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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
19: Riesling Tasting with Jason Justice from Gumbo le Funque
Jun 21, 2018
19: Riesling Tasting with Jason Justice from Gumbo le Funque
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
0:00
Check one, two. One, two. We in the house. Yeah.
0:08
Come on Denver Wine Radio with Paul Bonacquisti and Cha Cha Chavez, presented by Bonacquisti Wine Company and Cha's Back in the Day Cafe. Oh, yeah. What a gorgeous day in the Mile High City. Plenty of sunshine, St.
0:26
Patrick's Day, final, or whatever you call it, March Madness. It's amazing. Oh, yeah. Oh, look. The tournament. Wow, there's even basketball on in the studio. First time ever a number 16 team loses to a number...
0:39
Or, uh, wins over a number one last night. Yeah, I saw that. First time ever. I saw that, and, um, this morning I read about that, and it doesn't mean anything to me. So, hey, uh- [laughs]...
0:49
I'm your, I'm your host, Paul Bonacquisti. Cha Cha Chavez is out on assignment today, uh, probably enjoying the weather, but, uh, we're still gonna talk about wine. I've got a special guest in the studio.
1:00
It's Jason Justice from the band Gumbo La Funk. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah, you right. [laughs] This is Jason Justice right here, man. How are you? I'm doing great, man. Thanks for, thanks for coming in. Up the republic.
1:12
[laughs] It's St. Patrick's Day. That's right. [laughs] So, um, we, we know, uh, being a very talented musician here in the Mile High, uh, you're, you're als- you have also have a, uh, exquisite palate for wine. I do.
1:26
[laughs] As a matter of fact, I, I love all sorts of wines, especially the ones that you have to add vodka to. Uh, those are great. [laughs] Yeah, we, we like those.
1:36
[laughs] So, hey, um, hey, well, welcome to, uh, Denver Wine Radio.
1:40
This is a show about wine, and, uh, even more specifically, we like to hi- highlight Colorado wine, because, uh, the Colorado wine industry is, uh, kicking booty. A lot of great wineries in the state, about 140 now. Um,
1:56
grapes are grown over on the Western Slope predominantly, and, um, and we make some pretty kick-butt wine here in the state, and, uh, and that's what we're here to do, and, and match it up against wines around the world.
2:07
So, uh, today I picked out some wines... Uh, I picked out Riesling. Excellent. 'Cause Riesling grows here in Colorado, and, um, um, does very well in the state, and it's not a sweet wine.
2:21
It's not just a sweet wine like everybody thinks. So, uh, so I brought in a bunch of dry Rieslings today, and, um- Awesome... thought I'd- You know, I don't drink Cabernet before 4:00 in the afternoon- [laughs]...
2:32
so this is perfect for me. That's good. I- [laughs] You know, you're all about the etiquette, man. I am. I am Mr. Etiquette. Yeah, so of course, we like to talk about music here on the show, and, um, uh, so tell...
2:44
Hey, tell everybody about Gumbo La Funk, man. Well, we were just nominated yesterday for once, uh, second year in a row, for best funk band in Westword Magazine, and we're very excited about that.
2:57
And, uh, we actually would love it if people went and voted for us. There's some great bands, uh, that were nominated with us, absolutely fabulous bands, but I'm kinda partial to my own band.
3:08
So if you go to, uh, uh, http forward slash twice funk, F-U-N-Q-U-E,.us/bestfunk18- Oh, my gosh... or go to gumbolafunk.com, you can vote for us there.
3:23
Um, and, uh, you also go to our website, gumbolafunk.com- [laughs]... and it will take you right there. Sorry, man. Shameless. [laughs] I'm, I'm shameless about that. No, it's all right. It's, that's what I wanna do.
3:34
[laughs] We gotta, we gotta plug Gumbo La Funk.
3:36
So yeah, go to, go to the website and, um, and then, you know, find your way to, uh, Westword to, to vote for, uh, Gumbo La Funk as the, as the premier funk band in the Mile High City.
3:46
So yeah, so a- and even in the name Gumbo La Funk, you've, um, uh, New Orleans, uh, influence with, uh, the funk music that we, we love so much.
3:56
Well, it, it, you know, all musical roads in this country lead to New Orleans. Everything's from there, from, you know, uh, blues grew up around there, a little bit to the east, Mississippi.
4:08
But because, uh, uh, the folks in New Orleans, what a great melting pot it was from, uh, Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean people, um, from, uh, African Americans, and then, uh, course Creole, and the very, uh, the very European influences in that city all came together, and that's where, that's where jazz is from.
4:28
Right.
4:29
And, uh, and then there was a great diaspora, uh, of, uh, uh, Black musicians, uh, about 1919, 1920, and that's when, like, Louis Armstrong went to Chicago and, uh, started his thing in the '20s in Chicago, and just, you know.
4:45
So it just grew from that. So if you love hip hop, thank a jazz musician. If you love rock and roll, thank a jazz musician. [laughs] That's for sure. Yeah, and then from... I mean, even...
4:55
And, and then prior to that, every, all, all musical influences lead to Africa. Absolutely. Well, yet- Pretty mu- yeah... yeah, for sure in this country, I think. Yeah.
5:04
Um, you know, of course, uh, it's, the Appalachians was, uh, was kind of the, uh, gestation point for, uh, for country and bluegrass and that kinda thing, and it's amazing, um, those songs that come from Appalachia are very, very similar to, uh, songs from Scotland 200 years ago.
5:24
And then, but, but yeah, for sure the, the music that I think drives e- most everything in this country now, it, it, you know, without, without African American influence, man, we would...
5:35
I mean, what would our culture be? Exactly. You know? Yeah, what- I mean, what would our culture be? You mean, just take a look around at everything and it's, it's, uh, it's in... the influence is everywhere.
5:43
I- absolutely. Absolutely. And so one of the things about Gumbo La Funk that I think, uh, a- and my personal philosophy about music is that we don't want to appropriate.
5:52
We want to, uh, be a part of that movement, and, uh, you know, one of, one of the ways to do that, I think, for me, is to, uh, make sure that, um, Black artists that have written songs, who no- own copyrights of, of songs, of covers that we do, not, not of course the original music that I write- Mm-hmm...
6:10
but get paid for, uh, for, for us playing their songs live. So I always turn in a list to BMI and like, "Pay these guys," right? That's awesome, man.
6:19
It may be a c- maybe, it may be, uh, 10 cents, it may be $2, but, you know, at least that, uh, that, that much we can do.
6:26
Yeah, you know, and that's, uh, that's really important and, and, uh, it's why me as a winery owner that hosts live music, uh, it's important for me to have all three licenses in place.
6:37
And because, um, and however they divvy up that money that I send in yearly, uh, for my licensing fee, I mean, uh, we're, of course we're a small place, but, um- But yeah, that's as important to get, uh, that artists get paid You know, and, and the other part of this that I, that I think, uh, people don't know about is that, uh, is that you, Paul, uh, doing what you do, you know, you, you pay your bands a guarantee, and I think that that is a, that, that's a huge way of, uh, recycling money into the community.
7:07
You know, um, we all, all, all of us small business owners have to take care of one another. Yeah. 'Cause, uh, if you're waiting on the big corporations to take care of you, that ain't gonna happen.
7:18
[laughs] No, that's right. I'm waiting. I'm waiting too. Yeah, but, um- [laughs] Hey, well, very cool. So yeah, so Gumbo of Funk has been around, uh, what about, you've been playing together five years, this band?
7:29
The, so we, the inception was seven years ago. With, with the cats that are in the band right now, it's been about four years. Um, I've got s- probably the, the best players in Denver, uh, playing in my band.
7:44
I know that that sounds a little ha ha ha ha. Yeah, I know some... But it's true. Um, on guitar we have a, a, a cat named Chris Anton. He's gotta be the best guitar player I've ever worked with.
7:56
Um, Chris Harris, who's a long, long mainstay in Denver music, he's actually the, the house bass player at El Chapultepec Sunday, Sunday night through Tuesday night.
8:06
Um, he's played with everybody, and he is, you know, I always call him Denver bass playing royalty, and then he looks at me and he goes, "Don't call me that, man." I'm like, "No, no, no. You are, man. You are."
8:17
[laughs] And then on drums, we a- get an, a cat named Chris Beers, um, so it's like Christmas in our band with all the Chrises.
8:24
But Chris Beers is actually a gradu- an actual graduate of Berkeley Music School, and, um, has been all over the world to play. He even studied some percussion in Cuba. He knows what's going on.
8:36
He's, he's one of the only Yankees I've ever met in my life that can play second line. [laughs] Right. So, uh, so I, I'm, I'm truly blessed.
8:43
And of course, with my business partner and life partner, Andrea Mereda, the honorable Andrea Mereda, she does vocals and percussion. Um, we really, you know, we really throw down. Yeah, you do.
8:55
Um, we love getting down to the Gumbo of Funk. Hey, and, uh, maybe Logan can throw on, uh, something right now. We'll put it in the background, and, um, because people gotta hear your tunes.
9:13
[laughs] [upbeat funk music] Yeah. This is, uh, actually a song off our last album. Yeah. Is it? Yeah. It's called I Can't Party Like I Got No Job No More. [laughs] Of course.
9:27
This is kind of an anthem to my youth in the '90s. [laughs] Oh, very cool. So yeah, your, uh, yeah, your latest CD was, uh, Power, Love, Freedom. Right. And, uh, it's got, it's, it's got a lot of great tunes on it.
9:42
We actually worked with a, a rapper named Mike Ward on it. He does a few songs on, on the album.
9:49
Um, and, uh, and basically, the theme here, not to get too weird, but, uh, the theme here is about loving each other, which is, uh, which, which is important in, in today's world. So at, at least I think it is.
10:03
And, you know, we, I play homage to, uh, to one of my heroes, Maceo Parker, the great alto saxophone player from, uh, from, uh, oh my gosh. James Brown. Thank you very kindly. [laughs] Parliament-Funkadelic. Yeah.
10:17
And actually, he played with Prince in the late '90s to the early 2000s. Oh, yeah. So, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he was on the, um, the Musicology Tour. Right.
10:26
And- And he and Can- and a, and a woman from, a sax player from Holland of all places, her name's Candy Dulfer.
10:33
She's like this 6'2" blonde woman who is, is funky and gr- and plays as great alto saxophone as Maceo Parker. But Maceo, I think, is like 73 or 74. That cat is still touring like crazy. Oh, yeah. He's, he's phenomenal.
10:48
I got to see him last year. And hey, when we come back, we're gonna, we're gonna play your, uh, tribute to Maceo. We're also gonna open up some Riesling. This is Denver Wine Radio on Mile High Sports.
10:58
[upbeat funk music] Yeah.
11:13
Welcome back to Denver Wine Radio, Paul Bonacquisty, your host, and my guest, Jason Justice from Gumbo of Funk. Keep that rolling, Logan. We love that kind of talk. [laughs] This song called Maceo.
11:26
Tell me about this tune. Well, um, so I'm a big fan of Maceo Parker, and, um, and I wanted to pay homage to him. Um, so I wrote this tune, and it's, uh, you know, it, it's muscular like the way he plays.
11:42
And, uh, like when I, I teach... I have a, a pretty big, fat, private saxophone studio, and I always push people towards Maceo. I'm like, "Learn how to play like that." Yeah. [laughs] That's, yeah, play like that, right?
11:54
And, um, you know, um, so yeah, he's a, he's a big hero of mine, and, you know, he was in on creating funk as a genre with James Brown, so, uh, that's important. Yeah. He's, uh, he's phenomenal.
12:10
And, um, and for those [laughs] that don't really realize, you know, he was part of the, uh, when James Brown made the regime change in his band, he was part of the young cro- the young group that he brought in, the young musicians- Right...
12:23
to, uh, 'cause James Brown was, uh, losing it a little bit and wanted that, you know, he needed the edge with the young, the young, uh, the young crowd again.
12:32
And so that's, yeah, he brought in, um, Maceo Parker on sax, um- Uh, I'm blank on bass [laughs] 'cause he's the funkiest bass player. Right. Um, uh- Bootsy. Bootsy, yeah. Well, Bootsy played with him, right?
12:45
Yeah, no, Bootsy Collins. Right, right. He was part of the young- Mm-hmm... the young group coming in. So, um, so yeah, it's just great to... Yeah, I got, I w- I got to see Maceo Parker play.
12:54
Uh, he was up in Boulder last, uh, summer, and, uh, just phenomenal. You're right, 72, 73 years old, whatever he is, and he just comes out and bam.
13:02
Well, and what, what's crazy is that at, at his age, and I, I shouldn't say that like it's a thing, uh, like it's a, uh, it's a that big a deal.
13:10
I actually, years ago, I got a chance to play with a, a trumpet player named Doc Cheatham, and this was in the '90s. And Doc was 92, but he had actually...
13:20
He'd been a trumpet player with, uh, with Louis Armstrong in the '20s, in, in Chicago, was in his band, and played, uh, played with all sorts of people back in the day, right? But he was 92, and he was like, "You know,
13:33
we, we used to do a song, and it sounded just like this." And he put his horn up to his mouth, and you're like, "You're not 92."
13:39
[laughs] So I think I figured out what the, what the, um, the fountain of youth is, and it's playing the saxophone. Yeah.
13:46
Uh, you know, and, uh, i- you know, it'll keep you going forever and ever and ever, and especially at my age. I think now I'm, what, 32, uh, something like... Wait, don't laugh. Yeah. Don't laugh, man.
13:58
Anyway, so [laughs] but, uh, Maceo, he, he's amazing. Um, he, he, you know, when, when you went to see him last summer, I think that he was, like, in Spain the week before playing two or three shows. Right.
14:12
And he was in Germany the week before that, and then he was, like, over in New York City playing.
14:17
So he does not tra- He, you know, he still has that 280 day a year touring idea like James Brown did us- back in the day, right? Right. Those cats toured,
14:29
uh, you know, one-nighters, 200 and 270 plus one-nighters in a year. I, you know, I can't imagine. I would love it, but, uh, I don't know if I can do that kind of schedule.
14:40
[laughs] Yeah, we'd, we'd like to see, you know, we... You wanna try though, right? [laughs] Oh. Oh, man, I, I do. I do.
14:47
I, you know, I, I shouldn't, uh, talk about my s- I have a son who's, uh, 23, just turned 23, and he's a mariachi player, and he moved to Guadalajara, Mexico. Anyway, he's, he's a guitarron player.
14:59
He's a great kid, and he, he's got a gig playing five nights a week down there playing mariachi. That's phenomenal. And, and then on the weekends, they play, like, 10 hours.
15:08
I'm like, "How do you play 10 hours straight, man?" Right. [laughs] I, I start to cry after three. [laughs] Oh, that's awesome.
15:16
Hey, so, uh, Gumbo Le Funk's in the house, and, uh, you gotta check them out, gumbolefunk.com. And, um, I mean, vote for them, too. They're up for the, the best, uh, best funk band in Denver, uh, at Westword.
15:29
And so we want you to vote for Gumbo Le Funk. Go check out their, their tunes. You c- They're on, uh... Man, you can go to iTunes, Spotify.
15:37
Anywhere you listen to music, you're gonna find Gumbo Le Funk and, uh, and really just be blown away, and you'll go, "Wow, these guys are local. They're here in the city." And, and, uh, they play all over town.
15:47
We do, and, uh, we, we actually play at this great winery up on the top, uh, in, on the north side called Bonaquisti. Oh, wow. [laughs] Yeah. It's amazing. Thanks for mentioning that.
15:57
And, um, yeah, so, um, yeah, for those who don't know, uh, I own, uh, and operate a winery over in North Denver at 46th and Pecos. And, uh, so I'm the winemaker, and, and, um, and I've, I've- Kind of a big deal. Yeah.
16:10
Thank you. [laughs] Well, at least in Logan's mind, so. Hey, but, um, I buy grapes from, uh... I don't own a vineyard, uh, uh, 'cause we operate as an urban winery, and I buy grapes from the Western Slope.
16:21
And, um, so I bring in grapes, and we crush, ferment, and bottle on site. And so I brought in some Rieslings today, and, uh, we're starting off with my Riesling. And, uh, this is a, uh, kind of fun.
16:32
I did it in a little different style. Um, it's off-dry, so just, uh, you know, it's very fruity and, uh, just a little bit of sweetness, but, uh, it's, it's lightly carbonated, so very...
16:42
Not like a champagne, which would be very, uh, you know, like, uh, real intense bubbles. Let's say that. Uh, this is just lightly carbonated.
16:50
So if you've ever had Vinho Verde, uh, a wine fro- a white wine from Portugal, just very lively. So, uh, so you're, you know, the thing you're supposed to do, uh, Jason, is smell the glass, and tell me what you smell.
17:01
It smells like a glass. Well, yeah. What is that... Oh, the inside. So actually, do I wanna say the word oak here? Um, you don't wanna say the word oak, no.
17:14
[laughs] Because this wine was all stainless steel- Oh, thank you... and, uh, no oak ever touched, uh, uh, touched this Riesling, so.
17:21
[laughs] Well, I, I think that, I think I'm gonna use my go-to wine words, which is w- which is poignant, yet not overbearing. Well, yeah, so I, we can- No, actually, this is, this is excellent. Man.
17:33
Yeah, so it's real... You know, it's very fruity, um, and, uh, a lot of apple. Uh, there's even some pineapple. This is, these are the smells I get. Mm-hmm. And, um,
17:45
not uncommon from, uh, for Rieslings, uh, from the Western Slope, um, with a, because we're a little bit warmer climate, uh, over in Palisades. So, uh, it's not uncommon to get those type of smells.
17:55
And then when we start to dive into the other w- uh, Rieslings that I brought, uh, you'll probably smell some petroleum and, uh, uh, diesel, these, uh, which is a very- Wow...
18:06
common characteristic in, in Rieslings, and, and does happen in Colorado Rieslings as well. Right. So just for the r- for, uh, the style I made this in, doesn't really come through. No, it doesn't at all.
18:18
The, I mean, it's, it's very floral and, uh, and- And just a little bit bubbly, and it's just nice. A little bubbly. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Easy to drink. This is a breakfast wine. There you go. [laughs] See? That is it.
18:28
See- [laughs] I used to tell people that at, uh, uh, we'd, we'd be at a farmer's market pouring wine, and, uh, oh, they, they weren't sure if they wanted to taste wine.
18:36
I'd say, "Hey, I have a really good breakfast wine," and I would pull out the Riesling, so. [laughs] There you have it.
18:41
So, and I really brought these in today because, uh, Easter's coming up in a couple of weeks, and a lot of people, uh, kinda wonder what, what wines to, uh, pair with Easter dinner or whatever type of meal you're having.
18:51
And these, you know, hey, for spring and freshness and the food that's on the table, uh, you know, like ham, which is very traditional, the- all these wines, uh, will match up with, with, with Easter-style dinners, so.
19:03
Now I want some ham with my wine. [laughs] All right, so you don't- you can put that in the bucket, and, um, and we will continue to taste.
19:13
So we're, uh, right now we're gonna head over to, uh, Germany, so, and we're gonna taste, uh, the Josef Rauch 2007 Riesling.
19:23
And, um, so the thing with Rieslings from, uh, Germany is, um, y- you know, they come in all different styles and it's all based on the, uh, it's, it's based on the, uh, harvest, so on the s- on the level of sweetness.
19:37
So this one is actually called Halbtrocken, which is, uh, trocken means dry in, uh, German, so this is kinda half dry. So this would be on the dry side. Uh, they all go up from here, so.
19:51
Yeah, so give that a smell and, and tell me right away, Jason. Yes. As I tipped you off, uh, prior to it, what do you smell? I- I'm getting a little petroleum kind of a smell. [laughs] Yeah, there is.
20:02
There's kind of a- [laughs] It is. It's kind of a- Yeah... you know, could even be- What is that?... rubber ball rubber. Right. You know? Just- Yeah... but that's, uh, that's a common characteristic in Rieslings, so.
20:14
Rubber ball, that, th- that's wild. It d- I definitely get that. Yeah, and the more this opens up, some more of the fruit will start to come through as well. And then what do you think? That's n- It's very nice.
20:28
It's clean. It's dry. Very dry, but, um, I prefer some bubbles in mine. That actually, that, that made the, that made the experience in my mouth way different from a regular, you know, straight wine like this.
20:42
Listen to that- Yeah... in my mouth. [laughs] Like [laughs] something's happening to me. [laughs] Must be the music. It is the music. What's that? Tell me, what's this tune?
20:52
Gosh, this was off of, uh, off of our first album, uh... What did he say? Oh, uh... Oh, RifF it with it. Yeah, yeah. This is, uh, this is off our first album, RifF it with it, and, uh, I love it.
21:08
Oh, the, no, this is The Strut. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah, this, this song's actually, actually, uh, written by our guitar player, Chris Anton. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:17
And so we like to do it, um, do it paired up with some of our, uh, the more traditional second line tunes for, um, uh, for the Mardi Gras season, like, uh, Iko Iko or, you know, stuff like that.
21:31
So yeah, this is a great song. All right, yeah. I love it. I love it. It's a great song. All right.
21:37
[laughs] Well, Gumbo of Funk's in the house, and when we come back, we're gonna try some more Riesling, we're gonna play some more funk, and, um, who knows? We might even take a phone call at 303-831-1340.
21:48
This is Denver Wine Radio on Mile High Sports. There's the sound of New Orleans right there.
22:06
Yeah, you right. [laughs] And the sound of Gumbo of Funk on Denver Wine Radio. Classic tune called Big Chief. Jason Justice from Gumbo of Funk in the house, special guest. Yeah. Yeah, we love this one.
22:23
Hey, uh, Denver Wine Radio brought to you by Right Coast Pizza, the laid back joint with Jersey-style pizza and Colorado craft brews.
22:31
Plus, they have, uh, Colorado craft whiskey, and they also carry a all Colorado wine lineup. So, uh, very cool place over in Wheat Ridge on 38th. Nice. Uh, 7100 West 38th, uh, right over there by Wheatridge Cyclery.
22:45
So, uh, check 'em out, Right Coast Pizza, one of our favorites. Hey, Big Chief, man. Little Professor Longhair for your St. Patrick's Day celebration. [laughs] That's how we do it around here.
22:56
[laughs] Here's hoping you're halfway up to heaven before the devil knows you're dead. [laughs] That's a, what an awesome song, man. That's, uh, and I hear, uh, I hear it so much, especially, you know, around Mardi Gras.
23:07
Mm-hmm. Uh, a couple weeks ago or a few weeks ago. Right, right. And, uh, uh, different, and everybody kinda does it their own, their own style.
23:14
Yeah, a- you know, I mean, we don't have a piano player in the band, so, uh, so I was like, "How are we gonna do this?"
23:21
So I just play it on soprano, the, the riff on soprano saxophone, and it works out real well, especially if you've got great musicians backing you up like we do in Gumbo of Funk. And the, uh,
23:33
the lyrics in that, uh, tell me about the lyrics in your version. Well, um- [laughs] Yeah, I changed the lyrics a little bit, and, um, not because, um, I don't understand the Mardi Gras Indian culture in New Orleans.
23:49
You know? Um, that's a, that's a big, big thing. Um, when we s- first started Gumbo of Funk, I had a, a, a couple folks playing with us who, uh, uh, were, um, native.
24:00
I ha- uh, a woman who was, uh, Lakota Sioux, and then, uh, one of my oldest friends playing guitar, um, who, uh, uh, is from, uh, California and, uh, and has a, is, is indigenous as well.
24:13
And, uh, me as the Anglo guy up front, I didn't wanna be yelling all of the usual, you know, uh, um, getting firewater and my squaw and that kind of stuff because that's not, not part of my culture.
24:25
So I changed the lyrics to be more, more, uh, party-like and that kinda thing, but still reflecting the idea of New Orleans and that kinda thing. Um, and, and you know, and the, and what they have going on down there.
24:38
So, so that's why I changed them, and, uh, a little bit, but it's still, "Fire on the levee, I'm burning down, y'all." So. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] And you, yeah, your, your version's phenomenal.
24:48
I, your, yours to me is the judge of all other versions. [laughs] I'm like, "Nah, that's not Gumbo of Funk. They-" [laughs] "... you gotta work on it a little bit." So.
24:57
[laughs] Well, we like, we like to be a little bit edgier, you know? We're right, we're right in your face as far as funk music goes. We're, we're pretty energetic about it, that's for sure. Yep, that's it.
25:06
[laughs] So hey, we're, uh, we're also, uh, tasting, uh, Riesling today.
25:11
Here on Denver Wine Radio, uh, we've already gone through- We did one Colorado Riesling, which, uh, comes from my winery, and, uh, we just did a German Riesling, that is halbtrocken, meaning, uh, half dry.
25:23
Um, and, and during the break, uh, Jason, uh, went into a coughing fit and, uh- [laughs] But, uh, not 'cause the wine, but he did mention the acid level. He said, "Wow, the acid is really, uh, really strong in that one."
25:35
It was, it's, it's pretty intense. Yeah. And, and, you know, and especially for, uh, I mean, uh, you can tell me about the aging on Riesling.
25:43
Um, does the older a bottle of Riesling get, does it, is it supposed to mature, uh, like- Well- Like a red or a, a white? Yeah, no. Here's the thing with Riesling is a, uh, naturally high acid grape, okay?
25:55
And that's, that's the beauty of it, and that's, um, that's what makes Riesling so versatile of a, of a wine to, to pair with food.
26:01
So, um, and then, and that's why you get all these different levels of sweetness because, uh, it actually, it balances out.
26:09
I mean, there, there are, uh, there are Rieslings that have, uh, a high amount of residual sugar, but because the h- the acid is so high too, it tricks your palate into thinking it's dry. [laughs] Right.
26:20
Or technical, you know, it, it's just not as sweet as what you would think. Right. So, um, and that was, uh, kind of the case with the last one. Very high, high acid, uh, finish and, uh, but, but super delicious.
26:31
Fruit- I mean, just, it's, it's not, not quite sweet tart, but it's just that explosion of fruit and, and acid together that makes it in balance. Yep. So, um, so we're gonna go, uh, so that was a German.
26:44
We're gonna go now to a, uh, uh, another Colorado Riesling, and we'll talk about, that you mentioned age. So acid never really goes away with aging.
26:55
It's always there, but, uh, Rieslings tend to age very well because of that acid. So we just did a, uh, 2007, the German, and now we're tasting a 2010 Riesling from Colorado. This is actually from Garrett Estate Cellars.
27:09
They're a winery over in Olathe, Colorado. So they're, uh, they're south, um, uh, if you know where, uh, Grand Junction is and you drive about 50 miles to Delta south, and then they're another 10 miles.
27:20
So, and they have their own vineyards there and, um, this is a really phenomenal expression of Colorado Riesling. Um, and you might even catch some of those, uh, um, petroleum characteristics. Right.
27:34
Tree fruit comes to mind. Yeah, and there's actually some, uh, there's some stone fruit coming through too. I get some like lime. Mm-hmm. Like a little citrus. Mm-hmm. And, um, so this is a, this is a really great wine.
27:49
This is a dry Riesling as well. They do a lot of, uh, they grow a lot of cherries and thing, and apricots in that part of the world too, so- Yeah, they do. Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of, yeah, pears as well.
28:01
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Apples of course. Right. And, um, excuse me. So yeah, another, uh, another great Colorado Riesling. Boy, that is good. So- That's better than the German one. [laughs] Going down smoother there.
28:17
Well, look, you know, we're, you know, we're in the bottom, uh, bottom half of the show, so they're really gonna start getting good now- [laughs] As we get closer to 1:00. That's my favorite, again. Yeah.
28:28
[laughs] All right, so, um, yeah, so put that one in the bucket and now we'll try a, um, we're gonna go to, uh, a very large winery in Washington you may have heard of, Chateau Ste. Michelle. Oh, yeah.
28:41
And, uh, the cool thing about, um, uh, Rieslings now, uh, as I was shopping, um, down at, uh, Santa Fe Spirits there, I was down in Littleton this morning, so, uh, stopped by and saw, uh, Mena.
28:56
He's, uh, he's the owner at Santa Fe Spirits and, uh, has a really great shop. And of course, uh, Daniel Luna, the, the label artist that we feature on our labels at Bona Quisti. Right.
29:06
Uh, he had painted that store years ago, puts a bunch of murals on the wall, so, uh, very colorful, vibrant art. So I, I, uh, I have a soft spot for that, uh, that liquor store down there.
29:17
But, uh, so anyway, uh, this is a Chateau Ste. Michelle. It's a dry Riesling 'cause it's printed, and it's printed on the label.
29:23
So sometimes you have to ask, but even, you know, more so now, um, you just specifically go, uh, and, and kinda look on the labels or a- you know, and obviously ask for help. So this is from Washington, Columbia Valley.
29:34
Uh, this is a vintage 2015. Hmm. And- White peach and mandarin orange. Yeah, ex- There you go, man. You're, you hit a home run right there. Thank you very kindly. [laughs] I'm reading well today. No, no, that's, uh...
29:48
It, it really does. Yeah. Well, very much so. And then, and there's still this, uh, there's a little hint of that, uh, that petroleum characteristic.
29:59
So this one, very clean, high acid, just, uh, you know, real fruitiness. Mm-hmm. Uh, this is considered a dry Riesling, so I don't know where the residual sugar is, but it's very, it's in check with the, with the acid.
30:12
Right. Okay? So, and it doesn't mention, uh, it just... Oh, it does mention on the back that it is in the dry category according to the International Riesling Federation. I think I'm saying that right.
30:23
But they, they set, they put out some guidelines and, um, in, in order to educate the public on, uh, on Riesling. Mm-hmm. Because we, you know, the general perception is it's all sweet and, and it's, and it's not.
30:34
The, it, it runs the gamut, but, um, but the dry Rieslings, uh, are the ones that are so, uh, so luscious. Well, I, I think it's probably run by Germans, so they're probably pretty strict about their guidelines.
30:47
[laughs] They pretty much are. Well, they bombed us with a lot of sweet Riesling in the '80s, but, but- [laughs] That's a whole nother, uh, another story, so. [laughs] Hey, what, what tune we got right now?
30:57
[upbeat music] Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. This, this is a tune, uh, called Go Your Own Way, and, uh, it's off the first album, and, uh, and it, it's like one of my favorite tunes to still play in the show. And, um,
31:13
you know, um, just great guitar work, um, by Chris Santo, and I take a little soprano sax solo on this and, um, you know, um, actually our, our good friend Mario Palerulo, a local bass player, actually bass player extraordinaire, uh, played on this first album with us, so- Uh, yeah, it's, it's, it's a fabulous, it's a fabulous album.
31:35
Yeah. Well, I'm digging it. You should be too. [laughs] So check out gumbollefunk.com, and then go over to Westword and vote for them as the best funk band in the Mile High City.
31:46
And, um, and then dig their tunes in the meantime, 'cause they're great. You're listening to Denver Wine Radio. We're on Mile High Sports. [funky music plays] Now we're getting funky. That's it.
32:06
Gumbo of Funk in the house on Denver Wine Radio. I thought I was alone. Couldn't see in front of me. Nice. You showed me a way. Power, Love, Freedom, this is the title track off our latest, our last album.
32:22
So I'm very proud of it. Only a fool would ever doubt it now. Yeah, this is a great, great tune. Love hearing when you guys... You guys sing it too, man, there's so much energy, uh, when you jam this tune.
32:33
We're, you know, we're, uh, we're, we're known as a pretty energetic band, and I think that, uh, most of that's based on my nervous energy coming through when we play.
32:43
But yeah, we're, we, we like to get right up in it, that's for sure. [laughs] That's cool. Hey, this, uh, final segment brought to you by Fitness Together Edgewater.
32:52
It's a locally owned and operated personal, uh, training studio. And, uh, this is the place where David Diaz and his team hold you accountable to your fitness goals.
33:02
So they can customize the ultimate program to get you back in shape, then you can feel and look your best. The results, of course, can be amazing.
33:10
And, uh, they've helped four people lose over 100 pounds, and, um, and they can do, uh, amazing things for you, whatever your, uh, fitness goals are.
33:18
So, uh, check them out, Fitness Together Edgewater, and of course, they're located in Edgewater. Hey, I'm Paul Buonocuisti. This is, uh, Denver Wine Radio. Jason Justice from Gumbo of Funk in the house.
33:28
And, um, man, you've got, uh... Well, we're tasting Riesling, and, um, and I just poured, um, um, a, uh, Alsatian Riesling. So Alsace is a, uh, area of France that's on the German border. And, um, this one is 2007.
33:42
All these are actually, uh, really older vintages, uh, just by random chance, uh, today, except, with the exception of mine is a newbie, 2016. But this one is the driest of them all.
33:53
We, uh, big, you know, uh, a lot of... I was just telling you during the break, I just smell, as soon as I smelled it, s- super lime citrus and, uh, a lot of other great fruit. And a lot of dust. It is definitely dry.
34:05
[laughs] Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. I'm, like, blowing it off of my glass there. It is woo, woo. That is, uh, that's something dry, that's for sure.
34:12
But when you pair this thing with food, uh, you're, you're gonna be in heaven, so. Yeah, I could, I could see doing that with some strawberries and stuff like that. Very good. Yeah, definitely.
34:22
And you al- And, you know, uh, I always tell people to match up the flavor profiles of wine and things they taste. So if you taste peaches and- Mm-hmm...
34:29
or if you taste, you know, citrus fruit, I mean, guide that towards food, foods that have that in it or the seasoning you're cooking with, and you'll be, you'll be amazed and, and super happy and look like a genius amongst your friends and family.
34:40
[laughs] I don't know about that, but- [laughs]... I'll give it a try. [laughs] Yeah. Rotisserie chicken, a home run, okay- [laughs]... with any of these Rieslings today.
34:51
So, uh, okay, so Gumbo of Funk, you're, you've got gigs going all the time, and where, you know, where are you playing? Uh, you got a gig tonight or this weekend or next weekend?
34:59
No, we're, we're not playing this weekend. Um, I like to... I used to be a bartender years and years ago, and one of the places I bartended at was the Bennigan's. And so- [laughs] Good old Bennigan's. St.
35:12
Patrick's Day gives me kind of a bad taste in my mouth from having to bartend on the- [laughs]... on St. Patrick's Day, and people going, "I want 17 shots of Nuts & Berries."
35:21
And I'm like, "No, you can have a Guinness and a shot of Bushmill." [laughs] There you go. Those are your choices. Oh, that's a riot. [laughs] Oh. But, uh, yeah, so we're not playing this weekend.
35:31
But coming up on, uh, on the 23rd of this month, in March, March 23rd, we're gonna be playing up at the Bohemian Gardens up in Boulder.
35:42
Uh, it, it's a, it's a German, German kind of beer garden place, and, uh, and we're looking forward to that. We hear the food is phenomenal, so of course, I love food, so there you go.
35:53
And then coming up in April, we're gonna be at Cactus Jacks on Friday, April 13th, which is in Evergreen. We're gonna be playing at, uh, Paul's place actually, too.
36:01
But, uh, we're also gonna be playing, uh, let's see, on the 20th, we're, uh, playing at Goosetown Tavern for 4/20. And then on 4/21, we're gonna be at Buonocuisti Winery up on the north side, y'all.
36:16
And that, that is not the Highlands, by the way. I know that everybody... The Co- Como Que Highlands, that's the north side, y'all. [laughs] Come on. Way south. It is, it is the north side, man.
36:27
[laughs] So, and, um, and we, and we like, uh, spreading the music of the north side over at the winery. So, uh, you got, you know, I don't know how to, uh, to explain it or, uh, uh, to people. You just got to feel it.
36:41
You do have to feel it. Um, and you know, uh, we always make this joke when we're there.
36:45
I'm married to a woman from the west side, so we generally have to fight our way out when we're leaving the north side to g- come back home. That's not true. That's not true.
36:54
Everybody is beautiful up there and, uh, treats us really well. And one of the, the things I love about playing at, uh, Buonocuisti's, Paul, is that it's such a, it's such a family kind of environment.
37:07
It's, I mean, uh, you know, uh, you've created a, you've created a space that, that's a destination for people on the north side from all over town, and it's, it's like, it, it's just nothing but love. It really is.
37:20
Thank you. It's nothing but love up there, so. I appreciate it, man. It's like our favorite, you know, one of, one of our most favorite rooms to play. You're all, you're all part of it, man.
37:28
[laughs] It's the, it's the musicians, the people that come in, and, um, and the wine just, uh, makes the time go by fast, so, um- You like that? Yeah. I like that! [laughs] That's awesome.
37:39
[laughs] Hey, but you know, your history, you go, you go back, uh, a long way, you know. Uh, like you s- seven years Gumbo of Funk, but you've been playing for years. Yeah. And, um, so you've got a history of that.
37:49
[laughs] And, and you also, you teach sax to players. So, uh, talk about that a little bit. So, um, I have a studio, um, a private studio that, that I teach adults and kids. I do it on Skype, I do it in person.
38:04
Um, that website is www.jasonjustice.com. It takes you to my website. I have insights about technique i- issues on the saxophone.
38:15
Um, one of the things I'm most proud of as a saxophone player is that I have an endorsement from a, a, s- from a musical instrument manufacturer named R.S. Berklee Musical Instruments.
38:26
And so my alto and my soprano that I play on the gigs are both, uh, from R.S. Berklee, and, um, it's a great, it's a great organization to be involved with.
38:37
The, the, um, the instruments are at a, a really good price point. They're, they won't break the bank. Um, and, um, the guy that owns that company knows absolutely everybody in the business, and i- it, it's crazy.
38:50
He, he'll be like, "Oh, I was just over at Charlie Parker's daughter's house looking at his horn." You know? [laughs] Wow. I'm like, "What? What?" Yeah. Wait a second.
38:58
So, uh, he, he got together with the late Michael Brecker, one of the greatest saxophone players ever, and they designed their Virtuoso series, their professional series, uh, saxophones, of which I am, I am truly blessed to p- to play, so.
39:12
Wow, that's awesome. Yeah. I w- yeah, I saw, um... I was following your, uh, your sax lesson stuff on Facebook, and I saw you post, uh, you were teaching somebody, I thought, uh, like a, uh, first-timer.
39:23
Um, and I thought, "Huh, I- maybe I got- [laughs]... there is a chance for me to blow a couple of tunes." Yeah, you know what, there is.
39:30
There, uh, really, i- on, on the planet, so 2% of the people on this planet are prodigies, right? Like Yo-Yo Ma kind of level. The other 2% can't, literally can't carry a tune in the bucket.
39:43
So everybody else, like you and me, we're right in the middle, and anybody can learn to play the saxophone. And I think it's really, uh, a great thing for, uh, for adults to do.
39:53
You know, they tell you to, to fight off the aging thing, to learn a, a new language or a musical instrument, and so I have a lot of adults that do that.
40:02
I, I consider my, um, my studio to be a more of a vocational, uh, studio, because I want people to go out and make the same $50 that I make when I go out and play. That's, it's, it's kind of a joke- Yeah...
40:15
but it's not really. Um, because, because i- i- you know, it's just so much fun to get out into a club and be around people. And, uh, um, yeah, I, I'm, uh, um, I'm, I'm really proud. And, and actually, on our...
40:29
We do a Mardi Gras gig every year at Ophelia's, and this year I had, um, a couple of the students from my studio came, and were in the band. Oh, awesome. Yeah.
40:38
So, so I always give, uh, my, my students a chance to, to get on this Harley and feel what it's like in between your legs when you're going down the road. So- That's cool, man...
40:47
yeah, it's, it's a very, it's a very cool thing, so. Yeah, and that's what I do with wine, man. I, I, I want you to sample wine, and then, you know, it's as easy as I like it or I don't like it.
40:58
But at least you're going for it, you're trying some new wines. I even, I even, uh, credit myself with taking a lobbyist out of, uh, out of the lobbying game in, uh, DC area.
41:09
He came to me for lessons on Skype, and, uh, he's, he just happened to be at retirement age, and now he's playing gigs instead of lobbying.
41:17
So send all the lobbyists and politicians to me, and I will s- I will cure the world- [laughs]... of all the problems it has. [laughs] They get, they get a little more than, uh, sax lessons. They- [laughs]
41:30
They get an understanding of chilling out. [laughs] Okay, good. Yeah. [laughs] I like it. Well, man, Jason, thanks for coming by, uh, today, Denver Wine Radio.
41:39
And Paul, always a pleasure to hang out with you, and looking forward to seeing you next month.
41:43
Yeah, and then, uh, make sure you get out and, uh, go to gumballoffunk.com, follow the breadcrumbs to, uh, Westword, and vote for this band for the funkiest band in the Mile High City. I wanna see them win this year.
41:57
And, um, it's, it's cool, so. Thanks again, man. Yeah. Hey, so, uh, a little funky Gumbo taking you out. Thanks for listening to Denver Wine Radio.
42:06
Your job this week, as always, put some altitude in your glass and drink local. This is Denver Wine Radio on Mile High Sports. [upbeat music]
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