Balistreri Vineyard’s Colorado Expansion Dreams Become Reality! Denver, Colorado-based winery Balistreri Vineyards is a husband, wife and daughter business that was established in 1998. Winemaker & proprietor John Balistreri was a successful commercial greenhouse grower and home winemaker before being bit by the bug for commercial wine making.
of fermenting grapes in an oak barrel, Balistreri’s white wines take on an orange hue.
“We tried to make the best wine we could,” remarked Balistreri. In 2004, after six years of operations, Balistreri’s Horse Mountain Syrah won Double Gold at The San Francisco Wine Competition, virtually putting Balistreri and Colorado wines on the radar of wine journalists and restaurants.
Balistreri sells 95% of its wine out the front door while 5% is sold in wine shops and restaurants. 2013 projections are for producing six to seven thousand cases.
Balistreri’s wines are New World in style featuring unapologetically opulent fruit and rich texture. Unlike larger, mass production wineries, they are made barrel by barrel. Uniquely, Balistreri wines are fermented and aged in neutral oak barrels, the kind of handcraftsmanship often encountered in small European wineries. In the Fall of 2012, Balistreri Vineyards completed a massive expansion of their original tasting room, which was a small house that was used for tastings, sales and wine storage below. The new digs are approximately six times larger and include an 8,000-foot tasting room with an adjoining event center and kitchen. Most importantly, the new wine cellar spans 7,800 feet which now enables storage of more than 280 oak barrels as well as finished wine. Top red wines include newly released varietal Petit Verdot, Malbec, Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, American Port and Zinfandel (limited). The white wine range has recently expanded to accommodate the event center customers, including Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling. Due to the winemaking process Spring 2013
Almost all wines are made exclusively from Colorado-grown fruit. Varietals are segregated as single varietals with most vineyard names acknowledged and printed on labels.
Wines are best appreciated with food. The newly expanded winery has a fully functional kitchen with lunch and appetizer platters offered daily at the winery. Customers who visit the new tasting room can sit at a table and taste wine flights accompanied by delicious antipasti, various small plates, salads, sandwiches and desserts. Colorado’s own Hosea Rosenberg, Top Chef Season Five Champion and owner of Blackberry Catering created the menu. Rosenberg’s company is the exclusive caterer for Balistreri’s event center as well as corporate and private events and weddings. Balistreri offers numerous events at their winery during the course of the year. Their most popular is an annual Harvest Festival that is held every Fall. The winery is located just 10 minutes from downtown Denver and is open seven days a week. J. A. Balistreri Vineyards 1946 E. 66th Ave Denver, CO 80229 Tel. (303) 287-5157 www.balistreriwine.com WINE COUNTRY INTERNATIONAL
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