Balistreri Spring Barrel Tasting Dinner


Denver, Colorado: April 30, 2025

Party time! We went to the barrel tasting dinner with Jarl and Christy - great food and another nice batch of wines! Looking forward to these being ready and bottled for Thanksgiving!
As always, lovely flowers in the bar area when we walked in. We did a quick tour for Christy, since she had not been to the winery before.
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 

Entering the wine cellar where dinner was hosted:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado, Kari Sanders, Kari Rawluk, Michael Sanders, Christy Tidd, Jarl Anderson
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 

Menu:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 

Dinner, wine, and lots of stories - the winemaker and his daughter:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Parmesan mousse canoli made from philo:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Mushroom soup:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
The head cook, Zach:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Squid ink fettucini with soft shell crab:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado, Kari Sanders, Kari Rawluk, Michael Sanders, Christy Tidd, Jarl Anderson
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Spring slad with beets:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Carrots and lemon... I forgot those were lemon slices and ate one whole.. it was very very very lemony.
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Smoked venison with potatoes and asparagus:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Dessert! really tasty cream.
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 

The End!
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado, Michael Sanders, Christy Tidd, Jarl Anderson
 
Here are the scores from the wine tasting:
Balistreri, Winery, Denver, Colorado
 
There is one note you may not understand - "deruff"... It turns out that the grapes originally sold to the U.S. as Syrah were Derif grapes. Before people learned they were Derif grapes through genetic testing in the 1970s, they were called Petit Sirah, since the leaves and grapes were notably smaller than traditional Syrah.
"The grape, known as Durif, was developed in France in the 1880s by French botanist François Durif, who crossed Syrah and Peloursin grapes. "

Last updated 04May2025

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