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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
36: A Visit with Cassidee Shull
Apr 27, 2022
36: A Visit with Cassidee Shull
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0:00
[upbeat music] You're listening to Denver Wine Radio, the podcast about Colorado wine. My name is Paul Bonacquisty.
0:10
I'm the winemaker at Bonacquisty Wine Company, an urban winery I launched back in 2006 in Denver, Colorado, where I've been making and learning about wine ever since.
0:20
I'm sitting down with other wineries and wine experts to find out what makes Colorado wine so unique, and to help you find the wines you like to drink. And now, let's put some altitude in your glass.
0:35
Welcome back, Cassidy. [laughs] Yes, thank you for having me. Yeah, great to have you. You just celebrated your 10th year there. Yes, in February. Yeah, that's- congratulations. Thank you.
0:48
So how did you get your start in h- in wine and, and in CAVE? Yeah, so I've been here for 10 years. Um, I just kind of started right out of college.
0:58
I graduated from Colorado Mesa University in 2011 and have a degree in business management and human resource management, and a minor in dance. I've been a dancer since I was two years old.
1:11
And after I graduated from Mesa I knew I really wanted to stay in the nonprofit sector,
1:16
and just started applying for, um, nonprofit positions all over Grand Junction, which is where I live, um, and our office is over here in Palisade, and on the Front Range.
1:27
And my family actually found the ad in our local newspaper here for an executive director position for this organization, which I was very unfamiliar with, so I thought, "I'm just going to apply."
1:40
And I received an interview, I think the end of 2011, and then I always jokingly call it a callback with my theater background, a second interview in February, and got the position.
1:53
I interviewed with the then board of directors, and, um, was really excited about the industry and learning about the Colorado wine industry and our big event, Colorado Mountain Winefest.
2:03
And they were really looking forward to doing a lot more way back in 2012 with social media, and marketing, and outreach, and coordination, and I just was a fit for what they were looking for, and I've been here ever since.
2:17
That's awesome. So- So what, what does CAVE do, for people who don't know? So we are a 501[c][6] trade nonprofit organization, so we're set up just like a chamber of commerce. We have different types of membership tiers.
2:32
We have vineyard and winery members. We have amateur and individual members, so folks that make amateur wine or wine at home.
2:40
And then we also have allied trade members, which are any other type of business outside of a winery or a vineyard. We think of real estate companies, trellising systems, fruit supply, things like that.
2:54
Uh, I joke that our amateur and individual members are folks, excuse me, like my family, for example, um, that just wanna really support the industry but may not make wine or own a vineyard.
3:06
So that's a little bit about the organization itself. Um, we're known for running several really large events. Our consumer-facing event is Colorado Mountain Winefest. That takes place every September here in Palisade.
3:18
And then all of the proceeds from that go back into the industry in January, called VinCO, um, which happens over here in Grand Junction at our convention center. It's a four-day multi-track regional trade conference.
3:31
We partner with the Western Colorado Horticultural Society.
3:34
Um, we run all of the viticulture, enology, marketing and business program tracks, and then the Horticultural Society runs the horticulture tracks, so anything involving peach, apples, cherries, stone fruit, and then also the trade show.
3:48
Nice. Yeah, that's a, that's a lot. Yes. Then on top of all of that, we run additional educational seminars throughout the year. Um, we just ran a sensory analysis seminar earlier in April.
4:01
We also do, obviously with COVID, we've done a lot of webinars for our membership, anything from shipping compliance, TTB, LED, things like that. A lot of acronyms.
4:13
And then upcoming in May, in just a few weeks, actually I think Monday, we're doing a tasting room staff training seminar over here in Palisade.
4:21
So for folks in the industry or looking to hire new staff, it'll just be a nice refresher of winemaking, grape growing, and then the history of Colorado wine knowledge. So it'll be a nice half-day workshop for,
4:36
like I said, new, new staff or a refresher for current staff, or maybe folks that are just looking to learn more about the industry itself. Yeah, that's, uh, yeah, the history of Colorado wine is a, is fascinating.
4:47
[laughs] Yes. So- It's a big one. Yeah, so people, so yeah, you would think of the organization, I've always thought of it as a professional organization for people in the industry, but it's not just that.
4:58
It's, uh, it's open to anyone. Yep. We have a, we hire a lobbyist throughout the year that monitors on behalf of the wine industry. That has been pretty recent in the history of the organization itself.
5:12
CAVE was actually established in 1987, um, and we haven't been lobbying very long. I'd say in the l- probably the last eight years since we've hired a, a fantastic lobbyist on behalf of our industry.
5:25
And with that, we run a legislative committee that any of our members are welcome to join and be part of. We also run an amateur winemaker competition each year. Uh, I mentioned those amateur members earlier.
5:38
That takes place usually June, we put out our applications, and then the competition itself is held in November, and all of the awards ceremony and the awards presentations take place during VinCO in January, which is really exciting.
5:50
And we taste those amateur wines, and it really offers a really great opportunity for the amateurs to meet our commercially licensed wineries and growers, and network, and possibly purchase grapes from each other or co-op bottle purchases, cork purchases, things like that Yeah.
6:08
So you mentioned, um, of course, Colorado or the Colorado Mountain Wine Fest- Mm-hmm... which is in September every year- Mm-hmm... uh, which is a big event.
6:17
Coming up here in the spring, you have, you have some events already planned. Yes. We took on a new, a new event for us, but a, a very established and existing event called Barrel into Spring.
6:29
Um, I believe it's happened for going on 10 years. This was run by the previous organization, the Grand Valley Wine- Winery Association, which is unfortunately disbanded after COVID.
6:40
Barrel into Spring happens once in April and then once again in May. We just had our first event this last weekend, April 23rd to 24th, then it'll happen again May 14th and 15th.
6:53
And we'll have seven wineries take place each weekend. Folks that purchase tickets can go tour at seven different wineries, have barrel samples at those wineries, and then food pairings at each of those wineries as well.
7:07
So it's a real heightened and elevated tasting experience.
7:11
The one we just had this weekend, we were out touring and, and taking photographs of the event and checking folks in, and the feedback we received was really, really fantastic.
7:21
Folks that had been part of the original wineries that had been part of, you know, Barrel into Spring for the last several years were really excited to see it come back.
7:29
Obviously, the event hasn't happened for the last couple years due to COVID, so both the wineries and the attendees are really excited to see it come back, and then it'll happen again in May.
7:39
We put tickets on sale February 28th, and they sold out in less than an hour. Wow.
7:46
So I think it goes to show that people are just really excited for wine events to come back, events of really any kind to come back, um, and just get out and tour and taste and support our, our Colorado wine industry.
7:59
Yeah, absolutely, 'cause yeah, spring barrel tasting's a very traditional type of event- Mm-hmm... uh, that goes way back and, uh- Yeah...
8:06
lots of fun to go in, do a winery taste, and actually get some barrel samples- Exactly... um, and see what's, see what's cooking. Okay, so you were, you were out at the Barrel into Spring, and what...
8:16
So ver- a very traditional event, but did you see any new and in- and, uh, innovating things going on? Yeah. We had, like I said, there were seven wineries participating this last Saturday and Sunday.
8:27
We had a lot happening in Palisade this last weekend on top of Barrel into Spring, which gave the folks that were part of our ticketed event a lot of options, uh, as well.
8:37
They were just touring and tasting over the weekend. So one of the events that was also happening was a Palisade Bluegrass Bash, which was live music happening all over the town, which was really exciting.
8:48
Um, one of our participating wineries had a, I think, a four or five-piece bluegrass band playing in front of their tasting room as well.
8:56
So the folks that were part of Barrel into Spring walked into their tasting room, they had this great assortment of food.
9:02
They were thieving out of their barrel and had this lovely setup, but then if they were welcoming just regular tasting room visitors, they had their whole setup for a fire pit and a bluegrass band playing out front as well, which I thought was really innovative and a really nice way to kind of tie in everything else that was happening in Palisade that weekend.
9:19
Yeah. Always lots going on, uh, in Palisade, and in fact, Palisade, uh, the Grand Valley has been written about in Wine Enthusiast, was a few years ago, as one of the,
9:32
I, I think it was the top 10 wine- Wine destinations... places- Mm-hmm... yeah, wine destinations to visit. Mm-hmm. Yep, we're very, very excited about that. Yeah.
9:42
More about, uh, Colorado Mountain Wine Fest, which will be coming up in September- Mm-hmm... and of course, there you can, those tickets are on sale now. Yes. Every year.
9:51
And that traditionally has sold out for, for years now. Yes. [laughs] Yes.
9:55
So this will be our 31st annual Colorado Mountain Wine Fest, presented by Fisher's Liquor Bar, and the schedule and all of the information about the event itself is at coloradowinefest.com.
10:07
Our tickets are on sale currently. Our VIP tickets sold out five days of being placed online last November, but we do still have general admission tickets available.
10:16
We're expecting to sell out in a normal fashion, which is normally June or July, but we, like I said, we have plenty of general admission tickets right now, but do get them before they sell out this summer.
10:28
Historically, uh, this will be the seventh, I think, year we'll sell out. We haven't had tickets available at the gate for many, many years now.
10:35
That general admission ticket grants you access to the festival in the park, which is Saturday, September 17th from 10:30 to 5:00. We'll have almost 50 Colorado wineries pouring unlimited sips of wine, um, live music.
10:49
We have tons of artists and vendors selling handcrafted items, um, chef demos and educational seminars, and then do a really cool ice carving demo from one of our local artisans here in the Grand Valley.
11:04
Those VIP tickets, unfortunately, like I said, are sold out.
11:06
We do have a wait list available, and that VIP ticket includes entrance into our VIP pavilion, a crystal Riedel wine glass, a wine tote filled with gifts from our sponsors, and then we partner every year with the Western Colorado Community College Culinary Department, and they prepare dishes fresh for our guests throughout the day.
11:26
Um, and then it's a shaded pavilion for those folks. They also have access to the general admission part of the park, so they can go tour and taste and sample all the wineries in the area as well.
11:37
And then we also have a free VIP wine storage, so while you're chatting with the winemakers and purchasing wine, you don't have to carry it around the park all day.
11:46
You can store it in a shaded tent and then pick it up, um, on your way out of the park. Nice. That's, uh, that sounds fantastic. [laughs] Yes. And- Yes...
11:55
and- So those tickets are available on our website right now, like I said... which is, uh, winecolorado.org, or do you use the- coloradowinefest.com Oh, coloradowinefest.com. All right. Yes.
12:08
Any information about the organization is winecolorado.org. Oh, okay. They all link to each other, but if you're just wanting information on Wine Fest, it's coloradowinefest.com. Okay.
12:18
So you've just described a fantastic event- Yes... which, which I know it is, uh, but it was recognized by USA Today Yes.
12:27
Um, in 2017 we were contacted by USA Today via email, and they let us know that we were in the running for a top 10 best wine festival in the nation, which we were thrilled about.
12:39
And it was an open voting period over the summer, so we sent a couple emails out to our past ticketed attendees and our volunteers, and it was just an open voting process.
12:49
And then we were really, really surprised in August when we got an email saying we were voted number one wine festival [laughs] in the nation, which we were thrilled about, and we wear that badge with honor because we were up against, like, Aspen Food & Wine and these huge, huge amazing wine festivals that happen all over the country.
13:09
So we're like little old Palisade [laughs] And our amazing Colorado wine industry, uh, was up there with the best, and I think that really goes to show the loyalty of our patrons and our volunteers and how long and established this event has been, and it truly takes a village to put the event on.
13:27
Um, Melinda Treadway is our program director and our volunteer coordinator and coordinates over 350 volunteers each year to make this event happen, and these volunteers come from all over the state and all over the country to, to share their time with us each year to make this event happen.
13:45
Um, many of them have been part of the event for 10, 15 plus years e- and they just put it on their calendar and they're like, "Every September we're...
13:54
You know, we'll help you with the front gates, we'll help you in VIP, we'll help pour wine," which is really exciting. It's kind of like a Wine Fest family, for sure. That's great.
14:01
But it, it, it also shows the great leadership you've put into the organization over the last 10 years. Thank you. So give us, uh, what are some of your most memorable events of Wine Fest? Of Wine Fest itself? Yeah.
14:17
Definitely getting emails and phone calls from customers that, like I just mentioned, have attended for 10, 15, 20 years that have gotten married or proposed to at the event, and then come back each year as their anniversary.
14:33
Oh, wow.
14:33
Um, we've had attendees that now it's a generational experience, so it's their daughter, their mother, their grandmother, their great-grandmother, and it's a family kind of reunion each year, um, and they look forward to that every September, which is really exciting.
14:50
Folks that have traveled from... Like I said, we have attendees from all 50 states, and I think in 2018 or 2019 we had attendees from nine countries.
15:01
And so meeting folks from all over the world that make this part of their tradition to spend time in Palisade and meet our winemakers.
15:09
And every year it's so exciting to hear, like, "Your wine is just getting better and better, and we love meeting, you know, X, Y, Z from so and so winery and seeing the new vintages they've come up with and, and, and purchasing however many cases of wine to take home with us."
15:24
So those are really heartwarming stories every year. That's awesome. We had some tough weather [laughs] years in 2019 and '20. What, what's going on now? I mean, how... I've been hearing things. Things are starting.
15:39
This might be a, a good recovery year coming up. Yes. Yes. I- we've been hearing the same. 2020 was not kind to anybody in any industry on any front. We...
15:52
I deal things with humor, and so the joke around here was 2020 was the year of fire and ice. Over here in Palisade we froze out in October, and then we had a fire here in Palisade for almost a month straight.
16:04
It was literally just raining ash, the Bookcliff fire here.
16:08
And so we speak to that with how resilient the Colorado wine industry is overall in any aspect of, you know, coming through COVID, coming through the weather events.
16:20
Just, you know, my position completely changed in 2020 from event planning and fundraising to legislative issues and doing what we can working with the governor's office and keeping our tasting rooms open and getting funding out to folks and things like that.
16:35
But then looking ahead to 2021 and the recovery and reopening and staffing and things like that to 2022 and seeing vines coming back and kind of a light at the end of the tunnel.
16:49
One additional piece of really good news that came out of this was we've just hired a new viticulture extension specialist that I think will also aid in that recovery for our industry as well.
17:00
I don't even know if we've announced it yet. [laughs] This is, um, this is- No, I just wanna know who. Uh, that's my next question. Who's that? [laughs] It's...
17:08
I mean, it's by Fri- last Friday I think we heard, but so you'll see a lot of PR and press coming from our office and the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, Board's office as well, which will be really exciting, and that start date will be this summer.
17:21
There'll be lots of seminars and webinars and information at VinCO as well.
17:25
But our mission at CAVE is the education and research for the Colorado wine and grape industry, and so we're however we can help, whether it's through a pandemic, [laughs] whether it's through a frost, um, a fire event, anything like that, we work as best we can with our, um, network, whether it's our state viticulturists, a new extension specialist, the Wine Industry Development Board, our lobbyists, the govern- governor's office, Western Colorado Community College and their, uh, enology and viticulture program.
17:55
Any of those programs and networks available to us that we could then share with our membership is our goal [laughs] of just sharing that knowledge with our members. Oh, that's great.
18:06
Yeah, 'cause there's, there's a lot of new wineries popping up now over the last few years- Yeah... uh, especially over in Palisade and, and around. So what... There's a lot of excitement going on.
18:18
What, what are some of the most exciting things you're seeing?
18:21
We worked really closely with the Colorado Brewers Guild, the Cider Guild, and the Distillers Guild on a grant in 2020 and 2021 We were pulling a lot of data for this grant and, and other projects, and one of the most exciting things through that project we found was that we had more wineries open in 2020 than close in 2020.
18:45
And again, just speaking to that resiliency of our industry overall, we, looking at any industry through the pandemic, through, through 2020 and 2021, our winemakers and our growers were like, "We're st- we're doing this still."
19:01
[laughs] Like, "This is part of our business plan. We're still gonna move forward with this." And they're still thriving.
19:06
We worked really hard with our tourism board here in Palisade and the folks on the Front Range to do anything we could to let consumers know our tasting rooms are open.
19:17
They're a safe way to go and experience Colorado wine. It's, it's socially distanced, they're sanitized, they're clean. Yeah. Um, you're heated. It's not, you know, overwhelmed. It's not too many people.
19:29
And a lot of folks let us know that that May of 2020 into 2021, they had some of their best sales, especially with shipping and delivery, working with restaurants, working with liquor stores, which was really great.
19:44
Um, and so we're really hoping to keep that trend moving, and I'm sure you can speak to this as well, a lot of folks in the state of Colorado rediscovered the state of Colorado, and- Mm-hmm...
19:55
were kind of doing that in-state travel of where they could travel by car in three, four, five hours, um, and canceling those international trips and, um, domestic trips, and I think that really helped our industry specifically.
20:11
Yeah, for sure.
20:12
A lot of people that I talk to here coming through my place, yeah, they've discovered a lot, a lot of new tasting rooms and, and places to visit, especially, um, Paonia and Hotchkiss and, and of course in Palisade too, and lots of favorites.
20:27
They all talk about their favorite wineries that they're discovering. Yep. So.
20:31
Yeah, so I think the key in marketing-wise is how with our industry of those folks that you've s- have seen in the last two years, converting those to club members and keep that interaction going through, you know, email marketing or phone calls, text messaging, social media, um, and just keep that engagement up of, you know, "We miss you.
20:52
We'd love seeing you over X, Y weekend," whatever. "We'd love to see you again."
20:57
Those events, VIP events, things like that that are smaller and more intimate, the ones that you and I were just chatting about, um, those educational wine tasting events people are really, really in- interested in right now.
21:09
Yeah. All right, so let's talk about your favorite type of wine. Well, what's your favorite v- uh, Colorado varietal? My favorite vari- I really love reds.
21:19
It's a toss-up between Cabernet Franc and Pinot, and it definitely is dependent on what I'm eating. Yep. [laughs] And, uh, it's been that way for a while.
21:29
No shade on any white wines, but I've just always been a, a big red drinker for sure. Oh, that's great. And we do, a, I, we do them very, very well here in the, in the state of Colorado, so. Absolutely.
21:41
But there's definitely a shift to hybrids here in the state, so we are, I just had some phenomenal Chambourcin, so I'm very, very excited to see that.
21:53
All right, so we've got some exciting things happening in, uh, Colorado wine. What are some of the goals you have for CAVE go- in the next, you know, few years, couple years?
22:03
I don't, we don't need your long-term goals, but [laughs] No, that's a great question.
22:07
Um, we actually have a very large and kind of robust survey out right now for our membership that has not been done yet in, in our knowledge, judging, or not judging, but kind of getting a finger on the pulse of our membership, which I had mentioned earlier spans everything from winery owners, vineyard owners and managers, to amateur winemakers, to just individual members that are interested in the industry, to allied trade partners.
22:35
So we really wanted to get a f- get some feedback from them of what they want from the organization 'cause for a long time, for at least 10 years since I've been here and, and probably before then, it's been very focused on, we have a very large fundraiser.
22:49
That fundraiser funds a very large trade conference, and then we have all these smaller events in between.
22:55
And that feedback that's coming through so far is a more focus on networking, more education and information in our newsletter.
23:04
Folks want more information on wine competitions, more information on legislation, more funding opportunities, whether it's grants or staffing options and things like that. Mm-hmm.
23:15
And then with COVID and the pandemic and the aftermath of all that with the labor shortage, with supply chain issues and things like that, how our organization can assist with that, whether that's co-oping really big orders, having a couple spots maybe statewide where we could drop ship things, or just bigger co-op programs available to the, uh, membership.
23:39
So I think it's just really important to check in and see how kind of a report card on yourself of are we benefiting the membership to the best of our ability? Is it too event-focused? Is it too education-focused?
23:53
Is it too legislative-focused? Um, and is the membership receiving the value that they deserve, or is there anything else we could be doing for them?
24:03
And especially when we have such a different, so many different segments. Is it all wineries and growers? Is it all amateurs? Is it all allied trade partners?
24:13
And especially since we're all across the state, one piece of feedback we get a lot is, "You have so many events on the Western Slope. What about Front Range? What about those of us in the Four Corners area?
24:23
What about those of us in Hotchkiss, Paonia, West Elks area?" So how can we better serve everybody in all parts of Colorado?
24:32
And so just getting that feedback and then bringing that to the board of directors and seeing how we can best- Handle events and, and offer- That's good... what we can to everybody everywhere. Right.
24:44
With a really small team. It's just Mel and I, [laughs] Yeah But we will do what we can. [laughs] Well, yeah, I think you're killing it with a two, two-person team, [laughs] so. Thanks. [laughs] You're wonderful.
24:55
Thank you. Well, you know, here on Denver Wine Radio, we love talk about music, so- Mm. Yes... tell us what you're drinking these days, and I'll tell, uh, what, what are you listening to? Anything good? Yeah.
25:07
Um, I have a ton of concerts coming up, which I'm really excited about. With all of these events that we just went over, my weekends are, like, very sporadic of when I can get away.
25:17
But one of my favorite bands ever is coming to your neck of the woods in July. I'm very excited to go see them at the Mission Ballroom. It's a band called Puscifer. [laughs] And, um- Wait, wait. Say that again. Puscifer.
25:32
Puscifer. Okay. And it's Maynard James Keenan. He's in Tool. Oh, yeah. So it's one of his side projects. Nice. He also is in A Perfect Circle. Nice. Um, so it's really fortunate I got to see Tool earlier in February.
25:46
So I, this will be the second time I've seen him, but not at a space as small as Mission Ballroom, so I'm very excited. Mm-hmm. That's a beautiful space to see music.
25:55
That's why I've, I haven't been there yet for a concert. Oh, it's amazing. Yeah. But I heard it's wonderful. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, very cool. Right on. Well, I'm gonna look, I'm gonna look up some Tool- Yeah...
26:04
and- Definitely go. Um, and then we have a beautiful amphitheater here in Grand Junction, and they have a whole lineup of concerts this summer. I have tickets to go see ZZ Top, [laughs] I think in June. Nice.
26:18
Um, which will be a little different with their new lineup since one of their members passed away a few years ago, but- Yeah, we went in the fall, we saw ZZ Top, and it was just- Oh, cool...
26:30
um, it was probably, I think it was within a week of, of Dusty passing away. Oh. Mm-hmm. So they did a nice tribute to him on stage. Oh, wonderful.
26:39
And yeah, they, and they have a guy that's been I think filling in- Uh-huh... uh, for b- to play bass for years, but, um- Nice... he, he stepped right in and it was- Yeah... it was seamless and- It's right with it.
26:51
Mm-hmm... yeah, great show, so- Nice... you'll have a great time at that one. Yeah.
26:56
And then I'm always a huge proponent of local music, and my partner's in a band, and then my brother's in a band, and they just had a show here at another venue just last Friday together, which was really cool, and, uh, phenomenal- What's the name of their band?
27:10
Uh, my brother's band is Peach Street Revival. All right. And then my partner's band is Zoloft, and they're both here in Grand Junction, so it was a really fun time.
27:19
And so yeah, I'm always like, "If you can't go, you know, buy a really expensive big concert ticket, go see, you know, your local band at a dive bar [laughs] and give them- That's right... some support.
27:31
They need it, especially after COVID when nobody could do anything. [laughs] Nobody could tour and get on stage and try and fund their new CD release or anything like that, so- Yeah...
27:43
they need it Support live music- Yes... and local wine. [laughs] Yes. My two favorite things. Those are my two favorite things. Drink local wine, support local wine, and support live, live music. That's right.
27:54
You'll always see this on my social feeds. Well, right on, Cassidy. Thank you for, uh, coming on today. Absolutely. It's always great to catch up with you. You as well. Thanks for having me.
28:05
[upbeat music] That's our show for this week. Thank you so much for listening to Denver Wine Radio. Your homework for the week is to go out and taste some Colorado wine.
28:16
If you have any questions or comments, or just wanna let us know what you're drinking, go to denverwineradio.com, where you can email us or leave us a voice message. We'd love to hear from you.
28:27
And remember, put some altitude in your glass. [upbeat music] Produced and distributed by the Sound Off Media company.
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