Laughing Monkeys - Mile High Wine Tours
With their unforgettable name and canned wine, TheInfinite Monkey Theorem has made a name for themselves not just in Denver, but throughout the states. Along with an additional location in Austin, they pride themselves on making their wine accessible to everyone and making wine drinking comfortable and enjoyable.

 

Ben Parsons, CEO and Winemaker, opened The Infinite Monkey Theorem in 2008 originally in the Santa Fe Arts District. “Ben had always had a passion in the wine industry,” Nicki McTague, VP of Corporate Operations, said, and unfortunately, it was the loss of Ben’s father that really pushed him to open the winery. Ben, originally from England, did a lot of his schooling in Australia and New Zealand, and then he came out to Colorado. He first began on the Western Slope working for a winemaker and delivering wine to Denver, but then he believed he could do it on his own. In 2008, The Infinite Monkey Theorem was open; by 2012, they had outgrown their space in the Santa Fe Arts District. “This was a big push for us,” Nicki tells me, and with their move to RiNo, they were able to open their tasting room, grow their production space, and offer events like First Friday.

 

They bring in their grapes for their bottles from the Western Slopes during harvest season (around August to October) and then the winemaking process begins. The wine is stored in barrels and made like every other winemaker does, it just so happens to be in the middle of Denver. And as Nicki says, “during harvest time, a lot of the work is done on the patio, with them shoveling grapes and de-stemming it and whatnot, so it’s fun that people are sitting out here enjoying a glass of wine and also seeing our production staff actually making the wine.”

 

As mention above, it’s their canned wine that really sets them apart from the rest. “I think it kind of adds to why we’re in Denver and what we’re doing and the accessibility of it.” Their canned wine is sold in 42 states, but it goes back to Denver and why they’re doing it – the accessibility of wine. “You can take it anywhere,” from biking to hiking to the beach, and it caters to the outdoor lifestyle not just in Colorado, but in other states they sell. Nicki says that they’re seeing that it’s millennials who are really excited about the cans, but they are trying to break the barrier and take away the stigma of the bottle being the only way.

 

“We always wanted to bring winemaking accessible to everyone […] we wanted to say anyone and everyone can come enjoy a glass of wine,” and Denver allowed them to do that. They didn’t need the rolling hills of vineyards or the over-the-top tasting rooms, but a city that made it easier for everyone. Nicki also believes that it’s the awareness of the Colorado wine scene that has not only changed since they opened but helped them. “I think the fact that we have a winery in the city that people know of and now people are really starting to see it on restaurant lists and places like Coors Field and on Frontier Airlines…it’s kind of going to all different places, but they’re like ‘oh, that’s really cool, that’s in Denver, I’ve been to that location.’” Having tours come in, like us at Mile High Wine Tours, and allowing people to see that it’s more than just a tasting room is exciting for them. “We love having people come in and take advantage of the tours and to see this side of it; and to be able to ask questions about the winemaking process […] we want people to come in and enjoy themselves.”

 

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