Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/724494
2 2 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | S e p t - O c t 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m improve wine anywhere someone needs help." Jay points out that he's been liv- ing at the winery since he was nine years old and, like his wife, Jen, he's eager for a change. And, he says, "The physical demands of har- vest at a small winery were taking their toll on us." Expanding the win- ery and the tasting room might have been an option, but "we'd have a lot of debt to pay for a long time," he says. They also found local gov- ernment unaccommodating to their possible expansion plans. Though they weren't looking to sell, a sale of the building, land and equipment has happened; none- theless, the Canyon Wind brand has closed its doors. Its portfolio has included many successful bot- tlings; the vineyards sat in view of the Bookcliffs, an extraordinary accordion of compressed rock that channeled wind through the vines, cooling things during the worst of summer and preventing frost and freeze in the winter and spring. Only a few years earlier, Jay and Jennifer had created a new cat- egory of wines for the winery: The Anemoi wines were distinct, lush blends named for the Greek gods of the wind. The attractive, embossed bottles carried names like Boreas, Zephyrus, Iapyx and Notus; the wines were only slightly less geeky. For my part, I found Anemoi and the Canyon Wind wines delightful, and the Canyon Wind Petit Verdot often stunning. REASONS WHY So the reasons differ, but two of Colorado's finest have ended their run. Things have been up and down, as with any state's wine industry, but after enjoying growth for the past two decades, is Colo- rado seeing more headwinds than tailwinds? encountered a true stumble over the six or seven years I was lucky enough to taste their wines. Over a 13-year span, they developed a fervent fan base among Boulderites and elsewhere; one of their innova- tions was to invite club members to vote on their favorite of several potential blends — the final selec- tion was called Consensus. It might contain various amounts of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon — whatever the hive mind deemed best. S o w h a t h a p p e n e d ? T h e y ' d always hoped to expand beyond their small, strip mall setting to find "a nice location for tourists, a setting suitable for picnics and onsite sales," notes Jackie. "But after eight years of unsuccess- fully lobbying the local authorities to expand our land use options beyond industrial manufacturing, our final, five-year lease expired with no viable location to move to," she explains. Additionally, Colorado's move into another mood-altering, recre- ational product has created new challenges. I've talked to more than one Colorado bar owner who believes cannabis has had a mea- surable impact upon alcohol sales. It's not unusual to see bar-goers forgo "one more" for a few tokes out on the back deck — for better or worse. For Mike and Jackie, the explo- sion of cannabis capitalism, along with rapid growth for breweries and distilleries, "added to the scar- city and price of industrial space." And, as with so many passion proj- ects in the wine biz, the winery was something of a retirement project; the workload required to run such a business might make most people long for the good ol' days, when each person had only one job. NEW ROADS AHEAD Meanwhile, the Christiansons are giving up the family winery to establish another wine venture: Tin Sheets Consulting. "Our future plans are to travel the country as winery consultants and wine lovers," Jay notes, "seeking to MIDWEST WATCH DOUG FROST