What Pairs Well with Alpaca Walks?

 

Did you know that there is a wine for every adventure? It’s true. There is always a special glass or bottle that will commemorate a memorable expedition and help bring you back to that feeling of accomplishment or exhilaration. I was reminded of this during a recent Colorado road trip my husband and I took.

               To me, there is nothing better than a weird looking animal. The weirder the better. I have been infatuated with flamingos and their bright pinkness and brittle looking legs for as long as I can remember.  Moose, with their overly large heads and antlers, are such a delight to see. There’s nothing better than watching the flight of bats, with their oversized ears and erratic wing flapping. Llamas, with their wooliness and horse-like qualities, bring such joy as they amble through fields. Then there are alpacas. From the first moment I laid eyes on an alpaca, with its buck teeth and poofy hair do, I was in love. So, it was of no surprise to my husband that I signed us up for an alpaca walk through a peach orchard in beautiful Palisade, Colorado.

               After a morning of cave tours in Glenwood Springs, we jetted down to Colorado wine country. Known for peaches and wine, I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful setting for some alpaca cuddles. As we pulled up to SunCrest Orchard Alpacas and Fiber Works, we were immediately greeted by so many bright, shining eyes under tufts of hair. Looking at all of these alpacas, with a backdrop of peach trees and grapes vines as far as the eye could see, I knew I was in heaven.

               As the guide began handing out walking partners, I couldn’t wait to meet my new friend. As he handed me the lead to Santa Baby, a white alpaca with kind eyes and customary poof, I instantly fell in love. He had the sweetest disposition and happily put up with my constant neck scratches and hugs. As we wandered through the trees with our gangly creatures in tow, with the scents of summer and just ripening peaches in the air, I knew this was an adventure I would forever want implanted in my head. And, what’s the best way to implant a memory for a wine lover? The quaff of a memorable vino.

               With this in mind, it was quite fortuitous that five minutes up the road was Carlson Vineyards. Wanting to get a bottle of their recently released Dry Rosé Blaufränkisch 2022, the pinkest and most fragrant wine, and wanting to check on the status of their T-Rex Red, I couldn’t think of a better stop for a wine flight.

               Sitting in the shade of their beautiful patio overlooking the vines, with the winery cats running around, I worked on my flight of Dry Gewürztraminer, Forever Our Rivers White 2021, Contact 2021, NSFW Nouveau 2022, and Exodus 2021, while admiring the hundreds of alpaca photos I took. Thoroughly enjoying this lazy summer afternoon after a day of memorable excursions, I found that the winners for me were the Gewürztraminer and Forever Our Rivers White, as the rose note on the nose of the Gewürztraminer, and the spiced pineapple taste of the white blend, and the refreshing nature of both, painted the perfect image of summertime and all of the adventures that come with this wonderful time of year. Both came home with me, along with that killer rosé.

               As I once again admire my photos of stalagmite encrusted caves and alpacas happily munching on grass, I am struck by the scent of roses and the taste of a spiced pineapple on a hot day. These memories will be ingrained in my mind forever, and for me, that is more than enough of a reason to raise a glass to summertime adventures, and the wines that remind us of these times.