A perfect match You can now buy wines at Palma Cigars as well John G. Miller Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cigars and wines go well together, and you now can get both at Palma Cigars, 2201 Larimer St., owned by Clay Carlton.

After five successful years of selling his specially crafted, hand rolled Palma cigars from his shop in the Burlington Hotel at Larimer and 22nd streets, Clay Carlton felt there was still one piece he would like to add to his enterprise.

“I always wanted to be able to serve a nice glass of wine with my cigars,” said Carlton. “But a liquor license wasn’t available to me because of the smoking ban enacted in ’06.”

An encounter with a Western Slope wine purveyor changed that. Palma Cigars now sports wine tastings as well as cigar tastings at his Larimer Street location. Patrons are welcome to buy his wines by the glass or by the bottle, as well as his premium Palma cigars.

“I met Kevin Doyle of Woody Creek Cellars,” said Carlton. “He said he was pretty sure he could hang a tasting room license here in the shop. After we researched it through the Colorado liquor licensing bureau, they said that it was acceptable.”

Woody Creek Cellars was founded in 2000 by winemaker Doyle in Woody Creek, halfway between Aspen and Snowmass on Highway 82. The winery produces limited productions of their signature Woody Creek Cellars brands, using old world methods and all natural, chemical-free ingredients.

“We have a long bar stocked with all-Colorado wines, whites and reds, and a humidor for our cigars,” said Carlton. “We have several cocktail tables, and I often give cigar rolling demonstrations. It’s a nice place to come and relax.” 

Originally a barber, the 60-year-old Carlton has always served cigars in his salons. Over the last 30 years he has owned shops throughout the Rocky Mountains, including Breckenridge, Frisco and Dillon. He still owns a salon and a cigar shop in Vail. Ten years ago his love for a good cigar encouraged him to take a leave of absence and learn more about the craft.

“I studied under a Cuban master roller in a cigar factory outside of Houston,” said Carlton. “After about a year of learning the craft, I could blend and roll my own cigars, and I started selling them in my shops up in the mountains.” 

He eventually decided he needed to be where masses of people are, and about five years ago he moved to Denver and opened his little one-man shop in the Burlington Hotel.

“I think this is a pretty unique setup,” said Carlton. “This is one of the few places in Denver where you can actually smoke a cigar over a nice glass of wine.”    

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