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The Grape Lineup

A Special Taste of Some Wines That Will be at Boulder Lifestyle's Second Annual Grapes & Grass

Article by Benjamin Wiese

Photography by Ladd Forde

Originally published in Boulder Lifestyle

Wine festivals can be tedious and difficult to approach for the average drinker. Without a refined tasting palate or a guide to the wines, sips begin to bleed together while the pressure to appropriately discuss a nice Bordeaux begins to mount. 

For Boulder Wine Merchant Owner Brett Zimmerman, his hope is the Grapes & Grass Wine Festival will have attendees throwing all preconceived expectations about wine festivals out the window. He just wants people to have a good time. It was part of why he got involved in the first place. 

“This was an opportunity to be like ‘ok, let’s take away all pretenses associated with wine and break it down.' Wear your flip flops, drink out of a nice plastic glassware from Govino, listen to great music, enjoy the outdoors, and just take it down a notch.” 

Zimmerman wants people to learn how to appreciate the fun of wine in an expectation-free environment and take note when a wine surprises them. With other deep conversations about to be had at other wine festivals or even at his own shop, Grapes & Grass should be a celebration of high-quality beverages while listening to some tunes. 

“I would say just get a general idea of something that catches your attention. If it’s just a particular flavor profile or a different grape variety, take note of that, rather than trying to take detailed notes.” 

Grapes & Grass will also offer an exciting new feature for attendees that allows people to download wine profiles onto their phone, rate the wines and even place an order request for a specific wine through Boulder Wine Merchant.

People may not be able to match Zimmerman's seemingly endless amount of insight, but they'll at least be able to find a new favorite wine or two from the festival. 

TECHNICALITIES  

Scarpetta Pinot Grigio

Year: 2017

Alcohol: 12.5%

Region: Grave del Friuli

Tasting Notes: Medium body, melon and stone fruits

A Fact: The Scarpetta brand was started by Bobby Stuckey, MS and Lachlan Mackinnon-Peterson of Frasca Food and Wine.

TECHNICALITIES  

NV Scarpetta Prosecco

Year: 2017

Alcohol: 12%

Region: Grave del Friuli

Tasting Notes: Crisp, well-balanced

A Fact: The Scarpetta brand was started by Bobby Stuckey, MS and Lachlan Mackinnon-Peterson of Frasca Food and Wine.

TECHNICALITIES  

Coeur Clémentine, Côtes de Provence

Year: 2017

Region: Cotes de Provence, Country Hierarchy, Provence, France

Grape: Grenache, Cinsaut and Mourvedre

Tasting Notes: Bright flavor, light color, dry

TECHNICALITIES  

Rascal Pinot Noir

Year: 2015

Alcohol: 13%

Region: Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Grape: Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes: Fruit-forward

TECHNICALITIES  

Replica Pickpocket

Year: 2016  

Alcohol: 15.2%

Region: California

Tasting Notes: Black violet color, well-integrated tannins

A Fact: Using a combination of scientific analysis, talented winemaking skills by Ed Killian, and quality assessment tasting by Master Sommelier Brett Zimmerman, this team uses traditional processes and blending to match the flavor profiles the benchmark wine styles.

TECHNICALITIES  

Replica Knockoff  

Year: 2016  

Alcohol: 13.8%

Region: California

Varietal: Chardonnay

Tasting Notes: Smooth and soft texture, full-bodied flavors, tropical fruit  

A Fact: Awarded 90 points and a ‘Best Buy’ for the 2016 vintage.

TECHNICALITIES  

Stonecross Chenin Blanc  

Year: 2017

Region: South Africa

Grape: Chardonnay - Chenin Blanc  

Tasting Notes: Acidity, clean and unoaked

TECHNICALITIES  

Mystical Corner Red Blend, Stellenbosch

Year: 2016

Producer: Rainbow's End Estate

Region: South Africa

Grape: Bordeaux Blend Red

Tasting Notes: Big, bold red fruits, hints of smoke and spice

A Fact: This is a blend of 34% Shiraz, 24% Malbec, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 19% Petit Verdot.

TECHNICALITIES  

Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Year: 2015

Producer: Azienda Agricola Dino Illuminati

Region: Abruzzo, Italy

Grape: Montepulciano

Tasting Notes: Dark fruit flavors, hints of herb, dark chocolate

A Fact: Illuminati is a family owned and operated winery in Abruzzo focusing on the production of the regional grape Montepulciano

TECHNICALITIES

AH-SO Rosé

Year: 2017

Alcohol: 13%

Region: Artazu, Navarra, Spain

Grape: Garnacha

Tasting Notes: Fruit-forward, fresh cherries, herbs, dried flowers

A Fact: The grapes used for this canned wine come from vines that are up to 45-years-old

TECHNICALITIES

Tíamo Organic Wines White

Year: 2016

Alcohol: 12%

Region: Venezia,Sicily

Grape: Grillo

Tasting Notes: Apricots and peaches

A Fact: All the Tíamo canned wines come from small growers and cooperatives and are blended by the owners of Tíamo, Melvyn and Jane Master and the Sager family.

TECHNICALITIES

Lena di Mezzo Valpolicella

Year: 2016

Alcohol: 12.5%

Region: Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy

Grape: Corvinone

Tasting Notes: Black cherry, black pepper aroma, moderate tannin structure

A Fact: The Pergola training system allows the Corvina Veronese and Corvinone grape varieties to have perfect exposure to the sun.


 

And for those who don’t need just wine…

Cocktail Squad: Vodka & Soda, Gin & Tonic, Margarita, Greyhound

This Boulder-based company relies on a team of local professionals, “The Squad,” to bring this new canned cocktail to market. The goal is to produce single-serving classic cocktails from quality ingredients that can be delivered in a portable package.