There’s a new place to shop for wine over the holidays — The Pearl Wine Co. just opened in Platt Park next to Park Burger.
It’s owned by Colorado native Dustin Chiappetta, whose philosophy is all about family. The Pearl Wine Co. carries only wines made by family-owned wine estates.
“I believe that families will continue to make the best wines, because it’s their passion,” he said.
Chiappetta is a former wine director for , and his career in the wine business included working for Folio Fine Wine Partners, founded in 2004 by Robert Mondavi’s son, Michael Mondavi, and his wife Isabel.
Chiappetta shares the Mondavi’s family-centric philosophy, and some of the wines they stock are from families that have been making wine for five and six generations.
Pearl Wine Co. also sells beer and spirits, and has a small room devoted to books about wine and something of a shrine of soil samples that Chiappetta has collected on his visits to wineries — part of the terroir that gives each wine its own aroma, flavor, and texture.
They include chunks of blue-gray llicorella slate from Priorat in the south of Catalonia, where the Vall Llach winery is located. Some of its vines are 90 to 110 years old, and one of its most popular wines stocked by Pearl Wine Co. is Embruix ($26) – a biodynamic wine with a rich aroma of sweet almond, blackberry jam, fennel seed and toasted oak.
Chiappetta likes to say that “every bottle has a story to tell,” and he shares lots of stories about the different families, their wines, and their family-oriented philosophies.
1886 S. Pearl St., 303-282-5103.
Hot sips for the season
‘Tis the season to experiment with hot spiced holiday drinks. Frisco has one of the best festivals, Wassail Days, which centers on hot mulled apple cider that was a popular Yuletide drink in medieval Europe. More than 60 local businesses in Frisco will share their own unique wassail recipe. You start by getting a “12 Sips of Wassail Card,” and then you taste at least 12 different styles of wassail — but there’s no limit. After you turn in your card, you get the commemorative Wassail Days mug for 2015, which features Frisco’s iconic light display. From Dec. 4 – 13, at the intersection of Main St. and Summit Blvd. in Frisco. 800-424-1554
And at you can sip hot Gluhwein, as they’ve done for centuries in Germany at Christmas season. It’s made from red wine along with lemon, oranges, cinnamon sticks, cloves and anise. Some people make pilgrimages to the Christkindl Market (1125 16th St. Mall) each year just to collect the commemorative Gluhwein mugs. Others like to make the recipe at home, which can be found at .
Then there’s the handcrafted gift market, where bustling central bars will serve such festive holiday specials as hot spiked apple cider and Evan Williams hot toddies.
Dec. 3 – 6, 4400 Fox St.; denverflea.com
Cicchetti bar
in Jefferson Park just launched its Cicchetti & Crudo Bar, which extends their metropolitan Italian eatery concept.
Cicchetti bars started in Venice, serving local appetizers at the counters of local eateries where people gathered after work.
At Sarto’s, which has always emphasized “social eating,” the cicchetti bar is a 12-seat counter served by a chef dishing up small plates from an ever-changing menu that includes a variety of cheese boards, slices of La Quercia Iberico ham, onion marmalade bruschetta and handmade pastas.
It’s open Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
And on Friday and Saturday nights, the Cicchetti & Crudo Bar converts to a reservation-only chef’s counter, where diners give the chef their food preferences and await their custom-tailored meal while chatting with the chef about flavor profiles and ingredients.
And yes, there’s also a libation expert who can prepare the perfect pairings.
2900 W. 25th Ave. 303-455-1400. sartos.com.
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or @coconnordp
