 19-22: Palisade Peach Festival
August 27-29: 9th Annual Ravenshire Renaissance and Pirate Faire
September 16-19: Colorado Mountain Winefest – Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology
September 18: Colorado Mountain Winefest in Riverbend Park – Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology
September 18: 17th Annual Tour de Vineyards – Events Marketing Group
October 9: 2nd Annual Palisade Oktoberfest
October 15: Downtown Palisade Music Festival
October 24: 2nd Annual Feast in the Street
December 10-11: Olde Fashioned Christmas
December 17-24: 3rd Annual Varaison Festival of Lights Benefit – Varaison Vineyards and Winery
December 31: 3rd Annual Varaison New Year’s Eve Gala – Varaison Vineyards and Winery

About the Author: Matthews is Editor-in-Chief of the Palisade Tribune in Palisade, Colorado. She is being remunerated by the Wine Country Inn for her contributions to this blog.

Local Artist Barbara Churchley Climbs to New Heights

By MARLA WOOD


Barbara Churchley likes a challenge. 

She climbed all of the ranked 14,000’ mountain peaks (“Along with a few unranked for fun,” she adds) ran nine marathons and traveled the world from Alaska to Bhutan. And now when some of her friends might start planning their retirement Barbara is enjoying what she calls her “first real career” as an award winning artist.

“I’ve done art all of my life and I started drawing as a child,” Churchley says. “Yet, it wasn’t part of my consciousness that I could be a full time artist.”

Instead she took the practical route and became a CPA and found creative outlets in the everyday – like making gifts and hand-painting Thank You cards.

"To me a career is about passion,” she explains, and not just paying bills. “Though, making a living is still a vital aspect!” she asserts.

Churchley has called Colorado home for more than 35 years. She was drawn to the region by the western landscape, which now serves as her muse. After she and her husband moved to the Western Slope, less than a decade ago, she finally began to take seriously her desire to be an artist. She applied the same drive that fuels her athletic endeavors to her art career after taking a watercolor class with a friend. She steadily honed her skills under the tutelage of a number of celebrated artists. 

Sara Alyn Oakley and Ann Templeton have been especially influential.

Churchley humbly pays homage: "I have had such giving and knowledgeable mentors. It amazes me how freely they share their expertise. It certainly speeds up my learning curve."

As an artist, she has navigated that fast curve with finesse and nimbly transformed from student to professional in a few short years receiving numerous regional and national awards. Barb, as her friends call her, is a warm and engaging woman with an easy smile. Her natural instincts and charm come through in her artwork.

A few years ago, she began to gain notoriety for her pastels. Then, about three years ago, she turned her focus on oils, which are “the most satisfying because they are the most challenging.”

She paints primarily in the French style en plein air (“in the open air” in French).

“I like to capture the moment and integrate the environment,” Churchley explains; Many of her most recent have been for work completed alla prima (“at the first” in Italian) -- meaning they are completed in one session without letting the paint dry.

“I think this is what most plein air painters’ hope for: resolution in the field.”At times she will work on a painting in the studio to hone a technique or adjust a memory, but, she adds, “I am not enthused to paint from a photograph.”

Barb continues to travel extensively, although, those adventures often focus on other hobbies such as back packing and birding. She will often take a portable watercolor set to capture nature or record a memory – an exercise she calls a great “skill sharpener.”

Recently she began to combine her travels with her career, but mostly she rests her easel in Colorado. One of her favorite locations to paint is the Old Goat Trail near Cedaredge. She welcomes others on the trail to stop and say ‘hello.’

“I like when others come and observe. I’ve gotten to know a lot of the dogs in town,” she laughs.
Ask Churchley about her favorite artists and you won’t hear the names of the masters. Her list of favorites include list of contemporary artists working in the Southwest region. In fact, she is a tireless advocate for local art. "Artists bring joy, passion, energy, light, and truth to the world….original art work makes your home sing."

Churchley encourages others to buy original artwork and she speaks from experience. Just before she picked up the brush herself, she told her husband she no longer want any prints in their home.
“From there on we collected only original artwork,” she beams. Their collection now includes more than 30 artists all but one of whom she knows personally and many of whom she proudly calls her friends. “Having a personal connection with the art in your home,” she says, “is like having your friends with you all the time.”

Barbara lives with her husband in the Cedaredge area. They are preparing to build a home and relocate to Palisade in the coming year where she already has a studio. She also teaches painting in the Montrose and Grand Junction areas. When you’re in Palisade, you can see Churchley’s artwork at the Blue Pig Gallery.


Above Left: "Making Tracks" by Barbara Churchley. Copywrite Barbara Churchley. This image may not be copied or reproduced. 

About the Author: Wood  is owner of the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade, Colorado. She is being remunerated by the Wine Country Inn for her contributions to this blog.

Fun And Quality Define Carlson Vineyards’ Wines

 Parker Carlson likes to keep his wines fun and whimsical at Carlson Vineyard in Palisade, Colorado, not too far away from the Wine Country Inn. 

By BOB KRETSCHMAN

The first thing you notice about Parker Carlson’s wines might be their names.

Browse the labels at Carlson Vineyards, and you’ll find Tyrannosaurus Red, Laughing Cat Riesling, Fat Cat Muscat, and Prairie Dog Blush, among others.  They’re not names that you would expect to find at a typical winery.

“We like to have fun with it,” says Parker Carlson, who serves as winemaker and co-owns the business with his wife, Mary.

The fanciful names come from a variety of sources.  The “mythical dinosaur” series, a lineup that included names such as Blancosaurus and Pinotsaurus Red, was inspired by the paleontological treasures of the Grand Valley. Prairie Dog Blush was named when a prairie dog appeared across the road from the Carlson home one morning during a wine-name brainstorming session.  The cat series honors the felines that the Carlsons keep at home and at the winery.

“You want something catchy, something fun. People remember the names,” Carlson says. “It doesn’t hurt to have a good marketing gimmick.”

It doesn’t hurt to make high-quality wine, either, and Carlson puts his wine up against some of the best in the country. The winery enters three or four competitions each year in different parts of the United States. Carlson says tastes and styles vary among different regions of the country, and competitions help him ensure that his wines compare well with others in the industry. Carlson brings home his fair share of honors. For example, Carlson Vineyards won the 2004 World Riesling Cup competition in New York against national and international competitors.

“It was an outstanding wine,” Carlson says. “That was the highlight of my winemaking career.”

Carlson Vineyards also is known for its fruit wines, particularly cherry wine, which is one of the winery’s top sellers. Carlson also makes peach wine when fruit is available. He says the sweet taste of the fruit wines is popular with customers.

Other strong sellers at Carlson Vineyards are Riesling, which Carlson says would be his best seller if he had the production capacity to make more, and Sweet Baby Red, a blend of five or six red varieties including merlot, cabernet sauvignon, two muscats, and Gewurztraminer. Sweet Baby Red came about after customers asked for a red wine without the strong, somewhat bitter taste of some varieties.

“It’s a semi-sweet red. It’s hit a nerve (with customers) and just gone nuts,” Carlson said.

Parker Carlson made wine and hard apple cider as a home hobby in Denver before his day job prompted a move to western Colorado to help open the Coors Ceramics manufacturing plant in Grand Junction. He and Mary bought four acres on East Orchard Mesa in 1980, planted several acres of Riesling grapes, and dove into the winemaking business. They learned the ropes by working for Jim and Ann Seewald at Colorado Mountain Vineyards, one of the wineries that pioneered the modern Colorado wine industry, and started Carlson Vineyards in 1988.

Today, Carlson Vineyards produces about 9,000 cases of wine annually, making it one of the larger wineries in Colorado. Its products are sold throughout Colorado and in a five-store chain of specialty markets in Wisconsin. The grapes and fruit used to produce Carlson’s wine are 100 percent Colorado-grown.

“We’ve always used everything grown in Colorado. We’ve never brought anything in,” Carlson says.

He says he is pleased that the Colorado wine industry is gaining credibility in the eyes of consumers throughout the state and the rest of the country.

“There’s more and more quality. You can see it in people’s faces when they come in,” he says. “There are so many world-class wines being made here now, and the wineries win their share of medals.”

Carlson Vineyards’ tasting room, located at 461 35 Road amid the orchards and vineyards of East Orchard Mesa, is cozy and rustic, and the Carlsons invite people to stop by.  The tasting room is open year-round except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. “We usually close early on Super Bowl Sunday,” Carlson says.

INFORMATION:

Carlson Vineyards

461 35 Road

Palisade, Colo.

970-464-5554

http://www.carlsonvineyards.com

 

About the Author: Kretschman is a freelance journalist living in the Grand Valley area. He is being remunerated by the Wine Country Inn for his contributions to this blog.