Boulder has been called a lot of amazing things in the food world as it’s become an epicenter for everything from farm-to-table concepts to a beer-drinkers heaven.
One, perhaps under-the-radar distinction, is its affinity for fine wine. Depending on the year, it’s often home to more Court of Master Sommeliers Master Somms per capita than anywhere on the planet. (Not to mention, it has a winery for every 25,000 residents, including Boulder Creek).
To put it in perspective, there are currently only 118 Master Sommeliers in all of North America — and five call Boulder home (and there are several more who could join them soon). Not bad for a college town.
Richard Betts is one of them. His career in the wine business has been eccentric, to say the least. Not that you should expect anything less from someone who was six weeks away from entering law school when a bottle of wine — yes, one bottle of wine he picked up at a Flagstaff shop — got him to ditch that career path for one in the booze industry.
In the midst of a one-year sabbatical from the wine distribution side of things, Betts is spending his days at his central Boulder home dreaming up ideas on everything from a new wine label to education and any ways he can continue his mantra: “Wine is supposed to be a grocery, not a luxury, and I’ve said it over and over again. It’s a Richard-ism at this point,” he says.
Prior to his current status, Betts served as wine director at the prestigious Little Nell in Aspen before launching his own wine label, Betts & Scholl, making wines in Australia, France and the U.S. He also co-founded Scarpetta Wine with rockstar Boulder somm Bobby Stuckey — who sold him that bottle that derailed his law school plans — and most recently developed the CC Wine brand that offers one of the coolest looking bottles in the biz (as well as incredibly priced and tasty Napa Cabernet and Chardonnay).
Oh, he’s also a mezcal maker (Sombra) and is working on scratch-and-sniff wine education book. Not bad for a guy who’s technically not working right now (he has sold off all of his interests in the aforementioned wines). Just for kicks, he even filled in for Stuckey one recent Saturday night at Frasca Food and Wine. “I won’t say I miss the floor,” Betts says. “I still enjoy it. I worked the floor (in the fall) for Bobby. He asked if I’d be his body double — it was really fun.”
We caught up with him for a lengthy interview at his home just off Mapleton in the shadow of Mount Sanitas. After we opened several bottles, including some of his mezcal, and filled up a few spit buckets, we were able to get a glimpse into his thoughts on the local wine industry.
Question: You’ve made wine and tequila. Are you a wine or tequila guy?
Answer: I love wine because it’s yummy. It’s part of what goes on the table. Intellectually, it’s the most compelling of all alcoholic beverages. It really has the ability to transport yourself.
Q: How does Boulder attract all these Master Sommeliers?
A: It’s good living. We’re into wine, and we figured out how to make that our lives. We figured out that fun is our compass, and wine is a big part of that. It’s an aesthetic that carries through a large part of all of our lives.
Q: How often do you drink local?
A: Every few years I do; it’s been a couple of years.
Q: And…
A: The quality has never been better. I’m super optimistic about Colorado wine.
Q: What do you think about the local winemakers?
A: These are the bravest winemakers on the planet. I am not that brave. I am fortunate to make wine in four countries on three continents. I do a lot of traveling, but I go to places where the vines have been there for hundreds of years. So, it’s just a heroic effort (to make wine from Colorado’s relatively new vines). It should be noted in neon lights at the outset how brave that is. I think that they really deserve a lot of credit for that.
Q: When are you going to make wine in Colorado?
A: No way. I’m not that brave. I’d like to help where I can. Colorado is home. I’m super impressed by everyone doing work here. If I can find a way to help, I would love to do that.
Q: How does Colorado stack up?
A: It’s not that different from tasting wine from anywhere. Sure there are lots of dogs, but there are lots of dogs in any wine region. I mean, you can go to Tuscany and find lots of dogs. If we can get beyond that, and not let that color the whole thing, it’s actually very surprising.
Q: Name one thing that would help Colorado’s appeal?
A: I think that it’s yet to be determined what that sense of place is in Colorado. We have to figure out where the place to start with. Is it better in Palisade? Is it better in Cortez? Is it better in Grand Junction? Then it’s about not screwing up. It’s like, where do you plant the tomato plant? When do you pick the tomato? Great. We’ve got that right. Then how do we make the salad. If you are smart, I think, you just don’t get in the way. You don’t need balsamic and mozzarella in a tomato salad if the tomato is great. I would say that there’s no consensus yet where the tomato is great in Colorado. We’re just figuring out.
Q: Let’s taste…
A: Boulder Creek 2010 Viognier ($16): It’s a pretty Viongier. I feel like there’s a tendency in a lot of areas to push Viognier to this extreme ripeness where it just becomes super expressive but along with that very clumsy. More…
Boulder Creek Winery 2009 Syrah ($22): The Syrah fruit is really pretty today. More…
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