Talking wine with Dave Aschwanden of Chill Switch Wines

By Monica Parpal Stockbridge

Winemaker Dave Aschwanden descends from Swiss winemakers who have been in the wine business for years. Yet, it wasn’t until later in life that he became curious — and as he says, possessed — by wine.

Aschwanden grew up in Colorado and lived in Europe for a time with his wife, Christie. They eventually made their home on Colorado’s Western Slope, where they have a wild orchard, berry patch and a handful of animals. Aschwanden opened Chill Switch Wines in Cedaredge in 2012, where he produces 1,000 cases a year of natural wine made completely from Colorado grapes. He’s also on the board of the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (CAVE), the organization that puts on the Colorado Mountain Winefest in Palisade every September.

We had the chance to speak with Aschwanden about his winery and how he encourages people to hit the chill switch.

Q. How did you get started in the wine industry?

A. When we were in Europe, I got exposed to wine and got excited about it. When we moved out here, the way it all started was I had this excess of fruit, mostly apricots. I made jam, I dried the apricots, I froze the apricots, and I still had a thousand pounds left. What do I do? So, I decided to make some wine. And it turned out fairly awful, of course.

Not long after that, I got a job in a winery. That’s where I learned most of what I do now, which is natural winemaking. There’s virtually no additives. It’s all kind of old-school and low-handling, for lack of a better word. You may not know that the wine industry is exempt from telling you what’s in your wine. There’s never an ingredient list on any label. There are many colors, flavors, additives, clarifiers, stabilizers, you name it. The list goes on and on. And they don’t have to disclose any of that. It’s a little appalling for them to get away with such a thing.

Q. How did you learn to make wine without all the additives?

A: When I first started, I got a book, I got on the internet, and I followed recipes which said to add all these additives. I don’t even think about it because I thought it was all necessary. Then I went to work for a guy who didn’t do any of that. It opened my eyes to the possibilities. It made me more aware that, if I’m just a little more careful and diligent in certain areas of my winemaking, I can get away with not doing 98 percent of this, you know, and just be really careful and patient. A lot of the additives are to hurry certain processes along. If you give it enough time and distance, these things happen all by themselves.

Q. Tell us about that name, Chill Switch!

A. Well, when I first opened my winery, the name was Crag Crest, which is a trail on top of Grand Mesa near where I live in Cedaredge. It’s an amazing place because you can see 360 degrees, from the La Salle Mountains to the San Juans to the West Elks. It’s one of my favorite places. The problem was, the name was a tongue twister.

I started thinking about the image I wanted to portray with my wine. I wanted to get at your emotions, and I wanted it to reflect how it could make you feel. These days, you come home after a hard day, and what are you looking for? You’re looking for the “chill switch.” I’m hoping this wine gets you there.

Q. What does a tasting experience look like at Chill Switch Wines?

A. It’s by appointment only. I’m very proud of what I do, so I take you right into the winery. I show you the barrels, and I show you what I do. There’s no strawberry flavoring or any other freaky stuff that I add to the wine. You taste the wines right there on the top of the barrel, and we have a conversation about what we like about wine and what we think wine should be.

Q. What is your perception of the Colorado wine scene as a whole?

A. Right now, we’re really excited. There’s a lot of people doing really good work. That hasn’t always been the case. Fifteen years ago when I first started tasting Colorado wine, most of it, frankly, wasn’t that good. Now, I’d say the absolute reverse is true. I’m excited about Colorado wine. I do think we’re doing great work. For all the people out there who may have had a bad experience, I’d say, please give it another shot. It will surprise you. And there’s good reason to support our local wineries in this state and bolster this growing industry. We don’t have to import grapes from California or Washington to make good wine. We have some really cool stuff, and we can grow the grapes right here.

This summer, keep an eye out for some exciting new small-batch Chill Switch wines, including the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016 Petit Verdot, 2016 Super Colorado Red Blend and 2016 Black Muscat Sparkling Wine, as well as debut 2017 wines including a Malbec, Syrah and Zinfandel. Learn more and set up a tasting at chillswitchwines.com.

Monica Parpal Stockbridge writes about food, travel and technology in Colorado and beyond. Read more of her work at monicastockbridge.com.