Audio By Carbonatix
Five years ago Ben Parsons opened a winery in an old quonset hut just off Santa Fe Drive, and used Colorado-grown grapes to make wines in this unlikely setting. Last year, he moved his winery to a 30,000 square-foot facility in RiNo, where he also opened a tasting room. And Colorado has definitely developed a taste for Infinite Monkey Theorem wines. At tonight’s local winemaker dinner at Arugula, chefs Alec Schuler and Sven Hedenas will pair their courses with five of Parsons’s wines — and he’ll be on hand to talk about them, including 100th Monkey, which received the highest score given by Wine Spectator to a wine from Colorado.
Dish: White balsamic dressed baby lettuces*, Charentais melon*, Armenian cucumber* and spiced roasted almonds; topped with seared Nantucket bay scallops
Wine: The Blind Watchmaker White, Viognier/Rousanne 2012
Dish: Seared wild Alaskan salmon over orecchiette pasta in corn* cream with roasted peppers*; topped with a petite fresh herb* salad
When news happens, Westword is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Wine: The Blind Watchmaker Red, Syrah/Petite Verdot 2011
Dish: Bacon* wrapped pork tenderloin* roasted with apples*; served in its natural jus with pecorino pepato gratinéed delicate squash*
Wine: Syrah 2012
Dish: Seared rare venison with roasted carrot*, new potato* and oyster mushroom* medley and blackberry-red wine* demi glace
Wine: 100th Monkey, Malbec/Petite Syrah/Petite Verdot/Cabernet Franc 2010
Dish: Lemon pudding cake with toasted pine nuts, mint sorbet* and fresh berries
Wine: Orange Muscat 2012
*denotes local products For more information, go to arugularistorante.com.
For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings — and if you have information for a culinary event you’d like included in our online calendar, send it to cafe@westword.com.