Denver Destination: Balistreri Vineyards

President's Day Monday was the final day of a getaway trip my girlfriend and I took to visit Denver, CO. We survived a day of snowboarding, sightseeing, eating at places like faux-Mexican restaurants, and now we wanted something relaxing before our flight back home. Most government historical sites and tourist spots like the Denver Mint looked like they were closed for the holiday. Lacking Internet, we turned to the Denver tour guide magazine and happened to glance upon a blurb mentioning a Balistreri Vineyards in the area. So with an address, a taste for wine, a rental car in dire need of gas, and a GPS whose functionality was sketchy, we headed off to what we thought was Denver's wine country.

The Balistreri location happens to be along a road of both flat landscape and industrial buildings. It doesn't exactly scream Napa winery vineyard upon arrival. Contrasting with the large buildings, the Balistreri office looks like it was converted from a old fashioned wooden house. We thought we did wander into someone's house until we walked inside and noticed the bar full of wine bottles and the two friendly ladies tending to a couple who arrived ahead of us.

With a request for our IDs to confirm we were of drinking age and without charging admission, the Balistreri clerks began introducing us to their wines. Perhaps noon on a weekday was an early time to start drinking wine, the cool Denver air combined with the relaxed atmosphere of a holiday created a relaxing atmosphere to sip, taste, learn about the wine, and perhaps purchase. Balistreri also provided a variety of cheeses, chocolates, olives, fruit, wine jellies, and sliced cured meat to go with our wine tasting. The dill Havarti is particularly divine.

The award winning Balistreri wines come in a variety of wines such as Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Riesling, Muscat, Merlot, and Syrah. They provide a little menu to keep track of what they are serving. The menu features the wines already harvested for the year as well as an insert featuring their library wines that have won awards at international wine competitions. Prices range from $13 to $65 with most averaging $25 or $30.

The wines have no added sulfites, which gives each a cleaner and purer taste. Additionally, the wine provides less of a reaction to those sensitive to sulfites. Whether subtle, smoky, or strong, the fruit and tannins provide a wonderful drink. The provided cheese or other snacks definitely compliment the wine. We received a brief tour of the wine cellar and the contained oak barrels holding the wine-we had arrived after production so missed the full process. It's a small operation, but they are more focused on quality over quantity.

We ended up with a Colorado Cherry ($13) and a 2008 Late Harvest Merlot ($26). The Cherry is barrel-aged to make this pleasant wine. In addition to cherry flavors, almond, spice, and strawberry aromas are thrown in. The Merlot is a sweet and spicy mix with intricate spices and many dried fruit flavors. I also bought some Merlot jelly distributed exclusively there, which tasted like Merlot and went well with crackers.

So for an intimate wine tasting place in Denver, Balistreri is highly recommended. You never can judge a shop by its storefront.