Hometown Charm at Mesa Park Vineyards + Q&A With Brad and Brooke Webb
One of the best things about Palisade is the big play on local business and not any big time corporations. That stays true for the several wineries in town, too. One place where the hometown charm keeps true is Mesa Park Vineyards. Catch the Q&A With Brand & Brooke Webb, two of the owners who work alongside Brooke’s parents.
Q: How did Mesa Park Vineyards come to be?
It was Labor Day Weekend 2008 when Brad and I (Brooke Webb) took off on an innocent wine tasting weekend from Denver to Grand Junction. It was not out first trip to Colorado wine country, but this jaunt would become a life changer.
On day three, they set off for Palisade and stumbled upon a winery we hadn’t been and met Lydia, a wonderful woman, who was wise and witty. She and her husband, Joe, had been there for 10 years and their son Chris had made the wine. An idyllic red barn stored the wine making equipment and barrels.
Turns out, the farm was for sale, we hardly noticed the sign, but a seed was planted.
After a day in wine country, we were convinced. It wasn’t terribly difficult to get out mother and father on board, either. In 2008, we all went in on it together.
It’s been a family-run operation since with. My dad, Chuck, serves as general manager of the property and winemaker. My mother, Patty, runs the tasting room. Brad is the vineyard manager and I am the assistant winemaker and handle sales and marketing.
Q: What is the biggest challenge of running the business? And biggest reward?
The biggest challenge in the past few years has been the weather. Welcome to agriculture, it is a tough business and unfortunately we can not control the weather and have suffered crop losses in the past few years. The most rewarding thing is making a product that people really seem to enjoy.
Q: What makes you all different than others wineries?
We have no employees. If you come to the winery you will be speaking with one of the owners of the business. We take a lot of pride in what we do. We make our wines dry (except for our dessert wine).
Q: What is something readers would be surprised to know about you or your business?
Both Brad and I have a history in finance and we took a huge risk when we bought the business with no prior experience in the wine industry.
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow where would it be and why.
Brad and I are planning a trip to Spain for his 40th Birthday. We want to check out the food, wine and architecture.
Q: If you could give a shout out to one person who has helped grow your business or an employee who has gone above and beyond who would that be?
Some of the other wineries and growers in the industry have helped us out tremendously. Reeder Mesa Vineyrads, Talbott Farms and Carlson Vineyards to name a few!
