Wine and Friendship: The Umbrella of Life

 

As the saying goes, “you make your own happiness.” Life hurls storms at us all the time, and we each have to handle it in our own way. However, it is always easier to handle these complications when you have someone by your side. Though minor in the problems of life, when I looked at the miserable weather forecast for the Manitou Springs Wine Festival, I was glad it was my best friend who was joining me on this trip.

               I truly won the lottery when it came to best friends. The woman I claim as a sister, though we have no blood relation, loves so many of the same things I do – hiking, yoga, tea, wine, Taco Bell, The Nightmare Before Christmas – is always up for an adventure, is the kindest and most caring person I have met, and she is always there to lend an ear to anyone who need it. She also rolls through the punches like a boss. This was going to be essential to surviving such a dreary weekend.

               During the weeks leading up to our girls trip, conversations of hiking trails in the morning, and spring dresses verses shorts and cute tank tops for the festival were flowing. What we didn’t know was how much the rain would be flowing. As our trip drew nearer and nearer, and the forecast promised clouds and downpours the entire weekend, hiking plans changed to yoga classes tucked away in warm and dry studios, and summer attire became jeans and long-sleeved shirts verses hoodies.

               The morning of the festival dawned exactly as expected, with a light drizzle that morphed into a complete rainstorm an hour before the festival was to start. Sporting jackets, baseball caps and an umbrella, we got into the ridiculously long line, the line that had not appeared so long from the window of our hotel room. As we stood in the pouring rain and proceeded to lose an hour of festival time, the gripes and moans resounded around us about the rain and why it was taking them so long to let people in. At first, we felt ourselves falling into the same grumble and frustration trap, but a few minutes after getting into that line we had decided to just make the best of the situation and have fun. Contrary to some beliefs, neither of us are the Wicked Witch of the West, so we knew we wouldn’t be melting anytime soon. Another advantage was having a perfect bird’s eye view of the booths from the yoga studio that morning, so we already had an idea of where our first winery choices were located. We had a plan.

               Finally armored with our wine glass and six-bottle tote bag, we found our first booth, and by that first nip of wine, the rain had stopped. By the second hour, a warmth coursed through the park, allowing us to take off the jackets and sip delicious Colorado vino in comfort. It had turned into the perfect day.

               Consisting of all Colorado producers, we enjoyed stopping by the booths of some of our favorite wineries including Red Fox Cellars, LaNoue DuBois Winery, Ten Bears Winery, and Chill Switch Wines. We finally got to try Black Arts Cellars, which is sadly closing their doors after this year’s festivals. We also experienced a couple of new gems.

Aspen Peak Cellars was the top new find. We tried four of their wines, and I would have happily taken a bottle of each home with me. I ended up deciding on their Cuvée Rosé and their Vintner’s Reserve 2020 Colorado Cabernet Franc. We also really enjoyed Fountain Creek Winery. They had some interesting blends and crowd-pleasing usuals, and I just had to bring home a bottle of the Bodacious 5.

Along with wine, sweets are a must for a perfect girls trip, so we definitely made a stop at the Happy Hour Donuts booth. As the name indicates, these are donuts made with liquor, also known as boozy donuts. My favorite was their Coffee Cake, a delectable treat made with Coffee Liqueur, a brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping, and a vanilla glaze drizzle.

As we sipped our way throughout the afternoon, I couldn’t stop thinking about how wonderful of a time I was having, and how having a best friend at your side is like an exception winemaker. From vine to bottle, a wine can face many obstacles, but a caring winemaker can coax out a delicious wine year after year. So is true of a best friend. From heart break to laughter, a best friend can coax out that silver lining and make any and all situations as delightful as can be. I raise my glass to my best friend, and to all of those amazing best friends out there, that make the world a little brighter.






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