What Our Winners

have to say...

Adam von Gootkin Co-Founder/CEO

Highclere Castle Gin

HighclereCastleGin.com

“With our having received so many awards from the team at PR%F, it’s obvious this panel of experts are true spirit a cionados.

Highclere Castle Gin is well on its way to becoming the most awarded gin in the world due to PR%F’s commitment to recognizing authentic, well produced brands.”

PR%F MEDALS

By Debbie Hall

Mostwine enthusiasts had only tasted The Ordinary Fellow Wine in their tasting room located in Palisade, Colorado before a virtual tasting was held earlier this year. This is not about wine snobbery but founder and winemaker Ben Parsons sharing his genuine love of his wine.

He has also been a disrupter in the wine industry, opening Infinite Monkey Theorem as an urban winery in Denver and putting wine in kegs and cans. While living and enjoying living in a metropolitan area, Ben would leave in 2019.

Now a family man, Ben decided to move to Palisade, located on the western slope of Colorado, as a place to raise his family as well as create his wine, The Ordinary Fellow. There are several ironies in that this is where he first began when he first relocated to the United States right before 9/11 and then moved before the pandemic in 2020.

“The western slope is desert and sparsely populated, so we moved to one the best parts of the country during this period. I found this old peach-packing facility that was used in the early 20th century and converted it into a winery. I took over a vineyard in southwest Colorado in Cortez, about 200 miles southwest of Palisade. It was in disrepair, and I brought it back to life,” says Ben.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Ben started his career in the wine industry first in the UK after graduating college. He would continue his studies in wine and winemaking, moving to Australia to pursue his graduate degree in Oenology (also known as Enology) from The University of Adelaide.

While finishing a harvest in New Zealand, Ben would read about a job opening for a winemaker in Palisade, Colorado.

“I didn’t know there were wineries in Colorado,” he explained. Looking for new opportunities, Ben applied and was offered the job three days later; no interview was needed. He moved from London to Grand Junction, Colorado, on Sept. 9, 2001, facing even more challenges.

“Now there are 14 acres growing grapes for cabernet, chardonnay, and sauvignon at 6,200 feet looking over Mesa Verde and sits on the foothills of the Sleeping Ute Mountains in the national Yucca House monument.”

The vineyard features pottery shards and unexcavated areas adding magic to its harvest. “This was an opportunity to get back into the vineyard and control every part of the process instead of buying grapes from growers and converting them into my own wine.”

The Ordinary Fellow was first launched in October 2021, named after a favorite old English pub that Ben would enjoy with his father in Kent. “It was a comfortable place to hang out and have a few beers after work. We would chat, and everything would be alright. I was reminded of the place when I looked at my wall, and I had framed the pub cards that my father had collected in the 1960s. I had such fond memories and decided to call my brand The Ordinary Fellow.”

As a trendsetter, he also made certain the packaging was unique. The outer sleeve rotates, and the opening invites the customer to peer into the mind of The Ordinary Fellow. The images highlight Ben’s childhood, background, hobbies, travel, and life. There is a story on the under-label about Ben’s camping and meeting a bear. Another label then highlights the tasting notes.

The summer months are the busiest, with many travelers choosing the area as a vacation destination and experience its wine. Located on the historic United Fruit Growers COOP peach packing shed site, enthusiasts come to the transformed The Ordinary Fellow Winery & Tasting Room.

Ben also kept his process and now offers others to Adopt A Barrel of Wine. Customers can work with a winemaker to hand-select a barrel of their choosing. They can periodically stop in to taste the wine as it ages and participate in bottling and labeling, and each barrel contains 24 cases of wine.

Wines are available online at theordinarywine. com and follow on Facebook @ TheOrdinaryFellow and Instagram @ ordinaryfellowwines.

2022 Pinot Noir

Alcohol 13.6% pH 3.4

Titratable Acid 6.5gl Bottling Date 6/1/2022

Interwoven with cranberry, strawberry, and darker berry undertones, with a tart, savory edge of black tea and forest floor. The oak is prominent and spiced, adding hints of toffee and richness.

2021 Riesling

Alcohol 12.6% pH 3.01

Titratable Acid 8.5gl Bottling Date 2/1/22

Citrus, green apple, lemon peel, and anise on the nose. Mouthwatering acidity with an appealing quince flavor that persists through the long finish.

2020 Syrah Rosé

Alcohol 12.8% pH 3.4

Titratable Acid 6.5 Bottling Date 9/1/21

Pretty pale pink in color. Aromas of watermelon, strawberry, and wet stone. This wine is crisp and tangy with great natural acidity.

2021 Chardonnay

Alcohol 13.2% pH 3.4

Titratable Acid 6.7 Bottling Date 6/2/2022

White peach and Meyer lemon on the nose, this Chardonnay is lean and focused with a mineral core and great natural acidity.

2020 Sparkling Rosé

Alcohol 12.3% pH 3.05

Titratable Acid 8.1 Bottling Date 5/4/21

A traditional method of sparkling wine is the color of a ballerina’s slippers. It opens with delicate aromas of fresh strawberry and dried rose petals backed by richer ones like baker’s yeast. The palate is wonderfully refreshing, with bubbles that prickle and bounce over the whole tongue.

2021 Cabernet

Sauvignon

Alcohol 13.6% pH 3.48

Titratable Acid 6.2 Bottling Date 2/1/22

On the nose, bright red cherry, green bell pepper, iron, leather, and clove. On the palate, tannins are chalky, grippy, and firm.