Eugenia Bone's Sunset Magazine Spread on Colorado's Wine Country

In case you missed it, here is Eugenia Bone's mid summer Sunset Magazine article. Bone is probably the area's preeminent living author, writing the memoir/cookbook At Mesa's Edge: Cooking and Ranching in Colorado's North Fork Valley.

"Colorado: The next wine country: There's seriously good wine among Colorado's red rocks: 9 best wineries you've never heard of," Bone writes:

"I didn't even know wine existed in Colorado the summer of 1998, when I moved from New York City to a run-down ranch near Grand Junction. In fact, I was quite sure I was going to die of thirst. So I brought my own: crisp, lemony Pinot Grigio and rough Primitivo.

"Ten years later, those wines are still in the basement. That's because it took all of about one week to discover that I had relocated to the fringes of an extraordinary wine scene.

"After that first summer, I was hooked. Not only on the wine, but also on the adventure of following funky little signs down dusty roads and finding gems, the realms of winemakers who had a dream to plant green vineyards among the red rocks. Try one or all of our Colorado wine tours, and you'll be hooked too.

"TRIP 1: THE GRAND VALLEY"

"For power tasters and spirit seekers'

"One very hot August day, I was standing in the cup of a cliff formation at Colorado National Monument, looking out over the Grand Valley, when I heard, suddenly and dramatically, the sound of a huge bird — eagle? pterodactyl? — swooping over my head. I ducked and looked over the cliff edge to see where the bird had gone. There was no bird, but below me was a verdant vineyard, green and rich with vines.

"Later that day, as I sipped a muscular Cabernet Sauvignon at Two Rivers Winery (one of 21 wineries in this most established of Colorado's appellations), I resisted telling the kind pourer that a winged spirit led me there. You just never know how that kind of story is going to come off. But I do feel there is a holy connection between the high drama of the Grand Valley's scenery and the region's many fine wines. Goût du terroir, indeed."

You can read the rest of the Sunset Magazine article here.

Snowmass Wine Festival Features Garfield Estates, Plum Creek, Two Rivers' Wines

The Aspen Times has written an in-depth profile of Billie and Bob Witham, owners and founders of Two Rivers Winery. The article also covers the Snowmass Wine Festival, happening this weekend. Under the headline, "Snowmass Wine Festival Draws Colorado Winemakers:

Grand Junction-Area Winery's Varietals Among Those Featured at Weekend Event," Reporter Stewart Oksenhorn writes:

"Two Rivers’ wines will be offered at this weekend’s Snowmass Wine Festival in Snowmass Village. The festival opens Friday with a dinner at the Artisan restaurant, featuring wines from the Australian maker Penfolds. The Grand Tasting is set for Saturday, Sept. 13, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the Snowmass mall. Among the winemakers will be three from Colorado, all located in Mesa County: Plum Creek, Garfield Estates, and Two Rivers, whose full array of varietals — cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, riesling and chardonnay, plus a port — will be featured. It is a rarity for the Colorado wineries to be included, as the Snowmass event typically coincides with the Colorado Mountain Winefest, in Palisade.

"In total, some 200 wines from around the world will be featured at the Grand Tasting in Snowmass. The event will also feature food items, a silent auction, and music by Bobby Mason & Friends. The event is a fundraiser for the Snowmass Village Rotary. The festival coincides with the 33rd Annual Snowmass Balloon Festival, which runs through Sunday, Sept. 14."

You can read more about the Withams and Two Rivers Winery here.

Two Rivers Winery, Decadence Gourmet Cheesecakes Featured at DNC

The Democratic National Convention this week got serviced by the likes of Two Rivers Winery and Decadence Gourmet Cheesecakes. Two Rivers donated to a charity event while Decadence Gourmet merely had its name on a vendor list. Due to miscommunication with convention organizers, the cheesecake makers could not set up their booth for the DNC.

Lee Mathis of Decadence Gourmet Cheesecakes in Grand Junction told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel that, "--he’s just happy for the free advertising that goes along with being on the DNC vendor list.

“'I wouldn’t have wanted a booth anyway,” Mathis said. “I’ve been at too many political conventions before and, trust me, it’s a zoo. I get more business here than I’d get over there.'”

Decadence Gourmet bakes an unusual line of "Cheesecakes in a Jar." Decadence launched this product line at the Downtown Grand Junction Farmer's Market in June of 2006

For its part, Grand Junction’s Two Rivers Winery provided the wine at a charity event for the homeless, one of a number of events Friday beore the convention began. The winery donated 14 cases.

You can read the full article here.