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.