Some three-dozen Cortez area businesses have partnered with American Express this year for Small Business Saturday.

Celebrated every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the program offers registered American Express card members a $10 statement credit upon making a $10 purchase at participating businesses.

“It’s a pretty good deal,” said Marsha Rule, owner of Envy Salon & Boutiques on Main Street. “The program helps to save our local customers a little extra money.”

Named the 2013 Best Beauty/Hair Salon and Best Day Spa/Full Service Salon by Cortez Journal readers, Rule said she opened the business three-and-a-half years ago. Open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the full-service salon also offers designer denim jeans, candles and accessories.

Another participating business is Sutcliff Vineyards. Located about five miles west of Cortez on Road G, the vineyard produces nearly 50,000 bottles of wine annually.

“We pride ourselves on being local,” said David Culliton. “It means the world to us when locals buy our wines.”

From vines originally planted in 1995, the vineyard sprawls over 22 acres. Culliton said grapes from the lower vineyard this year delivered the best harvest in three years, enabling the company to produce hearty red wines such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraze and chardonnay.

“The Wine Enthusiast made a number of our wines the ‘Editors Choice’ and awarded 90 points to our 2010 Merlot, a first for Colorado,” said owner John Sutcliff.

The vineyard recently released a limited supply of its 2012 chardonnay signature.

Sutcliff Vineyards is open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bottles are also available at area liquor stores.

tbaker@cortezjournal.com