Music of the Mountains: Ned Jazz Wine 2026 with Founder Stephanie Andelman

With the 5th annual Nederland Jazz and Wine Festival just around the corner, we bring on the festival's founder Stephanie Andelman to talk about what to expect at the upcoming event. Be sure to buy tickets at nedjazzwine.com to attend the event at Chipeta Park on Saturday, August 22nd, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.!

Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Hello there, everybody. My name is Jamie Lammers, and welcome to Music of the Mountains. Where to be and what to see, a weekly series brought to you by the Mountain Ear Podcast. This week we're bringing you the second episode talking about the Netherland Jazz and Wine Festival 2026. Last week, we brought in Jocelyn Ford Keel of Joe Fo Key and Sandclaw to talk about her group and her upcoming performance at the Net Jazz and Wine Festival. And today we're going to be talking to festival founder Stephanie Andelman about what to expect at the upcoming festival. Let's cut to the interview now. Do you mind just introducing yourself real quick?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

I am Stephanie Andelman of the Netherlands Jazz and Wine Festival.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Fantastic. And the Netherlands Jazz and Wine Festival is about to celebrate its fifth year, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:26

We are in the fifth anniversary, unbelievable, since it started in 2022 as we're coming out of COVID and wanted to get together and celebrate living.

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Absolutely. How's it been kind of organizing for the fifth anniversary? Has it felt slightly different than other years? Has it felt similar? Like what's been the goal behind getting it together this year?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

To celebrate five years in the making of Netherland Jazz and Wine Festival. We still did a pop-up in the off season and we got ready by booking our music at the beginning of the year. And we really wanted to have our headliner bring some New Orleans funk and boogie woogie to Netherlands. So we have been hot on the case since really January, after our December pop-up, booking the music and selling out the vendors by February. We're expanding our footprint to have more vendors this year of fine art, great tasty food, but the music always is a huge draw, along with the wine and the pouring vendors that we can talk about later. So we definitely got on it and booked everyone out earlier than normal. But there is a lot of noise to break through with Colorado events and festivals that take place during this busy season. So it's time now to break through that noise and let everybody know that early bird tickets are through July 31st. And then we usually sell out Sunday, Monday, the week of the festival.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Fantastic. Who's planned for this year? Who's planned in the lineup for the festival?

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Absolutely. So this year, our headliner is River Eckert. He is known widely around Colorado, but this is actually his first time playing on a stage in Colorado. He's only 16 years old. He has a huge reputation in New Orleans, really channeling Professor Longhair and Dr. John. And he played on the main stage at New Orleans Jazz Festival. He's been one of the visiting artists and rotation on jam cruise. So people are just so excited that he's coming to Colorado. And he is so excited to come to Colorado to kick off his first time here, and that will be many times to come. He's only 16 years old, and he is backed by some phenomenal players, including our very own Jeff Franca from Fievery Corporation, who lives up here, and Scott Messer Smith, who also lives up here. And then we have Dan Africano from Fievery Corporation, as well as from the Motet Drew Sayers. And then Jake Eckhart is on guitar and he's from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, which I have seen so many times, and New Orleans Suspects, who has played up here a couple of times. So I call that an all-star band, but it's not the all-star band to be billed as. It's River Eckert, and he is backed by some phenomenal players. Then our middle act is Joe Fo Key and Faincloth, and Jocelyn Ford Keel is the leader there. She's a vocalist well known throughout the Denver area, and she brings some deep soul, a little bit of funk, and fusion. So they're gonna take you on a journey through lots of different contemporary jazz and bring in some of that soul RB sound. She's backed up by three other players, including Solomon Chapman, Will Gaines, and Matt Campbell. Then our opener and tweener sets, every one of our bands plays for two hours, is led by Gabriel Santiago. He is a Brazilian guitar player, and he put together a trio of well-known Brazilian musicians who live in Colorado and teach in Colorado. And that also includes on bass Eduardo Bijou Barbosa, we know him as Bijou, and Diaga da Selva on drum. So that Latin jazz vibe is going to be real heavy and enticing.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

What vendors are you excited to host this this year? You know, who's who's coming up that you're excited to host in terms of vendors?

SPEAKER_01 5:24

On the vendor front, we have 28 booths that pour samples. That means you get your Ned Jazz wine tasting glass and you get to go to these 28 booths. Most of the booths have at least four different samples to try. And they are not all alcohol. So I'm just going to kick it off with the fact that we have four NA booths and two other booths with NA options. So if you do not drink alcohol, there's plenty for you to do. And as you do drink alcohol, you get to try the NA just to keep you nice and level. On the alcohol front, we have four liquor companies, spirit companies, 18 wineries, and two breweries. I think it's pretty fun that we have a company that has hard ginger beer. I went to Australia and got to try hard ginger beer for the first time, and now it's finally coming to the United States. So that is an Australian-based company that has a tasting room in Boulder, and they're called Two Step In. On the wine front, we get Augustina's back. She has saved bottles for Ned Jazz Wine and she's making new bottles. And we're excited to say that she will be producing more wine out of a new Gilpin location. And she is doing her first festival this year at Ned Jazz Wine. We welcome back Alfred Ean Sellers. They are the highest end Colorado wine you can buy from Peonia. We have new this year, Mountain Spirit Winery out of Salida, Achila Cellars out of Eckert. These are companies that make their wine from the Elks AVA. So they're Colorado grapes, but they are high-end wines that you would not know are Colorado, or if you're into the Colorado wine culture, you would know where the grapes are grown by which ventures. We have a cidery this year, St. Rain Cidery, which is semi-local because it's at the bottom of St. Rain. And we have Gold Dirk distillery, of course. And new this year, we have the OBC Wine Project, which Odell Brewing Company has a wine line. And they used to serve them in cans. Now they've served them in bottles. And they actually won the gold cup of wine in Colorado two years ago. And I was tasting the wines there, and they were by far the best at that contest. And they have agreed to come from Fort Collins to Netherland to have people try their wines and get turned on to them. And like normal, we have Evergood Adventure wines that are lemon wines. We welcome back Colorado Saki. And so a sake is a wine made from rice, and they haven't been with us since 2023. We try to shake it up every year with 30% new vendors. We always have Uncle Tim's cocktails. We love how they taste in their fun trailer that comes in. Slaymaker Cellars, that is Mead. And Golden Deep Roots Winery. That's just a selection of some of the alcohol. And just to bring it full circle, on the NA front, we have Best Day Brewing Company Beer. Fabric, which is another Australian company that is a spiritist type of drink without alcohol. Ruby wines and beers and wives talk, which is a fairly new startup and has lovely cocktails without alcohol.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

There are also some great art vendors and some great food coming up at the Jazz Festival as well, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Absolutely. We have local artists and their crafts. It goes anywhere from paintings to jewelry to let's call it basket weaving. So we have African market baskets. Andrew Morse, who's a ceramics expert up here, he will have a booth with Queen Bee Creative. And Bishop Fine Art and Lolo Atelier, who is Laurence Delani, will be returning with their booth. And of course, you can get High Country Hats. That is a Colorado company. And then you can get a couple of hats to wear throughout the year. And the shop. We're so excited that Claudia of the shop is putting a booth together. And she would love your support as it's another company that has had to close down due to the fire, but we'll be back up and running to try out the festival footprint. We have Wabi Sabi Metal Studios on the jewelry front along with Jessica Pyle Kane. And we really try to differentiate ourselves from any other festivals, markets that have vendors, just so there is a variety up here, and you're drawn to different creators and their wares. On the food front, we have our food truck court, and that is on the basketball court, and we have four food trucks, and everybody is welcome to the food court. You do not need a ticket to come and check out food trucks. They include Sanaki Tornado, which most people are familiar with at Not A Root, then the Wandering Potato, which is a nice comfort food, and they were there last year. But new this year is Gator Tales, which is yes, because we're doing New Orleans right this year, is a New Orleans food truck and the day of the tacos, which is a Denver food truck, and they have delicious tacos. I can tell you firsthand, and we're missing tacos up here. The other food booths we have new this year is oysters. Yes, on the field you can come get fresh oysters while you sip your white wine from the Shuck Brothers. And then we have a farmers market booth from Netherlands, so the Netherlands Farmers Market booth that is selling ready-made foods from their vendors, and Cajun Mountain pickles will be available to keep you nice and savory through the day. We also have on the sweet front gold mine cupcakes from Golden and Dar Chocolate, which is this beautifully wrapped chocolate bars that are inspired from Israel, and they are high-end cacao chocolates. You will love them.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Absolutely. And what are you most looking forward to about people being able to experience it at this year's Jasmine Wine Festival? What are you most excited about?

SPEAKER_01 11:33

What I'm most excited about this year and every year, to be honest, is people gathering together, putting out their champion chairs, getting to know each other, taking the whole day to just be present, be in the moment, put your phone away, enjoy the music, talk to old friends, new friends, explore the vendors. You have six hours to walk around, interact with every vendor, no pressure. Try things, try things, get to know local artists, get to know Colorado wine culture, and try all these other local Colorado companies that actually make drinks in our wonderful state. But I also am very, very excited for the lineup that we have between Latin jazz, Seoul, RB jazz, and leading up to New Orleans, get out of your chair, and boogie jazz. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

And yeah, I don't know, is there anything else about the festival that you want to make sure people know about before they come or or know to expect before they anything you want people to know?

SPEAKER_01 12:32

One thing I just want people to be aware of is that now that we're in August, the tickets will go very quickly, and I really want you to be there. So make sure to buy your tickets before it's too late. And hey, we need rain, and I pray we have rain, but we always have a day to remember in the Netherland environment, and it always makes people smile. So let's hope for a beautiful day, and the music will fill your ears, hearts, and soul, and your tummies will be filled with savory treats and sweet tastes of wine. It's always a good time, and I'm proud that so many people say it's their favorite day of the year.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

And we couldn't do this festival without the support of the community, the town, the attendees, which come from all over the state, even a few people fly in. But really, this festival relies on the sponsors to help promote and help provide aspects to make this a seamless day for everyone's enjoyment. And those local sponsors include Eldora, Homes by Jackie Jones, The Market at Netherlands, Silverstem, Fine Cannabis, Beaucy Bruise, and The Mountaineer. We have many others which you can see on our website, and we appreciate everyone's support for them.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Thank you so much, Stephanie, for coming on board and talking to us about the fifth Netherland Jazz and Wine Festival. If you want to head to the festival on Saturday, August 22nd, 2026, hosted in Shepeda Park in Netherlands, and be sure to head to nedjazzwine.com to buy your tickets before they sell out. Thank you so much, everybody, for coming on board and joining us for the Mountaineer Podcast weekly series of Music of the Mountains, Where to Be and What to Be. I'll be back next week with another episode, and we'll be back very soon with more of the Mountaineer podcast. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts at Spotify, Apple Music, Podcaster, YouTube, and more. And be sure to share this episode and others with the five. If you're interested in subscribing to the Mountain Ear, then be sure to head to the mtnear.com and click on the subscribe button at the top of our homepage. Also be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram at mtn.ear. There is a Mountaineer Media section of our homepage where you can find all of these pages and the full archive of the Mountaineer podcast. And finally, if you have any inquiries about the paper or the podcast, be sure to reach out to myself at media at the mountaineer.com, my co-host Tyler Hickman at T Y L E R atheMountaineer.com, our editor in chief Barbara Hart at infothemountaineer.com and general inquiries at frontdesk at themountaineeers.com. Thank you guys so much for listening. Have a great rest of your desk.