Cortez winery Sutcliffe Vineyards is once again branching out of its McElmo Canyon home, after announcing last week that it would partner with Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel’s in-house restaurant, Range.
Sutcliffe wines will be featured on the restaurant wine list and in the Teller Bar.
This partnership also will generate cultural and wine-tasting events including a pairing dinner with Range executive chef Paul Nagan. Nagan is also a current finalist in Westword’s Best of Denver survey.
The restaurant’s menu is new American, upscale and contemporary with dishes that utilize the ingredients, cultural influences and cooking techniques unique to the Rocky Mountain West.
“The Food at Range” celebrates the culture and spirit of the American West; as do Sutcliffe wines, emanating from McElmo Canyon’s sculpted wilderness,” the vineyard said in an announcement.
The McElmo Canyon-based vineyard also has partnerships with Cortez-area favorites such as Stonefish Sushi and Dunton Hot Springs, as well as the upscale and contemporary Aurum restaurant of Steamboat Springs and Tinderbox of Flagstaff.
Winery owner John Sutcliffe said that his winery has certain characteristics that favor it as a restaurant partner. One of the most important is an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and a desire to not just place an order and have it filled and delivered, but a desire get enmeshed in the entire selection and winemaking process.
“Our partner has to do things right or it simply won’t work. We don’t want it (the wine) to just meet their request, we like them to participate in the making and blending of wines,” said Sutcliffe. “With Tinderbox, they all came down and stayed at the farm, spent two days tasting, blending, selecting blends and varietals that really pair well foods on their menus. ... There’s a fantastic symbiosis with food.”