Wine Travels and Reviews

October 10, 2012
Jeff's First Trip To Napa, August 2012

I had never been to Napa Valley until I was invited by one of our purveyors to accompany him and a few other guests for a "tasting and buying" trip to some of the wineries he represents in Colorado. Our group was five strong and consisted of two veterans with knowledge of the area and three newbies. The vets were determined to let us experience as much of the flavor of the area as possible.

We flew into SF around 4PM, went into the city and proceeded to Boulevard, in the financial district, for beers and ambiance. Located in a building that survived the earthquake and  fire of 1906, Boulevard is a cool old bar and white linen restaurant that serves a traditional California menu featuring plenty of seafood. I...

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July 27, 2012
The Showdown: Dauvissat vs. Raveneau

While sitting on the patio of Frasca Food and Wine eating dinner with my wife and our friends Craig and Courtney Lewis, Grant Reynolds, one of the many talented sommeliers at this fine Italian establishment, presented the opportunity for me to offer a special wine dinner to my mailing list guests.  

Typically, I am asked to help sell a dinner that is filling up slower than normal, but this was a new challenge all together.  While Grant was pouring our wine he told me about a recent conversation he had with Eric Railsback of San Francisco’s RN74, who had presented the idea of hosting a dinner...

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June 26, 2012
Le Tour Guide

There are few other sporting events during the year that reach as far across the globe as the Tour de France. For most, especially those new to the sport, it is the only event that matters or even exists. This year’s edition looks like it won’t disappoint in providing suspense and excitement.

We’ve seen a clear favorite for the overall victory emerge, with Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) winning one big stage race after another, but has he peaked too early? We’ve also seen the fastest man on two wheels, Mark Cavendish (Team Sky); have his most consistent season to date. There’s no reason Cav can’t continue the trend of taking home his usual 5-6...

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May 11, 2012
Giro d'Italia

There are few better marriages in the world than having the right beverage paired with the right food and your favorite sporting event.  And if it’s May, that sporting event has to be the Giro d’Italia.  Throughout the month the team at the Boulder Wine Merchant will be selecting a few great examples of wines from each region the Giro passes through.  We will also be providing detailed information for what to look for during each stage and for what food to pair with the perfect wine.  Let us do the legwork, while you enjoy the race. 

You say you’re not a crazed cycling fan?  Well, we’re all winners with the Giro...

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April 24, 2012
Europe Revisited

Quite some time has passed since I last raced a bike in Europe.  In fact, it’s been nearly a year since I broke my leg in the Giro d’Italia.  I never really knew if I would return or if I even wanted to, but two weeks ago I ventured off, still with the slow-to-heal broken leg, for a block of intense races across the pond. 

The trip began in Germany with a race through the hills surrounding the city of Cologne and the Rhine River.  With the temperatures hovering just above freezing, heavy rains took its toll on all of us.  It’s one thing to have rain pelting you in the face and blurring your vision.  It’s a totally...

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April 20, 2012
Beyond Vinho Verde

I recently was privileged to travel to Portugal for one week to visit wineries and vineyards. The main things I was asked about by friends and family as I was preparing to go were Vinho Verde and Port. In actuality I tried very little Port on my trip and no Vinho Verde. However these questions illustrate very well how little most of us know about Portuguese viticulture, to their detriment, but also to ours.

The reasons we know so little about Portuguese wine are many, but it has to do a great deal with their history, and the history of Europe as a whole.

The Portuguese kicked the Moors out in 1250 AD,...

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March 7, 2012
Frasca

I’m sure many of you have dined at Frasca Food and Wine over the years.  You know the layout and the efforts they put into promoting and showcasing Friulian cuisine at its best.  They’ve been honored in various publications and continue to receive numerous awards across the country.  In short, they have a good thing going there.   

Taking their concept - the region of Friuli in Northern Italy - then deconstructing and relocating it to here in Boulder, Colorado was a tall order.  But it makes perfect sense.  If you...

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February 22, 2012
Home and Away

At this point in the year, my time spent traveling is starting to greatly out-weight my time spent at home.  Packing up my suitcase and leaving my wife behind never gets any easier.   But I consider myself very lucky to travel and race a bike professionally, and especially in an era when the internet and our smartphones help us stay so connected.

Even though I'm kept up-to-date on what's going on back home, I still deeply miss it.  Free moments while I'm on the road are spent thinking about what I'd like to do when I return home.  The usual format so far this year has been one month away, followed by two weeks at home.  Two weeks is nice, but it goes by so fast.  I'm forced to make the most of each and every day.

As I...

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January 26, 2012
@AskASomm

There are many appealing aspects in the world of wine - far too many to ever list. But for me, I love the fact that each bottle can transport you to a place or even a time in history without leave the comfort of your own home. To think that I can taste something that is much older than I am – that’s still alive and even improving – is just mindboggling.

The pleasures of enjoying a glass of wine with my wife might have sparked my interest in the business itself, but what got me really obsessed was meeting so many incredible people in the industry that are willing, even eager, to pass along their knowledge.

The Boulder Wine Merchant sets the...

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January 17, 2012
Greetings from China!

I've spent the last few days traveling around Hong Kong, Beijing and Hainan Island in the South China Sea with my new cycling team, Champion System.  Along the way I’ve seen many different cultures and even though I haven’t had a drop of wine since I left the U.S., I’ve sampled nearly everything the culinary world has to offer here.

I'm now currently halfway through my three-week trip across China, and I'd just like share a few photos of the more memorable dining experiences.  Sorry, the photos are not of the highest quality, but I hope they still give you an idea of what this massive country runs off of.

The trip began in...

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