June Demolition for Expansion!!

Long before June...the ideas were in our heads for our EXPANSION!

But...on June 1...the demo began...and our dream all of a sudden was becoming a reality!

After planning commission approval...we began knocking down the walls!

Larry created the arches and opened the space up with amazing results...much better than we had envisioned. Suddenly the ceiling seemed taller and the whole upstairs became a broader and more unified space. This is what the space needed all along!

We ordered 3 more tables, 12 more bar stools and more of our beautiful stemware!

Meanwhile Mike and Kenny got to work on the new bar...which will ultimately contain our gorgeous state of the art Wine Preservation System! The Enomatic from Tuscany will hold 8 reds and refrigerate 8 whites...while pressurizing and preserving the wines with an inert gas! This will keep our wines amazingly fresh...fresh enough to have them in the system for up to 3 weeks without fading due to oxidation!

4th of July Cupcake Extravaganza!

This July 4th we held the 2nd Annual Cupcake Competition and Bake Sale! Everyone did their best to outdo themselves! Amazing! What an array of fabulous cupcakes. And...we had 4 All-Star Judges...(the fabulous: Sam, Kelley, Dave and Susan) who examined, dissected and tasted every one of the entries! All 37 of them! They deliberated for hours...seriously...and came up with some great winners!

"Best Looking" Stacey Stang with her "Mariposa Butterflies"

"Most Interesting Ingredient" Alaina Smith with her "Mojitos"

"Most Delicious" Alex Kendall with her "Quadruple Lemon Delights"

"Best Theme" Stacey Stang with her "Popcorns"

and....DRUM ROLLLLLLL...

"Breck's Best Cupcake 2010"

Katie Warren with her "S'mores"

Great Job by all...411 SOLD and $822 raised for The Carriage House Early Learning Center and Team Breckenridge. 2 Great Non-Profits who do their part to enrich the lives of kids in Summit County!

Amazing time had by all...see you again next year for the 3rd Annual!

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Keep current! Like life...wines are changing all the time! See you soon!

Terra Valentine Wine Dinner

Just making you aware of a great wine event happening in Breckenridge this Thursday, June 17th, 2010!

4 Course Wine & Culinary Experience

at

Hearthstone Restaurant

To Benefit the Gene Baker Outdoor Classroom

at Colorado Mountain College Breckenridge

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

6:00pm - Welcome Reception

7:00pm - Winemaker's Dinner

Featuring the wines of

Terra Valentine

One of Napa Valley's Premier Vineyards

"A Hidden Gem of Spring Mountain!"

with

Sam Baxter, Winemaker - Terra Valentine

Michael Halpin, Executive Chef - Hearthstone Restaurant

$125* per person - Limited Seating (75)

For reservations,please call:

Hearthstone Restaurant, 970 453 1148

For more information, please contact:

Joanne Casey (bhh Partners) 970 453 6880 jcasey@bhhpartners.com

Phyllis Martinez(Colorado Mountain College)970 485 0813 corkscrew@comcast.net

* $85 of each ticket is a tax deductable donation to the CMC Foundation to benefit the CMC Outdoor Classroom

Italian Intensive with Mario Scanu from Winebow Imports

On Monday, April 5th Mario Scanu from Winebow Imports presented our second Sit-Down Wine Intensive...wine lovers and locals contemplated and enjoyed great wines and great conversation while learning from one of the wine industry's most effusive educators. The topic...La Dolce Vita: The Italian Renaissance of the Vine!

Mario spoke of viticulture, native varietals and how wines are not "paired" with foods in Italy...they are simply the wines they drink with their regional cuisine. Local wines, local foods. In Breckenridge, Colorado we have no vines, nor native foods...so we, as wine and food lovers seek out complementary flavors and "perfect" pairings. And perfect pairings we had! A carefully articulated Anti-Pastini was paired with each wine...

#1 Argiolas “Costamolino” 2008 DOC: Vermentino di Sardegna

with a mini Caprese Salad: mozzarella, basil, grape tomato, cracker

*Isle of Capri...Isle of Sardegna...why not?

#2 Morgante Nero d’Avola 2007 IGT: Sicilia

with Robiola Bosina, Castelvetrano olive, cracker

*Sicilian olives with Sicilian wine!

#3Prunotto “Mompertone” 2006 DOC: Monferrato
with Pecorino al Tartufo, Prosciutto on a breadstick

*Truffles are famous in Piemonte!

#4 Maiana “Leone de Castris” 2006 DOC: Salice Salentino

w/ Ciabatta crostini smothered with Cannellini bean, chunky tomato, olive, spinach "minestrone" topped with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and drizzled with gorgeous Tuscan EVOO.

*Because rustic Italian wine calls for rustic Italian fare!

#5 Allegrini “Palazzo Della Torre” 2006 IGT: Veronese

w/ herb salame, Mountain Gorgonzola, blueberry and thyme compote, cracker

*Big wines call for BIG flavors!

#6 Coppo “Moncalvina” 2007 DOC: Moscato d’Asti
w/ Aldo's Almond Biscotti dipped in white chocolate, fresh strawberry

*Refreshingly delicious and lightly sweet... Moscato's tiny bubbles paired amazingly with authentic Italian biscotti dipped in white chocolate...and fresh fruit! DELISH.

What we learned:

In recent decades Italy has seen a rapid improvement in quality as well as a revival of wines in classical regions and classical varietals.

Fearless Italian winemakers have made it their mission to improve quality (while respecting Italian heritage) and have adopted new techniques of vinification and ageing. It has been a veritable "Renaissance of the Vine." Regions such as Sicily, Piedmont, Collio, Sardegna and Umbria now flourish with wines that can stand along side the world's finest! Italy is vast landscape with a variety of microclimates and an abundance of unique and indigenous varietals. Today, there is a wealth of producers, modern and traditional, making a fascinating range of ancient and contemporary wines!

We tasted some amazing Italian Cheeses, Salumi andCrostini...and drank some interesting and wonderful Italian wines! We learned about varietals many had never heard of...which transformed the perception of Italian wines! We went on an Italian journey right here in Breckenridge!

Mario Scanu from Winebow Inc (wine importing company) was a wealth of wine knowledge. He waxed poetically about the inherent pleasures of Italian wines... and all things Italian! Thank you Mario! Viva Italia! Viva la Vino!

See you at the next Wine Intensive!

Bunnies Galore!

Bunnies have arrived at Breckenridge Cheese & Chocolate in all shapes and forms!!
We get excited for Easter to come around every year! It gets us jazzed for spring and warmer weather and of course give us chocolate lovers another reason to indulge!

Come check out our amazing selection of Easter treats!

Classic favorites from Lake Champlain Chocolates...solid bunnies in milk, dark and white chocolate plus mini bunnies and colorful filled egg boxes!

To Charles Chocolate's beautiful, mouthwatering, Fleur de Sel Caramels decorated with whimsical bunnies and ducks...

To Vosges Bacon & Eggs!

Yes! I said Bacon & Eggs!! A whole new translation...Bacon is the hottest thing going in chocolate right now...a heightened experience of the "salt & chocolate" trend. (We sell the Vosges Bacon Bar in milk and in dark and CAN NOT keep them in the shop.)

And...sooo much more!!!
We are are filled to the brim with good ol' classics...to exceptional, super fun delights to make your Easter the best yet!

See you soon!

February 1, 2010 Winery Intensive.

The Wines of Ehren Jordan: Turley and Failla.

Two Seatings: 5:30pm and 7pm Sold Out!

Join us for a focused, sit down winery intensive. These are epic, handcrafted wines with an outstanding reputation and quality level reaching cult-like status. This is an amazing opportunity to sit down with them, contemplate them, discuss them, enjoy them. Ehren Jordan, the winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars and Failla, is a self proclaimed "omnivore of wines." His voluptuous and powerful Zins at Turley put him on the charts...but his elegant, cool climate syrahs and pinots have won over hearts with their finesse, delicacy and purity.

Come for an enchanted wine focused evening. Step back from your whirlwind pace...pontificate great wine with fellow wine lovers. Discuss nuance and power, cherries and plums, stewed fruit and violets, pepper and grace.

Cathy Cohn of Synergy Fine Wines will be on hand to provide insight, history and winemaking techniques as well as add anecdotes about the winemaker.

In 1995 Ehren Jordan took over the helm and became winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars. These wines are unmistakable. Intense and layered with concentration, yet also distinct with their minerality and lively acidity. Power and gumption in a glass. These are the Big Boys of wine...teeth staining, memory making.

Yet, Ehren is also winemaker/ owner of Failla Wines...the opposite end of the wine spectrum. Established in 1998, these are cool climate, European-styled jems. Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay. The Failla wines embody artistry, subtlety and grace. The pinots are sourced from small parcels in the Sonoma Coast appellation... the wines are Burgundian in sensibility, but with a California fruit profile all their own. Native yeasts, natural fermentations...as raw, real and glorious as wine comes.

Ehren is a multifaceted winemaker as interesting as his wines. Between Turley and Failla, his obligations may seem staggering. Yes, he has roots as an east coast boy with a storied past, but it's his unwavering focus and masterful touch that sets him apart. Each wine he creates has its own sense of place and unique profile.

"Winemaker of the Year" -San Francisco Chronicle 2008
"#1 Wine of the Year" -Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines for 2008

5 Wines will be presented:
1)Failla Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2007
2)Failla Occidental Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2007
3)Failla Phoenix Ranch Syrah Napa Valley 2007
4)Turley Pesenti Vineyard Zinfandel 2007
5)Turley Ueberroth Vineyard Zinfandel 2007

As this is a seated tasting, spots are extremely limited.
2 seatings: 5:30pm and 7pm

Call Ridge Street Wine (970 453 7212) to RSVP.

$25 per person.