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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
18: Memorial Weekend Box Wine Show
May 26, 2018
18: Memorial Weekend Box Wine Show
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
0:00
And launch it. [laughs] Work your [whistle blowing] There we go. [upbeat music] That's our jam right there. That's it, sunny side Denver. [laughs] Party.
0:18
Hey, welcome to Denver Wine Radio. It's a live podcast about Colorado wine, about old school music. I'm Paul Bonicusi, Cha Cha Chavez. How you guys doing? We're gonna talk about the Mile High City too.
0:33
We love the Mile High City. Oh, yeah. I mean, it's all about, uh, Denver and wine and music and- That's right. We're, uh, we're live on the north side, North Denver. [laughs] Absolutely.
0:44
And, um, and we've got, uh, well it is Memorial Day weekend. Yes. Okay. So, um, I thought, hey, a lot of people going to parties, barbecues. I've got four to go to today. Okay.
0:55
And, um, so we better, you know, get the show on the road. Yeah. And I, and, and I saw that they're in the boxes. We're gonna do some box wines again, right? Yeah, that's right.
1:03
And this is awesome because literally, look, I mean, seriously. I mean, how easy is this? No breakage, no nothing. You just- Yeah... mira. Box wine. Do, look. Yeah. A- and before you can like even exercise.
1:15
[laughs] Yeah. You know? You can do this. You're gonna, you're gonna exercise and you're gonna drink wine at the same time and build up your arms. Seriously, it's right there. Yeah. So it's pretty cool.
1:23
Box wines, uh, they've come a long way and, um, used to be the box wines were like, like Franzia. Yeah. Super sweet wines in the box. Mm-hmm. And now, uh, over the probably the last 10 years or so- Yeah...
1:36
it's progressed to, um, uh, there's a lot of good wines, medium wines. Um, and there's Colorado wine in boxes now. Right on. And it's from, uh, Kingman.
1:47
They're here in the Denver area, and I think, uh, they're the only winery in the state putting wine in a box. Really? The only one? Yes. Wow, okay. Yeah. So boxes are cool. Three liters per box.
1:58
That's a four bottle equivalent. Mm-hmm. And, uh, we're gonna taste, uh, merlot. Mm-hmm. I've got Bota Box, so that's a California. Okay. And that's merlot. I brought, uh, the Kingman Big Hat Wine is merlot as well.
2:10
Okay. And then I also got a box, uh, from, this is a Portuguese wine. It's beautiful. Campolara. Look at the, look at the logo. Yeah. [laughs] Of course it's- It's pretty cool.
2:19
So, so- It's funny, Paulie, that the, uh, one that comes from California says Bota, like Botox. [laughs] That's right. Bota Box. [laughs] I never thought of it that way.
2:29
[laughs] But anyways, it's a, it's a merlot, and yeah. All right. Yeah. So, um, hey, and then, you know, what else was cool was yesterday was, um, uh, National Drink Wine Day. Yep. Okay.
2:42
And, uh, a couple of days prior on Wednesday, The Denver Post, um, did an article about all the urban wineries in Denver. [gasps] That is so cool. Yeah. So, so pretty cool.
2:53
If you haven't seen it, uh, yeah, get online and, uh, you can check out, uh, The Denver Post. But they wrote about, uh, 21 local spots to try in honor of National Wine Day.
3:03
So, uh, and there's lots of pictures in here, and it's pretty amazing. There's, uh, quite a few, well, there's 21, I, and there's a few I didn't even know about. Wow. Yeah. That's very cool. Yeah.
3:13
So, and they didn't include cideries. They're gonna save that for another, uh, you know, another article someday. Cideries? Yeah. So a place- Is that a-... that makes cider. [laughs] Oh, okay. Yeah.
3:22
That's a whole nother Oprah. That is a- We'll go there, yeah... [laughs] that is a whole nother Oprah. So. So Bonicusi Wines was on the list, of course. Yeah. We, we got in there. Absolutely. Thank you, um, yep.
3:30
Bonicusi Wines off of I-70 and Pecos. Thank you Barbara Ellis, uh, from The Denver Post- Right on... for putting us in here. And also, uh, my next door neighbor, Riker Cellars, is in here.
3:39
Kingman, of course, is, uh, here in the paper. And, um, wow, even in, uh, Parker, there's a couple of wineries in Parker. Nice. Um, all over.
3:47
And that, and that's why, you know, Paul decided to do, uh, Denver Wine Radio, for, you know, like he said, he mentioned, you know, it's because of the music.
3:53
He and I, you know, we worked radio for a long time, all different types of formats, but old school always seems to kinda like around third and slide into home. You know what I'm saying? That's, that's right.
4:02
[laughs] It is. You know? So, um, but it's about, you know, um, exposing Colorado wine because it's, it's, it, it's out there. It's, you know,
4:12
it, people always, you know, gravitate to the Californias or of course the European wines and stuff. But Colorado is putting out some really go- really, really great wines.
4:21
And with the population explosion, come on, as you say, put a little altitude in your glass. That's right. You gotta put some altitude [laughs] in your glass. [laughs] So, but, um, yeah, they're all, it's all over.
4:32
And then, and most people don't know about Colorado wine. Exactly. So. But we're here to tell them, Paul. We are. We are. We are here to tell them.
4:39
So there's some- And, and for those of you that have first, uh, you know, that are tuning in, uh, we started this about a couple of months ago, uh, this, this, uh, podcast.
4:47
And I never, I don't drink, so I told Paul that I would come on his show, but what would be the purpose? And 'cause I don't drink. Mm-hmm.
4:56
But it h- it has been education, and that has been the purpose, that I've learned a lot about wines, a lot about, you know, the taste and, yeah, why they go with certain foods or certain recipes, or just some are just good to, you know, kick back and lay in the hammock and have a, a glass of wine.
5:11
So I thank you for the education process. You're welcome. [laughs] Yeah. So- 'Cause before that, all Cha knew was Boone's Farm Tickle Pink, baby. [laughs] So yeah, we just, yeah, we got you to branch out a little bit.
5:23
You did. And, um, and, and really don't overthink it. Mm-mm. 'Cause just, hey, if you like it, then it's a good wine. It's a good wine. So that, that's where we, that's where we start. But, um- All right.
5:32
So what are we gonna taste? Um, we are going to taste, um... Let's start with the, let's start with the Bota Box. Let's start with the California [laughs] Bota Box. Okay. So this is a merlot. Yeah. Uh, from Cali.
5:48
And of course, Bota Box, Botox. Also their packaging. Read that, Paulie. What does that say about their packaging? It says, uh, "Our eco-packaging locks in great taste for a month or more by keeping out light and air."
6:02
There you go. Okay. See? It's even an eco-... friendly- It is... packaging there. Yeah, it's eco-friendly, and that's what's go- cool about, uh- Wow...
6:09
and so boxed wines, yeah, once you open them, usually a- about a month is the rule of thumb. Mm-hmm. You just keep it in, keep it in the fridge or keep it wherever you want and, um,
6:19
you know, take it over to a friend's house. All right... and then bring it home if they don't finish it. [laughs] Exactly. It's like a carton of milk, dude. Get me a glass.
6:27
[laughs] Oh, not to be confused with a carton of milk [laughs] in the fridge, 'cause that wouldn't be too good with the Froot Loops. Oh, look, it's got a beautiful color to it. Look how- Yeah... deep that is.
6:39
It's, uh, it's got a real cool color. It's, uh, yeah, nice, bright, and red and, um, let's see what- Let me-... what's going on in there. Let me smell it. Maybe we should be drinking this out of picnic glasses- Ooh...
6:50
or plastic cups. Yeah, yeah, this smells very fruity. Lots of cherry. Oh, yeah, super, oh, yeah, lots of cherry. Super fruity. [laughs] Yeah, cherry, pomegranate. Oh, yeah. Oh, fruity, fruity- Um-... fruity, fruity...
7:00
strawberry. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. What? Mm. You know [laughs] what? All right. What do you think? You just spit it out.
7:17
Yeah, it's actually, um... No, it's r- it- it's real good. It's good. It's kind of, uh, it's really fruit forward. Sweet. Juicy, lip-smacking fruit. It is. It is. Um, this is a g- well, it's, you know, it's in a box, so.
7:29
Yeah. You know what I would do with this? What?
7:32
It, 'cause it is sweet and fruity, I think what I would do is I would freeze, like, uh, some kind of fruit or something, like in ice cubes or something, and then, like, pour it in there. I think that's a fine idea.
7:42
[laughs] Yeah. Do you? [laughs] I do. [laughs] No, don't you think it'd be kind of cool? Or- I would, I do... or even freeze this in ice cube form. Yeah, this can, uh, this- It's really good.
7:52
Yeah, 'cause, a- and this wine could definitely take a little bit of a chill. Mm-hmm. Um, and this is, this is a great wine for burgers. Yeah. You know, hot dogs. Exactly. Anything [laughs] you have in the backyard.
8:02
Yeah. Yeah. Fajitas. Uh, you could, you could have this with pizza, what, this is, that's what it's made for. Yeah. It's a go-to wine.
8:07
We drink wine as a beverage here in the United States and, and, um, um, but yeah, it's, it's, it's pretty good. Yeah. At this time- Fire up the disco... at this time of the day, I'm- [laughs] Fire up the disco.
8:20
[laughs] 'Cause this is exactly disco kind of wine. Yeah, it's- Some good fajitas... it's just good, easy drinking. It is. Uh, there's a little, little bit of tannin, light tannins, but- Yeah... yeah.
8:30
You know, you got a- Bota Box... bite of a, a, a spicy jalapeno or something. Hey, and that was 20 bucks. 20 bucks. [laughs] And that's a four bottle equivalent, so. [laughs] And the packaging- That-...
8:41
it's eco-friendly. There you go. [laughs] No, that was pretty good, Paul. Keep saying that and you might- Okay... [laughs] talk yourself into it. Okay. So what do we got next? [coughs] Excuse me.
8:50
Let's go to the, uh, the Portuguese- Portuguese? Yep, yep. Oh, I love this. Capoeira, uh, Vino Tinto red wine. So it's some kind of blend.
8:59
I looked over the packaging earlier before we started, and I couldn't find a thing about the grapes they're using for this, but, uh, my guess in, uh, Portugal there's probably a, uh, they grow a gra- they grow a Tempranillo like in Spain, but they have another name for it.
9:15
Uh-huh. And then also Touriga Nacional is another grape, uh, that they grow very, uh, famously. Is it a, a darker grape? Like a more of a- And, uh, yeah, these are all, yeah, dark- Okay... dark red grapes. And- Uh-huh...
9:26
so I'm interested to see what's coming out of this one. Wow. Ooh, nice, and- A nice spout... wow, it, yeah, it comes out nice. You can get a full glass- Yeah... in about three seconds. [laughs] Oh, look at that.
9:40
Okay, this one is gonna be good. Really good. Yeah, let's find out. We're moving up from the disco- Yeah. [laughs]... to a [laughs] regular grill on this one, I bet. Let me see.
9:52
Oh, yeah, so this- Oh, it smells a little mellower. It do- it does. It has, um, it does have, there is a lot of, of fruit to this one. Not as, uh, explosive as the California Merlot.
10:07
Oh, yeah, this is, this is more smooth. This, this has a little more minerality in the nose. What's minerality? Um- [laughs]... think of, think of minerals. [laughs] Yes. Okay? Like copper, zinc?
10:19
Copper, zinc, yeah, all that. Oh. And it kind of, um... But I'm not, I don't smell copper. [laughs] I was gonna say, I smell pennies. But it's more of a generalization. [laughs] Okay.
10:31
I, I just, it's fruity, but not as fruity as the, uh, first one. No. As the Bota Box. It is fruity though, but- This one, I get a little more raspberry to it. It's kind of a raspberry jam. Yeah. And I, I, I smell nuts.
10:45
[laughs] I do. Like pecans. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Like pecans. All right. That's okay if you're picking up the, uh, pecans. This one, um- Oh, I'm totally picking up the pecans... so this one's fruity,
11:03
um, with, uh- Oh... some, some good tannin structure to it. Very m- yeah. So this is very typical to me of, um- Yes... of, like, a Spanish red wine, uh, what I would expect.
11:14
So, uh, and I don't drink a lot of Portuguese wines, but, um, pretty impressed by it. This is good. It's really good. So it gives you a little more wine feeling. [laughs] Exactly. Like you're drinking a bottle of wine.
11:23
Yeah, like you're drinking a bottle of wine. Yeah. Yeah, that warm, that warmth- Mm-hmm... kind of, that goes, that warmth.
11:28
Yeah, so that, uh, that, that coating, uh, the, the tannin coating that you get in your mouth from the, uh, grape tannins and from also oak tannins, that's the kind of, uh, the, the aftertaste. Uh, yeah.
11:40
Oh, this one's good. That's a good one too. This one is really good. No, this is- So this one was, this one was, uh, 20, uh, normally, let's see, normally 24, 25 bucks.
11:50
It was on sale four bucks off, so I think I, I paid $21 for it. See, there you go. Yeah. An extra dollar and then, yeah, you, we upgraded from the disco to the, to some salmon.
12:00
Yeah, so this is, this has a little more intensity than the, a little less, uh, um- You know, cocktail style- Mm-hmm... of the Bota Box, but, um- It's good... this is more my style. Mm-hmm. I would drink this definitely.
12:11
Mm-hmm. And, um- Very good... I'm gonna make friends today when I go to their party. There you go. [laughs] So. That's very good. All right. Glad you're liking it. So now we have the Colorado one?
12:22
Yeah, let's do the Kingman. Right on. Uh, Kingman Winery. They're just up, uh, real close to here, 64th and Washington, that area. Okay. So, uh, Balistrieri, uh, is out there as well. Okay.
12:33
Uh, been there for a long time. And, um, and so Kingman, they're over there too. Over there. Over there. [laughs] Yeah.
12:40
So, uh, and really, I'm excited, uh, for Kingman because for, you know, for going out and doing this. Yeah. 'Cause we need more of that for, uh, Colorado to be competitive and get more wine on the shelf. So this is...
12:54
Oh, and it's stamped on the back here, 2016 Merlot. And uh, these are, this is all Colorado fruits from the Grand Valley, which we've talked about before. Right on.
13:03
Grand Valley is the area over around Palisade, Colorado. It's about 11 miles, uh, east of Grand Junction, uh, if you've ever been through there. You'll see the vineyards.
13:12
You see the, the Book Cliffs on the north side of the highway. But, um, that's where 85% of the grapes in Colorado are grown. Merlot is one of the, one of the most planted grapes in Colorado.
13:23
So this one has really a, a big, deep, dark red color- Oh, yeah... that, uh, the others don't have. So real, uh, excited to try this one. Yeah, I hadn't seen the front of the box, and it's- Oh, yeah... so cool.
13:34
I was just seeing the sides, and it's really a, really a cool logo. Yeah, this is, uh, yeah, Big Hat Wines. [laughs] So, uh, not a lady wearing a big hat. Yeah, it's really cool.
13:43
In fact, um, they had a, uh, a Kentucky Derby party back- Oh, awesome. Yeah... at the beginning of the month. Yeah, and then with the- The hats and stuff?... everyone wearing their big hats. Yeah. Yeah.
13:51
So I believe they must be into, uh- No, that's really cool. That's a very cool, uh- Horses... logo and packaging. Okay, so let's taste this. Oops. [clears throat] Yeah.
14:01
[laughs] So right away when I smell this, this has the, um, the Colorado thing. It's, it does. I mean, it just smells different than- It smells very different... and, and of course, they, they, they all should. Mm-hmm.
14:13
And that's the beauty of grapes. Oh, it smells like peaches. They all have a, a, a little different, uh... They have similar characteristics,
14:21
the same, grapes do, but when they're grown from different parts of the world, they'll have their own little characteristics. Exactly. Yeah. Like Hatch and Pueblo chilies. That's right. [laughs] We all...
14:30
[laughs] We love the chili. [laughs] Okay, let me see. The chili thing, the Hatch and the Pueblo chili. Yeah. Um, oh, it- And the Brighton Chili... it's, yeah, it smells like peaches to me.
14:39
Just, I mean, I really get- It-... a strong... Yeah, so to me, I get, uh, ri- it's, it's real big. Um, uh, and, and the, the aroma's more like, uh, uh, it's like peach, uh, or a ripe... It's ripe fruit to me. Exactly.
14:53
Okay? Ripe berry fruit. Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's e- that's exactly what it smells like. Oh, and the color is beautiful. All right.
15:07
So this, um, wow, real good, big, big, bold cherry flavor. Um- Big time... nice, uh, you know, easy gripping tannins. Um, it's got a nice finish. Mm-hmm. Really good. It's a great, this is a great box wine as well.
15:22
Mm-hmm. And how much was that? This one was, uh, 25 bucks. That's, they're all- So they're kind of about in the same, same ballpark, 20 to 25 bucks. Uh, same- For three liters... you know, four-bottle equivalent.
15:32
Okay, for three l- yeah, okay. Yeah, three liters. Yeah. Four-bottle eq- equivalent. That's nothing. Yeah, that's a, that's, uh- That's, that's a great price... that's a $6 a bottle.
15:40
[laughs] Like, seriously, you cannot beat that. You can't beat that. And these are... Th- this is good. This is really good. This, number three, this, number two, and this, number one for me.
15:51
Yeah, you like, uh, one- [clears throat] Yeah... yeah, one, two, and then three. The Portuguese. Yeah. Yeah. So, um- What, for you? Yeah, for me, I, um, I, I, I kind of, I like, I do like the, the Portuguese.
16:03
That would probably be my go-to wine- Yeah... just in general. It's so good. But this, it's very close. I, this, this Kingman's really good, and, um, I could, I- To be your number one? Yeah, to be my number one. Yeah.
16:15
So. Yeah. It is good. But, um- It, uh, for, for me, the, the, the sweetness in this takes it o- because I like a little sweeter wine. So this for me was, oh, it was so good. It's really good. [laughs] Really good.
16:28
Now I'm gonna go lay my hammy. [laughs] Watch the breeze go by. [laughs] Exactly. And, um, yeah, and celebrate the weekend, so. Yeah. Well, all right. What do you think, Cha?
16:40
Uh, well, I think we tasted some wine today, and, uh, hope everybody, uh, has a great Memorial Day weekend. And, and, uh, you know, come by the winery anytime. This is... Let me tell you, man, I'm serious.
16:51
This is a phenomenal winery. It is a awesome place just to hang out with your friends. And remember, on Fridays, uh, Uncorked is here. We, yeah, that's our- Yeah. That's- Yeah, that's our live music thing- Yeah...
17:03
we do every Friday, so. Love it. It's, it's a lot of fun. In fact, we're sitting right where the band, uh, normally plays, so. Exactly.
17:08
And, and on these, in the summers, you open up the, the doors or the garage doors- We do... and, and get into the parking lot, and it's just a whole lot of fun. So, uh, stop by and check out the winery.
17:18
Get yourself some wine, 'cause it's ju- it's award-winning. It is.
17:22
And, uh, we want everybody to have a nice Memorial Day, but we cannot forget what actually this day is truly for, and that's to remember those that sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice for our country. So. Yeah.
17:33
Yeah, so- So Happy Memorial Day to everybody. Yeah. That's, um, yeah, that's right. Um, just the... I've seen, seen a lot of, uh, tributes already on- Mm-hmm... uh, on Facebook and- Yeah...
17:44
and, um, yeah, I have a lot of friends that their parents or- Exactly... relatives and even, and Rafael served- Yeah... in the military. Absolutely. Absolutely. So, um- Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.
17:55
So hats off to, uh- Mm-hmm... to all, all the military and, um, yeah, we'll salute you on, uh, all weekend and on Memorial Day too, so. Absolutely. Yep, and then, uh, Cha's Back in the Day Cafe is, uh- Is on the way...
18:06
it's on the way. Yeah. It's on the way. Okay, good. We're waiting for, uh, app approval from Apple. App approval. Yes. [laughs] So. No, you can't have no app. [laughs] Right on. But come on. No, you can't have no app.
18:17
[laughs] Hey, so, uh, okay, that wraps up the, uh, Memorial Day, uh, box wine show. We're gonna do this live every Saturday here from, uh, from the winery, Bonacquisti Wine Company.
18:28
And, uh, we'll see what we get into next week, but, uh- Yeah... yeah. And they can come by and watch. [laughs] Right? Yeah, we got a... Yeah. Oh, yeah.
18:35
We're gonna have the, uh, we'll put out the Facebook invite for- Yeah... for the live studio audience. Come and watch us. And, uh, if you're looking for a- And come and drink wine... come and drink some wine, um, taste.
18:44
We're, it's all, it's really an educational thing. That's, that's the way I'm going about it. Right. Want, uh, people to learn about Colorado wine and how it, how it tastes against the world. Right.
18:53
And, um- They can answer, y- you know, they can ask questions, you know? Uh, it's, yeah. Right. It's just, we're just having fun. [laughs] We're having fun. Without a, without a boss going, "What are you doing?"
19:04
[laughs] "What are you talking about? You shouldn't have said that." [laughs] "Advertiser's canceled." [laughs] Oh, thank you for having me, Paulie. Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for coming, Cha.
19:16
Put some altitude in your glass this week, and, uh, go out and get some box wine. And thanks for listening and watching Denver Wine Radio. Right on. [instrumental music] Right on
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