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VAIL, Colorado — Out here in the Vail Valley, New Year's Eve is not really the end of the year, more like the beginning of another ski season. We got through Christmas week so its time to relax, reflect and enjoy.
First, the normal Champagne tradition. With the downtrodden worldwide economy of the last year, Champagne and higher-end sparkling wine from California prices have dropped for the first time in recent memory. Your big Champagne house, non-vintage Bruts are on sale for $40 or less! And a small grower-Champagne house like Aubry can be found for around $35. The Aubry Brut is mainly Chardonnay, with 10 percent pinot noir to soften the wine, and has crisp almond and biscuit flavors and a nice, clean finish.
To take advantage of the domestic sparkling wines, try the 2001 J. Schram Brut, the best sparkling wine made in California. This is Shramsberg's top cuvee, made from 78 percent Chardonnay and 22 percent pinot noir, and is big, yeasty, rich, toasty and still elegant. Pear and hazelnut flavors lead to a smooth and strong finish. Outstanding, and normally $100 a bottle, this can be found on sale for around $80.
OK, you made it to midnight, and it is time to sit, relax and reflect. For this, sip on the Barros Colheita 1999 Port, a tawny port from a single vintage, bottled in 2009, making it a 10-year tawny. Lovely hazelnut, apricot, caramel, Chinese 5 spice, and toast flavors are silky, heady and clean. All for $26 for a half-bottle. Or try something stronger, over ice, like Pappy Van winkle's Family Reserve 20-year-old bourbon. It's tough to find, and around $95 for a bottle, but well worth the search. At 90-proof, this bourbon has a kick, so let it sit on the ice cubes for a few minutes to soften, then the maple, toasty and nutty aromas come alive. Definitely a sipper, the bottle should last you a few months, or a few friends for one night.
New Year's Day, and you did a little too much reflecting last night. How about a Bloody Mary? Made with Colorado's own Cap Rock Organic Vodka, a clean, spicy and crisp vodka from near Hotchkiss, for $30 a bottle? Perfect, mixed with Freshies Habanero Bloody Mary Mix, from Denver (originally made in Telluride, until they got too big), and garnished with pickled asparagus for a little something different. Ah, all better now, time to watch some football and go skiing, not necessarily in that order.
Jarrett Osborn is the wine buyer for Riverwalk Wine & Spirits in Edwards.
First, the normal Champagne tradition. With the downtrodden worldwide economy of the last year, Champagne and higher-end sparkling wine from California prices have dropped for the first time in recent memory. Your big Champagne house, non-vintage Bruts are on sale for $40 or less! And a small grower-Champagne house like Aubry can be found for around $35. The Aubry Brut is mainly Chardonnay, with 10 percent pinot noir to soften the wine, and has crisp almond and biscuit flavors and a nice, clean finish.
To take advantage of the domestic sparkling wines, try the 2001 J. Schram Brut, the best sparkling wine made in California. This is Shramsberg's top cuvee, made from 78 percent Chardonnay and 22 percent pinot noir, and is big, yeasty, rich, toasty and still elegant. Pear and hazelnut flavors lead to a smooth and strong finish. Outstanding, and normally $100 a bottle, this can be found on sale for around $80.
OK, you made it to midnight, and it is time to sit, relax and reflect. For this, sip on the Barros Colheita 1999 Port, a tawny port from a single vintage, bottled in 2009, making it a 10-year tawny. Lovely hazelnut, apricot, caramel, Chinese 5 spice, and toast flavors are silky, heady and clean. All for $26 for a half-bottle. Or try something stronger, over ice, like Pappy Van winkle's Family Reserve 20-year-old bourbon. It's tough to find, and around $95 for a bottle, but well worth the search. At 90-proof, this bourbon has a kick, so let it sit on the ice cubes for a few minutes to soften, then the maple, toasty and nutty aromas come alive. Definitely a sipper, the bottle should last you a few months, or a few friends for one night.
New Year's Day, and you did a little too much reflecting last night. How about a Bloody Mary? Made with Colorado's own Cap Rock Organic Vodka, a clean, spicy and crisp vodka from near Hotchkiss, for $30 a bottle? Perfect, mixed with Freshies Habanero Bloody Mary Mix, from Denver (originally made in Telluride, until they got too big), and garnished with pickled asparagus for a little something different. Ah, all better now, time to watch some football and go skiing, not necessarily in that order.
Jarrett Osborn is the wine buyer for Riverwalk Wine & Spirits in Edwards.
