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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
47: Tasting Vinnie Fera Wines from Boulder
Nov 21, 2022
47: Tasting Vinnie Fera Wines from Boulder
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
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.
0:34
Hey, welcome back to Denver Wine Radio. Cha Cha in the studio today. The best-tasting, uh, non-drinker- [laughs] in the world. The palate is clean. Clean palate, and we love that.
0:48
So in case you haven't been listening the last couple of episodes, uh, Colorado Wine Week happened in September, and we had a four-winemaker wine tasting at Blanchard Family Wines, downtown Denver.
1:02
Blanchard Family Wines. Okay. Uh, we tasted, uh, the 2019 Colorado Riesling from Carboy Winery, and we heard from Ty Zogworten. So today, we are going to taste Vinnie Fero Winery up in Boulder. Oh, okay. Okay?
1:18
And we're gonna have Malbec. Mm. You like Malbec? I like it. You know what Malbec is? What is it? [laughs] No, I'm asking you. [laughs] Oh, yeah, it's- it's wine with lots of grapes.
1:31
[laughs] How many, how many grapes would that be in your bottle of wine? I believe it's 20 [laughs] grapes. 25 grapes. Okay. [coughs] We are gonna edit that. Right. I believe it's 25 grapes per glass.
1:48
Oh, I'll- I'll go with that. No, what is a Malbec? A Malbec is a grape. [laughs] It's a grape. It is a grape, yeah. Okay. And so- The Malbec grape...
1:58
the Malbec grape, that hails from France originally and is grown around the world. Uh, Argentina has made it famous. Mm. So a lot of- when you go buy Malbec, most of the time- It's from Argentina? It's from Argentina.
2:10
Wow. So, but it is one of the Bordeaux varietals, uh, that come out of Bordeaux, France. Those grapes, let me refresh your memory. Okay. Merlot. Yes. Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes. Cabernet Franc. Yes. Petit Verdot. Yes.
2:24
And Malbec. And Malbec, okay. Okay? So they- You're not gonna test me, are you? Nope. Okay. Not today. Okay. But maybe right after the show. Okay.
2:30
So Malbec is, uh, used in very small percentages in those, uh, Bordeaux blends, where you can find it. But it is very delicious, and it grows here in Colorado [clears throat]
2:43
at our high-altitude vineyards of 4,700 feet and above. Okay. Up Palisades? Up in Palisade. Okay. Yeah. So. All right. [laughs] All right. So we're gonna taste the Malbec? We are gonna taste the Malbec. Great.
2:57
This is called Hogback. Hogback. Yeah. And we'll hear why, because you know what? We're gonna hear from Tim Molé. He's one of the owners and founders, uh, of, uh, Vinnie Fero Winery in Boulder.
3:09
So, uh, let's- let's listen in- Hogback... and see what he has to say about Hogback Malbec. This is 2019 Grand Valley, and you're listening to Denver Wine Radio. Uh, hi, and welcome.
3:20
And, uh, I'm, uh, Tim from Vinnie Fero Winery, and why am I holding a bottle of Hogback, right? And who's Vinnie? So Vinnie Fero Winery, uh, was named after the wine grape, Vitis vinifera.
3:33
So Vinnie is actually the wine, and then why do we name a wine Hogback?
3:38
Um, if you drive from Morrison all the way up to Fort Collins along Highway 36, you'll see a land form, little bits of, uh, limestone outcrops, uh, a ridge, and that's in vernacular called the hogback.
3:54
Grapes happen to like limestone soil, and we're gonna talk about terroir. Thank you, gentlemen, for covering a lot of subjects and leaving me terroir. [laughs] I really appreciate that.
4:04
So, um, wine is from a place, and in a really good, well-made wine, uh, evokes images of that place. So we'll get back to that in, in a minute. Um, I'm not the winemaker, but I'll pretend to be one for your benefit.
4:21
I started making wine in 2009. Uh, prior to that, I lived in California, Sonoma County, and drank a lot of wine and, and studied wine and hung out with real winemakers, so I, I learned a fair amount.
4:36
I've had the good fortune to travel to some of the best wine country in the world. I've been to Gaia in Italy, and, um, that's, like, a rare treat to, to get inside those massive wooden doors.
4:49
Uh, I've been, uh, deep beneath, uh, the s- the cellars, uh, in the cellars, uh, beneath the town of Champagne.
4:59
So I've had a lot of exposure, and I'm happy to say that my winemaker is making wine this evening, and he sent me instead, so. [laughs] Um, so terroir, what does it mean?
5:10
Uh, it's a French word, and it means of a place, and when we talk about place, we talk about soil, we talk about water, we talk about sun, uh, winds, and I also would add in the plants that grow around the vineyard.
5:24
And so the environment, uh, in which this Malbec grew is one that the Malbec happens to like. So all different varieties of grapes happen to like different types of soil, different types of weather.
5:37
And Malbec, for some reason, happens to like Argentina and the high plateaus there around Mendoza, and it happens to like Colorado.
5:48
And so when we, as, as winemakers in a winery that was started back in 2013,
5:56
uh, tried to figure out what Colorado wine was, we started to look for grapes that liked to grow in Colorado and produced grapefruit, were Maybe not necessarily cold hearty, but, um, they like the environment and they, they really shine.
6:16
So this wine is an example of that. Um, the other thing I wanna talk about with Colorado wines is food miles. This wine has 23 food miles since it was made, which means it's only traveled from Boulder to here.
6:30
Our winery's in Boulder. For those of you who wanna get to Boulder sometime, we welcome your visit. Um, we make a full line of wines, not just Malbec.
6:39
So Colorado has a wonderful opportunity in that the grape growers are getting better at their craft, and they're finding grape varietals that like Colorado terroir or climate, and Colorado wines don't travel like all the way from Mendoza, for example, which if you had to go to Mendoza now, and by the time you got there, you'd be tired.
7:04
You'd be worn out. I mean, let's face it, it might be great wine in Mendoza, but by the time it gets here, sorry, not so much. So Vinnie Fera Winery, Hogback Malbec. Please enjoy. I like your questions.
7:17
[laughs] I liked your earlier question about, about pests and, and- [laughs] Can't pause now. Let's do this. It's so fun. A- and, uh, I can speak to that in that this is a very big wine, so, um, it was...
7:30
Malbecs in general are big because they have a lot of tannin, but this one we got picked just at the sweet spot, so when we talk about balance of wine, we also wanna look at balance of fruit in the vineyard. So
7:44
some wine makers say the wine is made in the vineyard and is just cared for in the winery by the wine maker.
7:52
So this wine naturally has lots of tannins, and then it had really big acid, like 5.6 total acidity and 3.84 pH.
8:02
And so when we got it off the vine, it was so big that if you had it before the other wines in your flight, they would seem small by comparison.
8:12
So your tasting order is bright white wines, like your Riesling first, and then a, a walk through to a really big wine. This wine'll stand up to, uh, barbecue. It tastes great with steak.
8:26
Um, it is a wine that can be enjoyed in the glass, uh, by the fire pit. Um, so it, it, it's a great wine to have last. [upbeat music] Thank you.
8:39
[clapping] All right. Thank you, Tim Molli from Vinnie Fera Winery with the Hogback Malbec. This is 2019 Grand Valley. What'd you think, Cha?
8:54
We tasted, uh, while he was talking, and I took down some tasting notes. And? Uh, my first tasting note was, "You're not gonna like this one." [laughs] Yeah, exactly. It's a little too on the dry side for me. Yeah.
9:09
Uh, definitely a lot of tannins like he said, but it does have a very fruity, uh, flavor to it, and you can really... Like, man, I'm smelling like a lot of oak. Yeah, it's very, uh, you know, there's that vanilla. Um,
9:25
I get some cocoa. I mean, that's, and that, the vanilla's coming from the oak. Uh-huh. So it does have a lot of oak, but there is, there's a lot of fruit to it as well. It's like some blackberry.
9:35
I even get a little tobacco. But, uh, very nice. To me it is a, it is a big, it's a big style of Malbec, and coats your palate. Uh, very easy drinking. Yeah. Uh, but it, it, you know, so it is on the dry side.
9:49
It's on the dry side, but it's very, uh, full. It's very full bodied. I mean- Yeah... there's a lot going on there. It's... Yeah, and I think it's delicious.
9:57
This is something, uh, he, you know, he mentioned you could have with barbecue. Uh, it wouldn't be my first choice, but it definitely [laughs] would stand up to barbecue. Mm-hmm.
10:06
Especially with, uh, the smokiness of, of barbecue is gonna pull that out- Right... of this wine. But yeah, definitely steak and, uh- Yeah... grilled meats. Yeah. Um, but you could drink it on its own.
10:18
You know how us Americans just like to drink, drink wine without food. Well, and that's what I was thinking, you know? It is like, man, you, you know my palate. It's a little too dry for me.
10:27
But having said that, if I were having a steak, I could definitely drink this, but I...
10:34
Sitting by the fire pit, I don't think so, but with a meal I could definitely, uh, drink it, for sure, 'cause I think it'd take, bring out the flavor of the, of the meat as well.
10:43
Yeah, and I will say this, as I've gotten older, um, [laughs] I, these, these big style of wines I, I don't drink anymore. Um, and if I do, they have to be with food. Oh, okay. I just can't, I can't handle them.
10:56
[laughs] Okay. What's get- what's wrong with me? Well, age, Pauly. Age. Oh, come on. [laughs] So you know what I mean? I have to drink more. Doesn't that fix the, fix the- The problem?... the problem?
11:09
[laughs] No, I could definitely see this with a nice meal. It would- Yeah... you know, like I said, but for me, just my personal taste, you know, I, I'd have to have it with a meal. But it's good. Yeah.
11:20
Yeah, and this is, uh... It is. It's delicious. Very, um... It is, it is large and would benefit from some decanting.
11:28
Even, um, you know, the longer it stays o- this bottle stays open, the, the more it's gonna start to open up, and it's really gonna let loose some of its, some of its flavors. So, uh, looking at the 2019 Malbec
11:40
off of, uh, Vinnie Fera's, uh, website, uh, 27.50, so not bad. Hogback, I like the name. 100% Malbec from Grand Valley AVA right up there in Palisade, our favorite, uh, our favorite place.
11:59
All right. Yeah, maybe that could grow on me a little bit. Yeah.
12:03
I think, yeah, you just, you need to have- Yeah, 'cause you know now it's like maybe the fifth sip now and it's starting to taste a little bit different to me. Get that Jimmy John's sandwich you brought in.
12:13
[laughs] Take a bite. Salami, [laughs] and then check it out, right? And see. No, I'm serious. By like the f- the fifth sip now, it almost took on a different kind of a, kind of a flavor to me.
12:24
Yeah And yeah, really as, the longer it sits here, it's just gonna, it's gonna continue to open up- Yeah... and, and, uh- Hmm... not be so- Big... uh, big and tannic on your, on your palate. Yeah. But for me it's okay.
12:36
Beautiful color too, huh? Mm-hmm. Real deep. Beautiful color. Really nice. Beautiful color. Great job, Vinifera. Uh, very cool play on words, vinifera. [laughs] Okay, so [laughs] that was- Yeah, no it is.
12:51
Okay, I got it... Vitis vinifera is the, uh, wine-making grapes. Vinifera, I like it. Yeah. The more I drink this, the more I kinda like it. Huh. Maybe the Malbecs will grow on me. I hope so. Yeah. All right.
13:05
It'll just take time like the Broncos. [laughs] Wow, how quickly they have turned. How quickly that grape has rotted. Oh, poor... Well, you know, if we didn't know how much, uh- Oh, uh, Russ Wilson? He brings me pain.
13:19
Yeah. The quarterback? His wife does not, but he does. [laughs] He what? I said he brings me pain- [laughs] Yeah, Sierra... with his performances, but his wife does not. Sierra- Yeah... you got it coming.
13:30
Uh, you know, they have to go through the growing pains. Yeah. This is what we're calling growing pains. It's like when we go to a new gig, you know, it's always, you know, there's a learning curve.
13:39
But the booing and stuff- But he knows how to play football. [laughs] I know, but it takes more than him. Look, is this a gnat that I'm like, or- Oh, yeah... is this Malbec gotten to me? No, yeah.
13:49
[laughs] There's probably, yeah. [laughs] We're fermenting in the winery today, so there's a few fruit flies around. Yeah, but anyways, going back to wine, this is no Russ Wilson. [laughs] It is not.
14:00
This is Super Bowl right here. This is really good. Good. I'm glad it's grown on you. Yeah, it's, it, it, like I said, I keep drinking it, and every time I take a sip it tasted a little bit different to me. Mm-hmm.
14:09
It's not as dry the sixth sip into it. Hey, so you know what? What? How do you like the one, the one wine format? I like the one wine format. Okay. I really do. Well- I, I like it...
14:21
well, let us know too, uh, to all of our, uh, fabulous podcast listeners, let us know what you think of the one wine format and, [laughs] um, or maybe you'd like us to taste two or three.
14:33
And if there's any wineries out there too that you would like us to taste- Yeah... we'd love to hear from you- Yeah... as well. And you can do that at denverwineradio.com.
14:42
Uh, you could click on the voicemail link or you can shoot us an email. Love to hear from you. Right on. All right. Okay, Paulie, thanks for having me. You're welcome. Have a great week. Bye.
14:51
[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.
15:02
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.
15:13
And remember, put some altitude in your glass. Produced and distributed by the Sound Off Media company.
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