Traveling west on Interstate 70 through Colorado is an experience that celebrates diversity. The Eastern Plains reflect the Midwest, with endless views of wheat, corn, and cattle. Then there’s Denver, a lively, modern city that serves as the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, whose vertical peaks form one of American’s premier recreation areas. When the peaks recede, the highway traces alongside the Colorado River, until you burst from a slot canyon and enter Mesa County, filled to the brim with wine grapes and peaches, and produce and hay, a bounty made possible because of a perfect micro-climate and one of the nation’s oldest irrigation districts...New crops. The first peach trees were planted in 1882, but in the last few years, the wine industry has boomed. There are now 21 wineries located in the Grand Valley."Palisade is the center of our wine industry" says Jenne Baldwin-Eaton, wine maker at Plum Creek Winery, "and we are a designated American Viticultural Area. It's a unique place because we get a lot of air flow down the river, and we get a lot of solar radiation from the Bookcliff Mountains. If you go even 5 miles from Palisade, it's colder. That really limits the area that is ideal for growing grapes."However, even in the best areas, wine makers face challenges. Warm days can at times be hot, and cool nights can at times be cold."We have to be creative," Baldwin-Eaton says. "We focus on trellising, clone selection, and putting vines like Zinfandel and Sangiovese in the 'warmest places. Even so, you haveto accept the fact that nature rules. Last fall, for example, we had some vines hit with 28 degrees for three days, so we had to harvest the grapes early. They came in with pretty goodsugar but yery acidic. So you blend and use every other tool that's available."...more...
