Light Up the Season with GJ's Annual Tree Lighting

What better way to celebrate the start of the Christmas season at the Wine Country Inn than attending a good, old fashioned tree lighting ceremony? Typically, this event takes place over Thanksgiving weekend.

In the manner of Times Square, the Wells Fargo Christmas Tree and the rest of Main Street light up to officially kick off the holiday season in Downtown Grand Junction. The tree, located in front of Wells Fargo Bank, 359 Main Street, is lit when Santa arrives to welcome the holiday season and shoppers to Downtown Grand Junction!

Santa visits with the kids while everyone enjoys their favorite Christmas tunes. The event runs from 5 – 6 p.m., with the lighting itself taking place around 5:30 p.m.

Participating Downtown merchants stay open late that evening and debut their holiday window and building decorations. The annual Window Decorating Contest also begins that evening, with stores competing for the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award winner is selected by members of the public with ballot boxes at downtown restaurants.

Road closures:

4^th Street is closed from the alley behind the Reed Building to the alley behind Wells Fargo Bank to create parking for local media vehicles. The lane closure begins at 5 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.

Parking tips:

Plenty of parking is available off of Main Street on Colorado and Rood Avenues, in the parking garage on Rood Ave. and in business lots. Parking is free during the holiday season. It’s a good idea to carpool and wear comfortable shoes! Dress warmly!

Wine Country Inn Interview on Colorado Public Radio

Colorado Public Radio recently featured the Wine Country Inn on its show, "Colorado Matters." Under the headline, "New Hotel in Palisade Caters To Wine Lovers," CPR published a page with a gorgeous photo spread of the new hotel.

You can see the photos here.

Colorado Public Radio wrote:

"Before opening the Wine Country Inn, the owners traveled the globe--from Napa to Tuscany--to get a feel for hotels that cater to wine connoisseurs. Host Ryan Warner speaks with Jean Tally, who co-owns the inn with her husband."

Listen to the radio interview here.

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Wine Country Inn

From the Grand Junction Free Press:

"Jean Tally and our friends at the beautiful new Wine Country Inn in Palisade are hosting “Thanksgiving in the Vineyards,” which is sure to get everyone in the holiday mode.

"The Wine Country Inn’s great staff includes Scott Meyer, general manager, Angella Vallard, assistant general manager and director of sales, and Juliann Adams, event coordinator. Call 464-5777 or visit www.coloradowinecountryinn.com for more information. "

Some Wine Suggestions For Thanksgiving Dinner

If you are not eating turkey dinner at the Wine Country Inn or drinking a glass of Palisade wine, here are some suggested wine pairings for your holiday dinner. Under the headline, "Thanksgiving Dinner Calls for Variety of Wine," Joe Henry writes in the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

"Don't let all this warm weather fool you. Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

"With that, a wide variety of foods will more than likely be hitting the table, and pairing your wine to match this flavor spectrum can be a confusing task. Red or white? Dry or sweet? Bubbles or still wine? In order to make your wine shopping a little easier this year, I offer a few simple wine-pairing tips for your holiday feast.

"It's important to start a meal with a clean palate. Try a glass of bubbly, as the crisp acidity and effervescence in sparkling wines will do the trick.

"Traditionally, turkey seems to be the most common food at the table, but it's important to remember all of its accompaniments. While you don't want to overlook this delicate meat, the trimmings are generally rich in flavor and seem to be the most difficult to pair with wine. A good rule of thumb: Acidity cuts through both richness and spice while cleansing the
palate between bites, leaving your taste buds ready for more.

"I prefer the Riesling grape and particularly one dry in style or perhaps with just a touch of sweetness.

"If you prefer red wine, remember that you don't want to overpower your main course. I recommend pinot noir, as it carries mouth-filling flavors that will stand up to the trimmings while maintaining its softness and delicacy for the turkey

"It wouldn't be a great meal without dessert. Muscat harmonizes wonderfully with pumpkin pie, offering rich flavors of toffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar and hazelnuts.

"If you are new to wine, remember there is no right or wrong choice. Drink what you enjoy, as these tips are only basic guidelines for pairing food and wine."

"Happy Thanksgiving."

Powderhorn Ski Opens Dec. 11

Here's what the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel is writing about the upcoming ski season. Under the headline,"Scheduled to Open Dec. 11, Powderhorn Plays to Region," reporter Gary Harmon writes:

"Powderhorn Ski Resort is playing to its base this winter.

"Instead of trying to lure skiers from as far as Texas and California, the resort on Grand Mesa, which is slated to open Dec. 11, is aiming at the western Colorado and eastern Utah marketplace exclusively.

“'We’ve put virtually every dollar' for marketing and promotion into the Grand Valley and environs, Powderhorn spokeswoman Sarah Allen said. 'Our real focus is to tell people, you can ski this year.'

"Most of Powderhorn’s business, 84 percent, is from Colorado, and 74 percent is from the Grand Valley, a clientele that Powderhorn hopes will only grow.

"The national economic slowdown could be beneficial for the resort, she said, because it’s easy to reach by car, and lift prices are nearly half what they are in some of the state’s destinations resorts, such as Aspen and Vail.

"To keep up numbers, Powderhorn, like the major resorts, is offering deals and packages to lure skiers and snowboarders to the slopes.

"And officials are watching the skies.

“'More than 20 years of research says snowfall is the most important,' Allen said."

Development Sought For Palisade’s Distillery/Brewery District

According to the Palisade Chamber of Commerce, Castle Rock Construction is constructing commercial projects in Palisade. They are looking for unique businesses interested in relocating or starting up a business that will synchronize with surrounding retail.

“The building will be a tremendous asset to Palisade’s Distillery/Brewery District, and will be an architectural fit with existing buildings,” said Robert Melot, owner. “The architecture consists of heavy timber, rock/stucco and rusty metal roof, with continuous courtyards co-joining a distillery. It will have a nostalgic feel of nature with the organic materials used for construction.”

Businesses they are seeking include a café featuring buffalo burgers or oven-fired pizza, trending toward organic local products. Other business that would fit well with Palisade’s new hotel client base would be a massage therapist, acupressurist, and chiropractor.

“With Palisade’s new lodging tax, the development of the new 80-room Wine Country Inn, recent publicity in the Denver press and the New York Times, and the Town’s commitment to aggressive marketing, now is the time to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Melot. He will be willing to work on a sliding rent scale to foster the right entrepreneurs wanting to expand.

The new building is located at 125 Peach Street along the north side of downtown Palisade, just behind Peach Street Distillers and DeBeque Canyon Winery’s warehouse. An entry way and courtyard will connect Peach Street Distillers to the complex.

For more information, contact Castle Rock Construction at 464-0188 or e-mail Robert Melot at croc@qwestoffice.net.

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.

Vail Trail: 'Old World Charm" at Wine Country Inn

Tamara Miller of the Vail Trail visited the hotel back in September. Under the headline, "Drinking in Colorado:Friends of the Vail Valley Urge Us to Take a Visit to the West," Miller wrote:

"Colorado’s burgeoning wine industry has made serious strides over the years, thanks in part to growing interest in boutique wines and a greater zeal to support locally-grown produce.

"Just two hours west of Vail is the epicenter of the state’s wine industry. With its high, arid climate that brings warm, sunny days and cool nights, the Grand Valley is sort of like the Tuscany of Colorado, producing around 80 percent of the wine grapes for the state.

"Palisade, a quaint town just east of Grand Junction and surrounded by vineyards and farms, is the natural home base for the growing throng of agri-tourists who head here. But its ability to capture that business has been limited by an utter lack of sizeable hotels or inns in town.

"That’s where Jean and Richard Tally have stepped in. The Tallys, who own property up Lake Creek near Edwards and have been visiting the Vail Valley for decades, aren’t exactly wine experts, but they are longtime veterans in the lodging industry, owning several hotels around the state. When Steve Smith, co-owner of the Grande River Vineyards, suggested the Tallys open a hotel near the winery, you could say the couple accepted the challenge, and then spent 10 years traveling to Europe and California doing the research that ultimately shaped the Wine Country Inn, which opened in August.

Old world charm in Colorado

"The Inn represents the 'best of the best' of what the Tallys saw while visiting wineries during that 10-year period, Jean said.

“'The ones that we were drawn to, that seemed the most welcoming, had adapted the Victorian style,' she said. 'We tried to superimpose those features that we thought were so pleasing and appealing onto a regular hotel structure.'

"With its peaked roof, porches and rocking chairs, the inn complements the Victorian architecture and farmhouse sensibility found elsewhere in the town of Palisade. But it’s still a sizeable hotel, with 80 rooms, meeting spaces, a gift shop, a courtyard with a pool and the 'Vitner’s Guest House' — a large building for weddings, retreats and family reunions with its full kitchen, living and dining rooms and bedrooms. "

You can read the rest of the write up here.

Drug Company Intensifies Wine Benefits In Pill Form

Grapes are the gift that keep on giving. Resveratrol is a healthy compound found in red wine that has been touted as the treatment for any number of ailments. The major drug companies have sat up an taken notice. One pharamceutical company, Glaxo Smith Kline, claims they have taken the healthy essence of wine and reduced it to an intensified pill form. Under the headline, "Glaxo Customized 'Red Wine' Drug Potent in Mice," Reuters reporter Michael Kahn writes:

"LONDON (Reuters) - A drug in development that mimics a health-boosting compound found in red wine may be a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity and diabetes, researchers said on Tuesday."

"A study of mice showed that the GlaxoSmithKline drug SRT1720 was about a thousand times more potent than resveratrol in activating an enzyme that helped the animals burn more energy and lower their insulin and glucose levels."

"Mice fed a high-fat diet were tricked into switching their metabolisms to a fat-burning mode that normally takes over when energy levels are low, researchers reported in the journal Cell Metabolism."

"'We are activating the same enzymes that are activated when people go to the gym,' said Peter Elliott, a vice president at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, the Glaxo unit that developed the drug. 'That is why we believe the profile for this drug is very safe.'

"Resveratrol is found in abundance in grapes and in red wine and is believed to provide a number of health benefits, including preventing heart disease. An earlier study from the same team showed it lowered glucose and insulin in diabetics."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Sales of Palisade Jams to Benefit Fort Collins Food Bank

The staff at the Fort Collins Coloradoan reports that, "Net proceeds from the sale of jams and jellies from Colorado Mountain Fine Jams & Jellies in Palisade," will go to benefit the Fort Collins food bank. The sale of hand crafted cutting boards and gourmet nut butters will also help needy families. Under the headline, "Bread Board Fundraiser Planned," the Coloradoan staff writes:

"Sears Trostel Lumber & Millwork will once again sell 650 handmade cutting boards made by employees during its fourth annual Bread 'n' Boards Fund-raiser on Dec. 6.

"Proceeds benefit the Food Bank for Larimer County.

"The event begins at 9 a.m. at the Sears Trostel store, 1500 Riverside Ave. Sears Trostel officials expect all boards to be sold by noon.

"'Last year, we sold 600 boards in a little over two hours and raised $18,000 for the Food Bank,' said Curt Viehmeyer, Sears Trostel owner.

"This year, Sears Trostel is making 650 boards to raise $20,000.

"'With the nation's current economic situation, more and more of our neighbors are turning to the Food Bank for help,' Viehmeyer said. 'I read that in two weeks in October, nearly 8,500 Larimer County residents were forced to use the Food Bank. Half of those folks are elderly or children. Every dollar we donate can provide a family enough food for four healthy meals. We want proceeds from this event to provide 80,000 meals in Larimer County.'"

You can read more about this worthy cause here.