3-28-06

Dear Colorado Wine Club Member,

Spring has sprung, and wine growers in Colorado are thankful they’re not growing apricots, cherries or peaches.  Why?  Because these fruits blossom quite early and danger of frost is not yet past.  In fact, apricots are in full bloom at the time of this writing.  Grapes are about as late breaking as apples.  That’s why many growers are switching to grapes, especially if they have apples.  The market for apples is very difficult these days because of a worldwide oversupply of them.

Enclosed in this month’s package is a “Vine” magazine, a new Colorado Wine Brochure put out by the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, and your March Wine Club bottles.  This month’s wines for the Sweet Colorado Wine Club are:

Carlson Vineyards Fat Cat Muscat

This wine is a fabulous example of a true dessert wine.  It’s very sweet, and with a fairly high alcohol content.  The grapes have to be very sweet in order to make a wine of this style. This one has a very nice acid content in order to balance the sugar.  We noticed significant pineapple, citrus and apricot characters.  It’s a great after-dinner treat, with or without dessert.  And, as the label states, it is an act of kindness to serve this wine to your guests!

Garfield Estates Winery 2004 Vin de Glace

Vin de Glace, or Ice Wine, is another type of dessert wine, with slightly lower alcohol and high residual sugar.  What is different about it is that the grapes were harvested while they were frozen solid.  This method makes the resulting grape juice all the sweeter, thanks to the physics of melting points and sugar solutions.  When the grapes are put in the press, the solution that melts first is very high in sugar.  What remains are ice crystals, mostly just water, and the winemaker can choose how much water goes into the fermenter.  Of course this cuts down on the yield, and so compensation is made for this in the form of a higher bottle price.  Fabulous, rich wine with great balance and poise.

As always, enjoy the wines in good health!

Sincerely,

Glenn & Natalie Foster