Remembering Doug Philips, A Wine Trailblazer

Here is the full text of the Colorado State Legislature's Resolution SJR09-008, honoring Doug Phillips, for his many contributions to Colorado's legal system and the wine industry:

"WHEREAS, Doug Phillips began practicing workers' compensation law in the 1970s when very few lawyers did, becoming Dean of the workers' compensation claimant's Bar, and Mr. Phillips set the gold standard for the ethical, fair, and compassionate practice of workers' compensation law; and"

"WHEREAS, During the 35 years that Mr. Phillips practiced workers' compensation law, he was a forceful advocate for the thousands of injured workers whom he represented, and he was always a gentleman in his dealings with the court, opposing counsel, and all other individuals involved with the system, thereby avoiding the animosity and acrimony often involved in litigated cases; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips was known for his thorough work-up of claims, his knowledge of the statute and supporting case law, and his superlative courtroom skills; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips blazed new trails in workers' compensation law through successful appeals to the Colorado Supreme Court, forever changing the way the workers' compensation system works; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips also engineered many beneficial changes in the workers' compensation statutes because of his high degree of credibility with the General Assembly and with four governors: Dick Lamm, Roy Romer, Bill Owens, and Bill Ritter; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips and his wife, Sue, wrote Volume 17 of the Colorado Practice Series, Colorado Workers' Compensation Practice and Procedure, the Bible for many workers' compensation practitioners and judges; and"

"WHEREAS, In addition to being a distinguished Colorado attorney, Mr. Phillips was also a pioneer in the Colorado wine industry, which has grown to contribute in excess of forty million dollars annually to the Colorado economy; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips was a founding partner of Plum Creek Cellars, originally established in Larkspur, but later moved to Palisade so that it would be closest to the vineyards where, as Mr. Phillips observed, the best wineries in the world were located; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips' goal in establishing Plum Creek Cellars was to make the highest-quality wine with grapes grown only in Colorado; and"

"WHEREAS, Wine experts were skeptical that Colorado wines would ever compete successfully with fine wines from other locales, but Mr. Phillips and the Colorado wine industry proved the early critics wrong by producing award-winning wines that continue to increase market share nationally; and"

"WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips helped draft legislation for and lobbied for creation of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, serving on the Board from 1990 through 1998 and again from 2005 through 2008, with much of that service as its Chair; and"

WHEREAS, Mr. Phillips, among other things, also chaired the Colorado Mountain Winefest Committee for the Rocky Mountain Vintners' and Viticulturalists' Association and was a co-founder of the Grand Valley Winery Association; and

"WHEREAS, Because of Mr. Phillips and the many others he encouraged and showed what was possible there are more than 1,000 acres of vinifera grapes grown in Colorado that are turned into wine by more than 70 wineries, making the impact of grape and wine production in Colorado second only to that of peaches; and"

"WHEREAS, The wine industry is now a leading agricultural-based attraction for Western Colorado, promoting mountain tourism during the summer and fall to complement ski tourism in the winter and better utilize"

"Colorado's total tourism capacity; now, therefore,"

"Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:"

"That the General Assembly hereby expresses its gratitude for the many contributions of Doug Phillips to our state and celebrates the many achievements of his life."

"Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Senate Joint Resolution be presented to Mr. Phillips' wife, Sue Phillips, and to his daughters, Jennifer and Megan Phillips."

Thank you, Doug, for all that you did. Many of us never would have been here without all your hard work and thoughtfulness.

2008 Stories We Should Have Covered #3

Number Three on our List Of Stories We Should Have Covered in 2008, but didn't quite get around to it, is a actually a two-parter. This is a very thorough survey of Colorado's Wine Country by the Wine Curmudgeon. It covers the state's terroir, wine history and viticulture. Under the headline, "A Look at Colorado Wine, Part I," the Wine Curmudgeon wrote:

"This is the first of two parts looking at Colorado wine. Today is an overview..."

"Guy Drew, who owns the self-named winery outside of Cortez in southwestern Colorado, insists the high desert in that part of the state will eventually produce world-class wines. And he isn’t alone in that optimism, either. Talk to growers and winemakers throughout Colorado, from Grand Junction in the west to the Front Range in the east, and you’ll hear the same thing. Colorado is a wine phenomenon waiting to happen."

"Says Horst Caspari, the state viticulturist: “One day, we’ll be so popular, you’ll see Hollywood celebrities buying land here and opening wineries.”

"Colorado is not there yet, of course. Save for a handful of producers, the wine isn’t on the level of New York, Missouri or Texas, let alone California or France. Their owners and winemakers -- an eclectic assortment of lawyers, venture capitalists, oilmen, geologists, and even a former British army commando – are still struggling to find the right grapes to grow and the right methods to use for Colorado’s peculiar weather and soil."

"But the state has more than 70 wineries, a number that has increased 13-fold since the early 1990s. And what they lack in consistency, they make up for in enthusiasm and determination. “Yes, we have a long way to go,” says Drew, who was a trucking and shipping executive before opening his winery in 1998, buying 155 acres on a hay farm. “But we’re going to get there.”

"Don’t worry if you’ve never thought of wine and Colorado. Until the mid-1990s, almost no one else had either. The state had just six wineries until 1993, and very little history of winemaking. And why should it have had either? At first glance, Colorado is too cold in the winter, too warm in the summer, too dry year round, and way too high in the mountains to grow grapes. Grand Junction, for example, in the Grand Valley viticultural area, has 21 wineries despite its 4500-foot elevation (and some of the wineries are even higher than that). Compare this to Napa Valley in California, where the land is mostly less than half as high."

"Yet today, Colorado's wineries are in areas as diverse as Cortez; Grand Junction and Delta and Montrose counties to the southeast; the Front Range in and around Boulder and Denver; and even a couple in the Rockies in what is otherwise ski country. What makes a difference in Colorado is something called a microclimate -- a climate within a climate."

"How microclimates work involves entirely too much physics to discuss comfortably (it’s the same process by which icebergs float), but what it means is that some locations in a Colorado valley – like Drew’s -- can support wine-quality grapes, while a spot a mile away is either too cold or too hot."

"On a normal spring day, the temperature can be 80 degrees at Drew’s property and 90 degrees farther west along Highway G. It also helps that even when temperatures reach 100 degrees in the summer, they cool off as much as 50 degrees at night, something grapes like (though the industry is still working its way around the shorter growing season and early frosts typical of high altitudes)..."

"Hence wineries located amidst scenery that is as distinctive as anything in Burgundy or Bordeaux. Canyon Wind Cellars, east of Grand Junction near Palisade, sits on a rise along the Colorado River, with the Book Cliffs perched to the north and sandstone bluffs all around. And if you ask owner Norm Christianson, a geologist, he can even explain how the bluffs came to be, moved hundreds of miles by Ice Age glaciers."

You can read the rest of the overview here.

2008 Stories We Should Have Covered #5

Number 5 in our "Top Seven Countdown of Stories We Should Have Covered" was written by The Daily Wine. It is a tour of the Grand Valley AVA and a leisurely interview with several wine makers, including State Enologist Stephen Menke. Under the headline, "Landscapes and Lifestyles in Colorado’s Wine Country," The Daily Wine wrote:

"Getting to Grand Junction from Denver International Airport is easy. Whether you drive through, or fly over the mountains, the trip is worth the effort. Or, if time is not your concern, you could take a leisurely Amtrak train. Go west through Colorado’s world-class ski resorts. Continue through the snow capped peaks and passes."

The Wine Makers Dr. Stephen Menke, Parker Carlson, Glenn Foster, and Jenny Baldwin

“When were you planning to clip those vines, Glenn?” Parker asks. “I just did them today.” Glenn responds, grinning. The two continue the conversation, both smiling and jesting about their neighboring vineyards and the longstanding, friendly competition that has become their lives."

"The conversation flows as freely as the wine at Il Bistro, a downtown Grand Junction favorite for its hand made pasta and authentic Italian cuisine. The table is full of wine and food as we try award-winning varieties perfectly matched, course by course, from Plum Creek Winery, the Colorado Wine Room, Confre Cellars, and Carlson Vineyards. Looking around the table, I realize that the winemakers have spent long years developing the scene we enjoy tonight."

"Grapes were first planted in the Grand Valley in 1881. Since 1991, the industry has enjoyed a 750% growth. In recent years, Colorado has become a contender in many Wine Competitions, often surpassing California wines and finding their footing with Cabernet Franc, Late Harvest Sweet Categories, Rieslings, Sangiovese and Port. Additionally, fruit wines and meads (honey wines) enhance the wine makers repertoire, using the valleys orchard fruit for superb peach and plum wines."

"The day after our dinner, Colorado’s wine expert, Enologist Dr. Stephen Menke, led me through Palisades, a small town minutes from the heart of Grand Junction. As a classic bon vivant, he shares readily, with a quick smile and earthy presence. What’s your favorite wine Steve? I ask. “The one in front of me.” he responds. I laugh, relieved that I don’t have to live through an uppity expert on this trip. It just wouldn’t fit the scene anyway—extreme mountains, desert, contrasted with budding vineyards and sun—it is as if the landscape itself decided that pretenses wouldn’t fit here."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Curtis Talley, Palisade Wine Pioneer, Passes

The and owners and staff of the Wine Country Inn offer our sincere condolences to the Family of Curtis Talley, 85. One of the first growers in the valley to plant wine grapes after Prohibition, Talley was an instrumental force in turning Palisade into Colorado's Wine Country.

Under the headline, "Grower Was A Peach of A Teacher," The Denver Post wrote:

"Curtis Talley loved peaches.

"He loved them so much he raised them, ate them, made wine out of them and taught people how to grow them.

"Talley, a longtime Palisade farmer and teacher, died Nov. 20 in Delta. He was 85.

"Talley had a 40-acre farm near Palisade and tended it after his teaching duties each day at Palisade High School. His wife and four kids all had jobs in the business: picking, sorting, de-fuzzing, boxing and canning of peaches, said his daughter Donna Deleff of Delta.

"The kids started helping at age 5 and continued through high school. Deleff said she can remember her first salary being 5 cents an hour.

"The family canned about 50 quarts of peaches a year, Deleff said.

"Talley was named Peach Grower of the Year in 1971.

"He also was the Future Farmers of America adviser and organized and taught fruit-growing classes at night. He taught agriculture, farm mechanics, welding and woodworking in his 32 years at Palisade High School, retiring in 1983.

"Talley was one of the first farmers to plant wine grapes in the Grand Valley in the late 1960s.

"He made peach wine in the basement, but usually didn't drink it. "He was a beer person," Deleff said."

He is survived by daughter, Rhonda Moore of Grand Junction; and two sons, Curtis Talley Jr. of Montague, Mich., and Dick Talley of Grand Junction; 10 grandchildren and six great- grandchildren; and two brothers, David Talley of Española, N.M., and Vallon Talley of Palisade.

You can read the rest of the obituary here.

Talley was also a distant relative of the Tally family, who owns the Wine Country Inn.

We wish the Talley family all the best in the days ahead.

A Denver Post Review of Palisade Wines

Writer Kathleen Norman recently penned a special to the Denver Post, reviewing several local wines. Under the headline, "Palisade vineyards uncork discovery," Norman wrote:

"After years of a predictable approach to wine — latching onto a favorite and sticking with it — I finally widened my horizons by touring Palisade's vineyards.

"Winemaking, I learned, is not new to Colorado. One hundred years ago, vineyards fueled a thriving industry in the Grand Valley.

"Prohibition put a cork in that until the Four Corners Project assessed the Grand Valley's grape-friendly microclimates, spurring a revival in the 1980s. Today, the "Grand Valley has more than 60 licensed wineries. I visited four of them.

"The first stop was DeBeque Canyon Winery (3943 U.S. 6, Palisade; 970-464-0550, debequecanyonwinery.com). I found the unoaked 2006 chardonnay ($12) a bit too sharp, but enjoyed the hearty zing of the 2003 Red Fox Merlot ($11).

"Next, I went to Carlson Vineyards (461 35 Road, Palisade; 970-464-5554), which won the 2003 World Riesling Cup at the 28th International Eastern Wine Competition. In the vineyard's rustic tasting room, I joined some middle-aged newlyweds from Nebraska and a Colorado Springs couple touring East Orchard Mesa by bicycle. We tasted Carlson's 2007 Laughing Cat gewürztraminer ($14.99), which made the newlyweds swoon, though the cyclists and I found it too sweet. I did like the 2005 Cougar Run merlot ($12.49), a frisky red redolent of mulberry.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Archaeologist Recreates Man's First Alcoholic Drink

Back in the proto-dawn of humanity, long before the history books, our ancestors were fermenting grapes in clay pots as one of their first alcoholic drinks. Even before we had invented the wheel, we had discovered the value and quality of the grape. This is the claim made by one archaeologist to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Under the headline, "Archaeologist Discusses History of Booze," Reporter Sue Vorenberg writes:

"Before brew pubs, before wineries, before human ancestors had climbed out of the trees and learned how to walk, there was booze.

"And it didn't take long for our ancestors to learn it was good.

"Primates of all types seem to have an unrelenting attraction to fermented beverages, which they find in nature in the form of degrading fruit, said Patrick McGovern, a molecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

"'It's a natural process,' McGovern said. 'If you have fruit or honey, and if you dilute it down, there's yeast that will ferment it. All animals appear to be attracted to that. We call it the drunken monkey hypothesis.'

"McGovern recently gave a public lecture about man's historic love of fermented beverages in Santa Fe.

"Modern humans have turned that love into an art form, but looking back at the history of fermentation can yield some lost and surprisingly good concoctions, McGovern said.

"'We've actually re-created the oldest known alcoholic beverage,' at least the one that was intentionally made, McGovern said. 'It's a 9,000-year-old Chinese drink we call Jiahu.'

"That drink is a combination of hawthorn fruit, grapes, honey and rice, or a mix of some or all of those, that scientists found traces of in old clay pots, he said."

To read the rest of the article, click here.