Wines & Vines

April 2017 Oak Barrel Alternatives Issue

Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/804714

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 57 of 83

WINEMAKING TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT 58 WINES&VINES April 2017 Parsons also makes a red and white blend as well as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardon- nay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. He also produces a dry-hopped Sauvignon Blanc pack- aged in can and keg that he says is delicious. Infinite Monkey Theorem's "Bubble Universe" is what Parson claims is Colorado's first methode champenoise sparkling wine. The base wine is mostly Albariño and is the result of Parsons meet- ing Schramsberg Vineyards winemaker Craig Roemer at a bike race in 2013. Roemer has been consulting since then, and Parsons even picked up some second-hand sparkling wine equipment from the Napa Valley winery. Bottling at the winery is still particularly hands-on, as it's still done by hand. All of the Colorado-sourced bottled wines are filled with a GW Kent six-spout filler and single-head screwcap spinner by Prospero. Parsons buys silk-screened bottles and screwcaps from Uni- versal Packaging in British Columbia so he doesn't have to mess around with labels. And while the single capper does slow the process down, he said he can still do 600 cases per day. When Parsons signed the lease for his cur- rent building, it was for $3.50 per square foot; now commercial space is going for more than $30 per square foot. New condominiums built near the winery are selling for $1 million each, and the neighborhood is home to 12 breweries, two distilleries, several high-end restaurants and a few marijuana dispensaries. It even has its own trendy acronym, RiNo, short for River North Art District. "This neighborhood is ri- diculous, and it's great," he said. It may not have seemed like it at the time, but the right location did turn out to be a gritty north Denver neighborhood, and it turns out the right place for some of Parson's wine was in a can. While wine canning is done offsite, a dry-hopped, pear cider is still produced and canned at the Denver winery.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Wines & Vines - April 2017 Oak Barrel Alternatives Issue