Count Down to Edesia

      For all you last-minute foodies and libation fans out there, you can still buy tickets to the Fourth Annual Edesia: A Palisade Culinary, Wine & Spirits Adventure on Sunday, March 30, from 1-5 pm. But you need to act now.
      It’s really pretty simple. Log on to the website www.edesiapalisade.com, click on Buy Ticket, and charge on your credit card through Pay Pal’s secure account. You don’t have to have a Pay Pal account to purchase your tickets with your credit card. Or, you can stop by Wine Country Inn in Palisade and purchase them in person.
     Cost is $75, which entitles you to food, wine, beer and spirits as well as Celebrity Chef Demos and Live music.
      As it turns out, about a half dozen tickets are available for the VIP luncheon at 11 am to 1 pm. Cost is $125, which covers the three course meal and wine pairings for the luncheon and admission to the main event afterwards.
     For those who have scheduling conflicts, donations can be made on the website by clicking on the Donate button. All profits benefit Marillac Clinic, which serves uninsured and under-insured patients in Mesa County.

     Food will be prepared by Headliner Chef Nitza Mendoza from Coral Gables, Fl; Chef/Owner Theo Otte, 626 on Rood, and Chef de Cuisine Griff Chiono, Bin 707 Foodbar, both of Grand Junction, with an assist from chefs and students from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Boulder.
      Wines from Mesa Park Vineyards, Talon Wine Brands and Whitewater Hill Vineyards will be paired with the food.
      Culinary Techniques will be demonstrated in the Vintner’s House Clubrooms as follows: Chef Chiono, 2 pm; Chef Mendoza, 2:45 pm; Chef Graham Mitchell, Escoffier School, 3:30 and Chef Jesper Jonsson, Randolph’s at the Warwick Hotel, Denver, 4:15 pm.
      Artists providing music throughout the event include Walt Smith & Friends, Alycia Vince Quartet, Mike Gazdak and Eric Nohe.
      Alpine Bank is presenting Edesia , while Remy Martin, the international champagne and cognac giant, is the Title Sponsor.      
     Other sponsors include The Daily Sentinel, KKCO 11 News, Magic 93.1, the Vault, 100.7, Grand Valley Magazine, Eagle River Associates, Suzi Productions, FCI Constructors Peczuh Printing, Shamrock Foods, Swire Coca Cola, Absolute Prestige Limousine Service, Country Elegance Florists, Dalby Wendland, Farmer Brother’s Coffee, Uniform Junction, the Town of Palisade, the Palisade Chamber of Commerce, ASR and Wine Country Inn.

Romantic Vineyard Escape

It’s not too late to wow your Valentine with an intimate candlelit dinner-for- two, sipping fine wine and savoring Chef Marcelo’s delicious, creative cuisine.  

 Here’s what he’s offering for February 14, 15 or 16:  Oysters Rockefeller; Green Salad; New York Strip Steak  finished with a chocolate, espresso, Cabernet reduction, and Risotto enhanced with brandy and Shiitake mushrooms. 

The Grand Finale is chef’s Valentine’s Dessert Flights.  Pair those selections with a great wine, and presto, your meal morphs into a romantic event!
Cost is $95 per couple.  Early Seating: 5 pm; Late Seating: 7:30 pm.  Reservations are required.
To complete the mood, you can stay over in our comfortable, tastefully appointed Victorian-style inn.   On Valentine’s weekend, two packages offered. 

 The Deluxe Special for $199 per night includes dinner for two, a Standard King room, Wine Country Breakfast and Afternoon Wine Reception.   Please use code SWPK when booking.

 The Sweetheart Package at $95 per night, is for double occupancy, Standard King room. Please use code SWHT when booking.

 Package upgrades (Sweet and Simple Romance and Passion in Palisade) are also available.  Check it out on our site.

We’ve made it easy for you.  So pick up the phone and give us a call!

Reservations:  888-855-8330  (Toll Free) or 970-464-5777 (Direct).

Eat, Drink, Be Merry!

On Christmas Eve, Mom is off duty in the kitchen and deserves a well-earned treat.   Santa suggests an early dinner at Wine Country Inn.   Serving from 5 to 8 pm on December 24 and 25, the Inn is offering a Prime Rib special that includes a glass of wine for only $27.99.   Regular menu items are also available.    

Wine Country Inn Featured In Awesome Travel Video

Here's a great travel video, made by CaptainHowdy on his iPhone 4. Nice shots of the Wine Country Inn, Palisade, Colorado, and the greater Grand Valley area.

Wine Enthusiast Names Wine Country Inn A Top 7 Vineyard Property

Wine Country Inn of Palisade, CO, has been named one of seven premier vineyard properties in the United States by Wine Enthusiast Magazine in its June issue.

Entitled, "Sleeping With the Grapes," the feature by Lisa Rogak , includes California properties the Vintner’s Inn in Santa Rosa (Sonoma), La Residence in Napa, Just Inn in Paso Robles, and Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn and Spa Resort in Los Olivos. Messinna Hof Winery’s The Villa in Bryan, TX, and the 1894 Inn at Barboursville Vineyards in Charlottesville, VA. are also included. Wine Country Inn, the state’s first wine themed hotel, is the only Colorado property named. Two international properties, one in Spain, the other in Italy, were also cited.

“We are pleased to be included in such good company,” emphasizes Jerome Strack, General Manager.

“Historically, we feel related because our owners Richard and Jean Tally visited Vintner’s Inn, Just Inn and Fess Parker’s Inn more than a decade ago and incorporated some of their features in our new hotel. The operators of those properties were extremely helpful when the Tallys were gathering information back then.”

Rogak leads her article with an observation that “An increasing number of wineries are offering accommodations for overnight guests. Here are some of the best places to dine well, relax in comfort and contemplate the vines.”

She gives a thumbnail description of each of the properties. This is what she wrote about the Wine Country Inn:

“The Victorian-style Wine Country Inn is situated in the foothills of the Western Slope of Colorado, smack in the middle of 20 acres of vineyards. The inn’s 80 rooms are within walking distance of two wineries and a short drive or bike ride away from two dozen more. Other activities feature lolling on wraparound porches with rocking chairs and wicker furniture and an afternoon wine tasting. For more privacy or for an extended family reunion book the Vintner’s Guest House, with rooms and suites that can be arranged in a variety of configurations, sleeping up to 24 persons.”

Affliated with Luxe Hotels International, Wine Country inn is located at 777 Grande River Drive, at I-70 Exit 42. Guests can contact the hotel at 888-855-8330 , 970-464-5777 or www.ColoradoWineCountryInn.com. The Inn will celebrate its second anniversary on August 1, 2010.

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.

Palisade Peaches Take Flight Aboard Air Force One

Charles Broshus snapped this nifty picture for the Grand Junction Free Press of an unidentified White House staffer carting two flats of Palisade Peaches aboard Air Force One. This peachy bit of national exposure happened on the tarmac at Walker Air Field, where AF1 was parked during President Obama and the First Family's August 15, 2009 visit to the Grand Valley.

You can view more of the Obama's pass through Grand Junction and Palisade here.

Wine Country Inn Gifts Restored Photo Images To Museum

The owners of Wine Country Inn, a new 80-room boutique hotel in Palisade. believe that looking to the future should be firmly rooted in appreciating the past. That’s why the Tally family is donating electronically restored images of historic local photographs to the Museum of Western Colorado.

Valued at an estimated $20,000 by Cobb & Assoc., who handled the restoration of photos loaned by the Grand Junction museum, the restored 1900-era Palisade pictures were enlarged, framed and hung throughout the hotel. The electronic media files will be presented to museum curators at a celebration from 10 to 11 am, Thursday, July 23, in the Lobby of the hotel. The public is invited. Following the presentation, guests can view the photos in public areas as well as guest rooms. Lemonade and cookies will be served in the Tasting Room.

“We can thank our neighbor Bill Floryancic, whose passion for documenting the history of Palisade launched this project. He approached us before we even broke ground about the importance of honoring the past,” explains owner Richard Tally.

“He was right and the interest in the Victorian period photos of Palisade has created much interest and good will from our guests and local residents alike."

“We also want to thank Michael Menard and the Museum of Western Colorado for his cooperation and help,” said Tally. He also praised Jeff Ham, the Cobb graphic artist who painstakingly restored the photos, for his dedication and “labor of love” on the project.

“It was a pleasure working with the Wine Country Inn to restore and produce copies of the Museum’s early Palisade Photographs for display at the Inn,” comments Curator Menard. “The Museum of Western Colorado is very appreciative to have such supporters as Jean and Richard Tally to assist the Museum in preserving and promoting the history of the Grand Valley.”

The results are a testament to the possibilities of creating a legacy for future generations when the private and public sectors work together, Tally adds.

Palisade's Lodging Tax Funds New Tourist Initiatives

Palisade's new lodging tax is being used to help create new and exciting things for tourists to do while visiting the town.

At a recent regular meeting of the Palisade Town Board of Trustees the Board voted to provide seven local businesses with tourism marketing funds to promote special events in Palisade to encourage increased tourist visitation.

Using funds generated from the voter approved Lodging Occupation Tax, the Board of Trustees, through its Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), solicited applications for private tourism marketing projects. Nine proposals were received. Due to funding constraints, the TAB could only recommend funding seven of the nine projects.

The recommendations centered on funding projects demonstrating numerous positive characteristics including broad community benefit, partnership between multiple organizations, events targeting the shoulder seasons of winter and spring, the degree of project uniqueness and innovation, and sustainability.

Mayor Dave Walker said, “We are excited that the business community has responded to this opportunity to partner with the Town.” We are confident that these marketing dollars will show a return on investment in the form of increased tourism to Palisade.”

Projects receiving funding include Palisade Spring Antiques Fair, Agri-business Identification Flags and Banners, Palisade Octoberfest, Vineyard Harvest Boot Camp, Palisade “Feast in the Fields”, Palisade Area Trails/Maps Promotion, and Palisade Wine Country Float Trips. The funds were provided on a matching, reimbursable basis. All projects must be completed by December 31 of this year.

Harley the Motorcycle Fish Swims into View

The Town of Palisade is pleased to announce the dedication and unveiling of “Harley”, a sculpture by Palisade’s own Lyle Nichols. The ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at the New Town Center Plaza.

Palisade Mayor Dave Walker said, “the Sculpture is an incredible addition to our Town Center Plaza”. He thanks all of the donors for their generous donations.

“Harley” is a fish sculpture with scales composed of Harley Davidson mufflers. This brilliant piece of art will soon become a focal point of not only the plaza but the entire downtown area of Palisade. The project came to fruition through the enthusiasm and vision of Jane Wood, proprietor of the Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade.

The Town Center Plaza is located at the corner of Third and Main Streets in Downtown Palisade. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Rocky Mountain PBS Broadcasts Live From Inn

Public television offers unique, commercial-free programming. But it is not free. Pledge drives are a necessary evil to get members to donate funds to keep the public TV stations operating. Rocky Mountain PBS is no exception, and the Wine Country Inn was honored that the RMPBS chose the hotel this weekend to broadcast their auction live from the property.

"It is important to support PBS," says Wine Country Inn Co-owner Jean Tally. "I really believe in alternative broadcasting options. I regularly watch 'Bill Moyers' and other news/analysis programs as well as purely entertaining offerings like the Sunday night student concerts out of Carnegie Hall in New York, 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'Antiques Roadshow'. These are just a few examples PBS also helped me raise my children with 'Sesame Street', 'Electric Company', and 'Mr. Rogers'."

Here's what RMPBS has to say about the auction:

Under the headline, "Spring Is In the Air - Finally. So Is Auction!" Elizabeth Mayer of Rocky Mountain PBS writes:

"Rocky Mountain PBS is teaming with energy these days, especially with the excitement around Auction. Each day there are some 30 volunteers in the building, doing everything from photographing incoming donations to handling item pickup."

"Their passion for Auction – and this organization – is contagious. Day in and day out, I think to myself, boy is this place unique."

"Yet there is nothing unique about the financial troubles we're facing. Families and non-profits alike are feeling the pinch. The fact is, this year, Auction needs to deliver more than ever. We are well short of revenue goals – $1.5 million down – and we look to you to help make Auction the success it needs to be."

"What's neat is that everyone benefits from Auction. For local businesses, it's a great way to support a cause, get your company's name out there and make a tax-deductible contribution. For the artists that donate work, it means on-air exposure and community recognition. For the buyer, it means getting unique, valuable items while supporting Rocky Mountain PBS."

"The hundreds of volunteers that make Auction possible also benefit. Each year, a community of volunteers comes together to rally around something near and dear to their hearts. They work extraordinarily hard – and have fun while doing it."

Click here to read more about the RMPBS Spring 2009 auction.

Palisade Dedicates New Town Plaza

The Town of Palisade is pleased to host a Town Plaza Dedication on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. The event will feature live music, food and refreshments.

This dedication will celebrate the completion of a multi-year effort to achieve the community vision of a beautified Town Center with increased parking, landscaping, railroad buffering while providing a public gathering place for festivals, events, markets, or just meeting friends.

Construction on the project began on September 29, 2008 and was completed on April 8, 2009. The plaza project includes:

· Improvement to over 41,000 square feet of Town-owned property; just slightly less than 1 acre.

· More than 21,000 square-feet of asphalt with 51 designated parking spaces.

· 3,800 square-feet of colored concrete, 1,400 square-feet of that stamped with 2 different designs.

· Amenities to support Family Food Town—grocery store including a cart corral, forklift enclosure and dumpster enclosure.

· A screen wall of native sandstone, 7’ tall at the peak and 35 feet long.

· A two-tiered seating wall with a sandstone veneer.

· 32 new trees, 300 plants and shrubs and 15 separate planting beds in the plaza and parking lot.

· New lighting and electrical service are added features throughout the entire project.

Palisade Mayor Dave Walker said, “The Plaza is a tremendous addition to our downtown. We are confident that it will not only enhance economic development in our community but will enhance our quality of life by becoming a gathering place for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike.”

The Plaza will be the showcase for local artist, Lyle Nichols, sculpture “Harley” to be placed and unveiled May 10, 2009. The Plaza will eventually be the site for a Clock donated by the Palisade Lions Club.

The ceremony will be held on the Plaza at the corner of Third and Main Streets in Downtown Palisade. The public is welcome to attend.

Colorado Wine Country Video

The Grand Junction Visitors and Convention Bureau recently produced a great video about Colorado's Wine Country for YouTube. The video features many familiar local faces, including Bob Witham, owner of Two Rivers Winery, and Naomi Smith, owner of Grande River Vineyards. Check it out:

To see more of the GJVCB's videos about the Grand Valley, simply click here.

So What Makes a Wine 'Colorado Grown' ?

Appellations define where a wine is made. In the case of true Colorado estate-bottled wines, this would derive from either the Grand Valley or West Elks American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), designated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to convey quality for U.S. wines.

But what about further seals of excellence for quality, in-state wine? Not all of Colorado's best wineries are located near Palisade or Paonia. As long as the wineries use grapes from these areas or from a handful of smaller vineyards along the Front Range, they can bottle their vintages using the "Colorado Grown" label.

One wine expert recently explained how this process is defined.

Under the headline, "'Colorado Grown' Appeals to Consumers Seeking Local Wines," Practical Winery & Vineyard Reporter Don Neel writes:

"Colorado wine consumers can obtain 100 percent Colorado Grown wines. In the infancy of the Colorado wine industry in 1990, drafters of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Act coined the phrase “Colorado Grown,” and included language in the statute that only wine containing 100 percent Colorado fruit could use the phrase on wine labels."

"Two influential drafters of the Act were Steve Smith (who founded Grande River Vineyards in 1987), and Doug Phillips (of Plum Creek Cellars, founded in 1984). The phrase and its use have since become part of the Colorado Liquor Code."

“Some people were happy with the federal 75 percent requirement for the Colorado appellation,” Smith recalls."

“But Doug and I wanted something designating 100 percent, that could be pro-actively promoted.”

To view the full story, go the Colorado Wine Industry & Development Board's press page and download a .PDF file, or simply click here to learn more about Colorado Grown Grapes.

Celebrating Colorado's Craft Distillers, Part II

Micro-distilleries are a popular new component of Colorado's wine and spirits scene. Whiskey, bourbon, grappa and gin are a few of the quality liquors being produced in limited batches across the state.

(One a side note: the Wine Country Inn proudly serves Palisade's Peach Street Distillers as top shelf liquors during its receptions and events).

One reporter recently took a stab at describing several of Colorado's craft distillers.

Under the subhead, "Peachy Place: Colorado’s First Legal Bourbon," Colorado Springs Independent Reporter Matthew Schniper writes:

"Location, location, location."

"It can make or break a business. It can do lovely things to a drink."

"Consider how the wine world embraces terroir (how a product's unique locale plays into its flavor), and it's a no-brainer why Peach Street Distillers set up shop in fruit-abundant Palisade."

"I go pick what I want," says head distiller Davy Lindig. "[A product] is always better when you can get it from the source."

"Not only does Peach Street use post-mashed sticks, skins and stems from nearby Debeque Canyon Winery to make Grappa, but it uses fresh fruit for a line of Eaux-de-Vie (fruit brandies); local juniper berries, herbs and spices for its gin; and not-too-distant Olathe sweet corn for its vodka and bourbon."

"Yes, Peach Street holds the honor of marketing the first legal bourbon ever made in Colorado. And no, bourbon doesn't have to be from Kentucky."

"To clear up the myth, Lindig says a bourbon must be made in the U.S. out of at least 51 percent corn and age for no less than two years in a brand-new charred-oak barrel. That's basically it."

"People haven't done it before, speculates Lindig, because distillers must endure the expensive start-up and barrel-aging interlude; Peach Street's initial release this past fall yielded a fairly small 200 bottles (available only in the tasting room, at present)."

"To get Peach Street off the ground in November 2005, co-founder Rory Donovan — who partnered with Bill Graham and David Thibodeau of Durango's Ska Brewing Co. — self-distributed statewide."

"I put some miles on the truck," he says. "I was handling 300 accounts from Fort Collins to Telluride."

"But he finally caught the attention of Republic National, a major distributor. Soon, he expects to release 150 six-pack cases of bourbon every four to six months for distribution."

"Peach Street bourbon recently won a gold medal and 90-point rating from the Beverage Tasting Institute, a respected, 28-year-old review organization."

"We're only 3½ with a 2½-year-old whiskey that's getting rated the same scores as 100-year-old distilleries and their 7- and 8-year-old whiskeys," says Donovan. "It tells me, just like with craft brew, when you put some time and effort and slow things down and do it yourself, you can make a hell of a product."

"Everything but Peach Street's bourbon ($58, 750 ml) is available in local liquor stores. Other prices for 750 ml bottles range from $28 to $32."

This is part two of a two part series on Colorado's craft distiller scene. You can read the rest of the article aboutColorado's other craft distillers here.

So, would you drink some of Colorado's distilled spirits?

Celebrating Colorado's Craft Distillers, Part I

Boy, Coloradans sure know how to get plastered in style! In a pure celebration of all things related to the fermentation of grape and grain, Colorado boasts over 70 wineries and over a hundred brewpubs. Denver is home to Modern Drunkard Magazine and is sometimes labeled the "Napa Valley of Microbreweries."

But what about Colorado's dozen or so craft distillers? This cottage industry is producing limited batches of the hard stuff, and people are flocking to buy it. The Colorado Springs Independent recently highlighted this niche market, including Palisade's very own Peach Street Distillers.

Under the headline, "High Spirits: Colorado's Breweries Aside, Our Dozen Craft Distillers Shall Not Be Ignored," Independent Reporter Matthew Schniper writes:

"Bottle for bottle in Colorado last year, Denver-distilled Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey outsold every other top-shelf whiskey "by a wide margin," according to co-founder Jess Graber."

"I don't have actual sales receipts," he says, "but the liquor stores tell us, 'You sell way more than anyone else.'"

"The small distillery laid its first barrel to mature just five years ago, and still puts out just three barrels per week — which represents about five minutes of production for the mass-producing distilleries. So if Graber's decidedly unscientific analysis is true, Stranahan's sales success could be considered amazing."

"And totally appropriate."

"Anything that's hand-crafted will taste better, period," says Bill Owens, of the Hayward, Calif.-based American Distilling Institute."

"Owens, a former brewer who's been tracking spirit trends for six years now, says the number of current operations, currently around 150, is growing by roughly 20 per year. Colorado distilleries account for a dozen, falling behind only California, Michigan and Oregon nationally, and accounting for about as many craft operations, Owens says, as can be found in all of Europe."

"[The Europeans] scratch their heads and can't figure out why anyone would even bother," says Owens. "They don't understand the American Dream."

"Talk to any small distiller, one producing a few thousand cases versus millions, and you'll find that relentless pursuit of the dream is indeed what it takes to carve a niche alongside the distributors of mass-quantity, mainstream spirits. Because the "barrier to entry" is so high — paying for bottling, licensing and distributorship on top of significant investment capital, with an expected two- to three-year negative cash flow — Owens estimates that distilleries will never surge quite like microbreweries have."

"The ones that are here, though, like Stranahan's, are doing just fine."

This is part one of a two part series. You can check out some of Colorado's other craft distillers here.

So what are some of your favorite top shelf liquors? Have you ever tried any from Colorado?

More Wedding Promotion for the Wine Country Inn

The wedding niche of the blogosphere continues to circulate an article written by PerfectOurdoorWeddings last year, a piece that featured the Wine Country Inn. This time, the story was picked up by WeddingNightRomance.com.

Under the headline, "Five Breathtaking Destinations for your Vineyard Wedding," an admin at WeddingNightRomance wrote:

"Many brides search for the ultimate outdoor wedding location to capture the romance of their special day. If you are looking for a wedding spot that’s out of the ordinary, a vineyard may be the perfect destination, adding a touch of sophistication and elegance to your outdoor wedding. Perfect Outdoor Weddings chose the top five vineyards where you can treat yourselves to beauty, serenity, enjoyable group activities, and fine wines, while celebrating the most wonderful day of your lives."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Our Very First Wine Country Inn YouTube Video

Check it out. We have created our very first YouTube video, featuring our Jazz 777 night. Our full Wine Country Inn profile will be ready in a couple of days.



So, give us your feedback and tell us, what do you think?

Colorado 2008: Great Year For Local Wines

Poor Denver is losing one of its hometown papers, the Rocky Mountain News. But the nearly 150 year old newspaper did not leave without reporting quality wine news to the end. The News recently wrote about how 2008 should be a great vintage for Colorado wine, with the right conditions coming together for an excellent grape harvest.

Under the headline, "Colo. Vineyards Uncork a Good Year: Mild Weather, Slow Ripening Cited For Quality Grape Harvest," Rocky Mountain News Roger Fillion wrote:

"Colorado winemakers are toasting the quality of the state's latest grape harvest."

"They predict last fall's harvest will produce some of Colorado's better, if not best, wines in recent years. And there should be plenty of bottles to go around."

"Colorado wine-grape growers appear to have picked a record amount of grapes from their vines during the 2008 harvest."

"In particular, vineyard operators in the Grand Valley near Grand Junction reported high yields. Frost, by contrast, inflicted some damage in the smaller growing region around Paonia."

"The state's overall harvest could total nearly three times the tonnage recorded in the 2007 harvest. Cold weather slashed the grape tonnage that year."

"Mild weather and a slow ripening contributed to the quality of the latest grape harvest, winemakers said."

"We're definitely pleased with the grapes this year," said Jackie Thompson, winemaker at Boulder Creek Winery. "The flavors are pretty intense."

"She said the winery's merlot and syrah wines - now in barrels - "are going to be the best we've ever made."

"A survey of some of Colorado's 75 wineries elicited more praise. Winemakers said Riesling and cabernet franc also showed good quality."

"It was a long, not terribly hot season. We got great ripeness," said Nancy Janes, winemaker at Whitewater Hill Vineyards and Winery in Grand Junction.

"The merlot looks absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful flavor and color. Very rich fruit."

"The state's first full-time consulting winemaker, or enologist, was upbeat, too - but not as effusive as some of the winemakers."

"It was a good vintage. But it wasn't spectacular," said Stephen Menke, who also teaches enology at Colorado State University."

"Basically, the flavor profiles seem pretty good. This will be one of the better vintages."

"The last notable vintages were in 2005 and 2006."

"Colorado joins other states where early signs suggest that the 2008 vintage was a good one."

"According to Wine Enthusiast magazine, favorable weather produced "excellent" to "outstanding" grape harvests last fall in such key wine-producing states as California, Washington and Oregon."

"Bill Musgnung, a winemaker who relocated to Paonia from Oregon to produce wine, said Colorado benefited from "ideal growing conditions." He also said grape growers here "now understand that by keeping the vine fruit yields lower this makes for better wines."

"The result: "The fruit is fantastic and the wines should be some of the best ever made in Colorado," said Musgnung, who buys grapes to produce wine at his winery, Bethlehem Wine Cellars."

"Musgnung has sampled numerous wines from other wineries. "Thus far the fermenting Rieslings that I've tasted are absolutely fantastic and the reds are shining."

"He singled out wines from Cortez, Palisade, Hotchkiss and Paonia."

"In addition to good quality grapes, the 2008 harvest also represents a bumper crop for Colorado vineyards."

"It's a new state record. No doubt about it," said Horst Caspari, Colorado's state viticulturist.

"I think we might be getting close to 2,000 tons. Maybe 1,800 to 2,000 tons."

"That would be a dramatic turnaround from the 2007 harvest. Unusually cold weather in late 2006 and the spring of 2007 wreaked havoc on Colorado vineyards, especially in Delta County."

"The resulting grape yield totaled just 700 tons, down from 1,515 in 2006."

"It's our biggest and one of the better quality harvests we've had," said John Garlich, owner of BookCliff Vineyards. The winery owns and manages 33 acres of vineyard in Palisade.

"Garlich said BookCliff may produce its first "reserve" merlot since 2005. The wine is aged in new oak barrels."

"While the quality of the grapes is said to be good around the state, not all vineyard operators reported big harvests."

"Eames Peterson, owner of Alfred Eames Cellars in Paonia, said a spring frost destroyed 80 percent of the pinot noir grapes he has planted on three acres."

"We had good quality grapes but a lot of frost damage," said Peterson, who also is the winery's winemaker. "That was not true of all the vineyards up here."

"He noted the area - which sits about 1,000 feet in elevation above the Grand Valley - contains numerous microclimates because of the nearby West Elk mountains."

"No Sour Grapes Here"

"Why is Colorado's 2008 wine grape harvest considered a particularly good one? Experts weigh in:"

* "It was a long, not terribly hot season. We got great ripeness. The flavor and the color are all really good." Nancy Janes, Whitewater Hill Vineyards and Winery winemaker

* "Riesling turned out well. It has more of a European-type flavor. It tastes more off- dry because the acids are high." John Garlich, BookCliff Vineyards owner

*"The grapes have very good flavor. The sugar, acid and pH were in good balance." Doug Vogel, Reeder Mesa Vineyards winemaker"

Does Red Wine Reduce Lung Cancer Risk?

Consider a humble glass of wine. Many compounds found in that wine, like polyphenols and resveratrol, offer a wide variety of health benefits. Now, new research studies are unearthing an increasingly complex web of healthy side effects to that simple glass of vino.

"Four More Reasons To Drink Red Wine : The Heart-healthy Beverage May Also Keep You From Developing Physical Disabilities or Alzheimer's Disease, " Newsweek Reporter Tina Peng writes:

"It's common knowledge that a glass or two of red wine a night will do more than enhance a great meal or put you to sleep: it can reduce production of "bad" cholesterol, boost "good" cholesterol and reduce blood clotting, all of which will help reduce the risk of heart disease. But recent studies are showing that wine aficionados may also reap even more benefits, from inhibiting tumor development to helping form nerve cells. Here's a roundup of four recent studies that might encourage you to uncork that bottle of merlot:"

1. It Can Help Keep You Fit: For senior citizens who are already in shape, moderate alcohol intake can help prevent the development of physical disabilities, according to a new UCLA study in the American Journal of Epidemiology. (The National Institutes of Health recommends no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.) Researchers found that moderate drinkers in a national survey had a lower risk than heavy drinkers or abstainers of developing physical problems that impeded their abilities to walk or dress or groom themselves. But don't take that as a cue to rest easy: the benefits only applied to seniors who were already in good health. Seniors in poor health may already be too close to developing disabilities for the wine to be of much use, researchers said.

2. It May Help Fight Alzheimer's. In animal trials, UCLA researchers found that compounds known as polyphenols, which naturally occur in red wine, can inhibit the development of proteins that deposit in the brain and form the plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. Polyphenols also are highly concentrated in tea, nuts, berries and cocoa, the researchers, who did the study with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, reported in the November issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The polyphenols block the formation and decrease the toxicity of the Alzheimer's-associated protein deposits, scientists found; they plan to start human clinical trials next.

3. It Boosts Heart-Healthy Omega 3 Levels. Moderate alcohol consumption helps boost the body's omega-3 levels, European researchers report in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The fatty acids are usually derived from fish and help protect against coronary heart disease, but people who consumed alcohol, especially wine, in moderation (one drink for women, two drinks for me) had higher omega-3 levels independent of their fish intake, the researchers found after studying populations in England, Belgium and Italy. They hypothesize that this effect is due in part to polyphenols as well.

4. It May Lower Lung Cancer Risk. Moderate consumption of red wine may decrease the risk of lung cancer in men, researchers reported in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Analyzing data collected from the California Men's Health Study, they found that each glass of red wine consumed a month correlated with a 2 percent lower lung cancer risk. Men who drank one or two glasses of red wine a day saw a 60 percent reduced lung cancer risk. There were no similar benefits for white wine, beer or liquor drinkers, though, and smokers who drank red wine still, of course, had a higher lung-cancer risk than non-smokers.

You can read the Newsweek article here.