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Whether it’s for a birthday, baby shower, or wedding, a personalized wine bottle is the perfect gift! 

In a world of Amazon and Etsy, it can be hard to find a gift to give someone who already has it all. It is even more important to find a gift that shows how much you care about them during a milestone in their life. With a personalized wine bottle, you are giving them a gift they can enjoy and cherish forever as they display the bottle in their home!

At Wilson Creek Winery, we offer beautiful personalized wine bottles for special occasions, gift-giving, and more.  Here’s everything you need to know when creating the perfect personalized wine gift:

How to decide which wine to personalize:

Before you begin customizing the label on the wine gift you’ll first need to choose the wine you think the recipient will enjoy. For the white wine drinkers, we offer a custom label on our “Yes Dear” Chardonnay. For the sparkling wine drinkers, we offer our custom labels on a wide selection of our sparkling. Lastly for the red wine drinkers, we offer a custom label on our Cabernet Sauvignon. The pricing of each of these bottles and the selection of sparkling wine is available here!

How to create a custom label:

Once you’ve chosen the perfect wine, the next step is to create the personalized wine bottle label.  Our custom label maker on our website allows you to choose from a variety of templates that have have already been created. 

To begin,  you select the wine you want to customize, then choose single bottle or a case. Next,  you will be taken to a page with all our label templates. Here we have labels for a birthday to an anniversary and everything in between. On these templates you can add your own text and on certain labels even upload your own picture! When you are customizing these labels, there are a variety of fonts, font colors, and font sizes for you to choose from. It was important for us to offer you options so that you can make this label your own! If you are looking for a label that differs from one of our templates, contact customlabels@wilsoncreekwinery.com and we will be able to assist you in creating your dream label! 

How long will it take to receive this gift?

All labels are designed, and produced in house, and printed on a high quality, water-resistant label stock. Our turnaround time is approximately 3 business days from the time the order has been placed (not including shipping time.) If you are local to the winery, you may also choose to pick up your personalized wine bottle order. If you need a gift in a hurry, we do offer an expedited option to meet your time frame.  Just give us a call and we will do our best to accommodate your request!

The next time that you find yourself stumped with trying to find the perfect gift, skip the mall and amazon! Instead, head over to our website and create the perfect personalized wine gift! 

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This Jingle Juice recipe is simple, delicious, and pretty! You only need three ingredients to make this holiday punch everyone will love. Enjoy a couple of these and you’ll hear those sleigh bells jingling in no time!

2022 Wilson Creek Holiday Wine Gift Guide 

The holiday season is upon us, and that means it’s time to start thinking about what gifts to give our loved ones. If you have a wine lover in your life, then you’re in luck! This holiday season, skip the usual suspects and give a gift they are sure to love—wine!

To make it easy, we’ve put together a list of our top picks that make great gifts. Whether your budget is large or small, we’ve got you covered. So pour yourself a glass of eggnog, sit back, relax, and keep reading to find the perfect wine gift to give this holiday season.

Holiday Wine 

Giving a bottle of wine as a gift is always well-received.  Whether you’re looking for a gift to give to a host of a holiday party, a gift exchange, or a wine loving family or friend, you can’t go wrong with a bottle of wine.  Here are some of our favorite wines to gift during the holiday season:

Almond Sparkling Wine

What would the holidays be without some bubbly? If you’re looking for a festive sparkling wine to give as a gift (or keep for yourself!), look no further than our Almond Sparkling Wine. This white sparkling wine (formerly known as Almond Champagne) is naturally fermented with just the right amount of essence of natural almond that is sure to leave your guests dazzled at its taste.   

Make your Almond Sparkling Wine gift even more festive with one of our holiday celebration labels or make it custom by creating a personalized label of your own.

Plethora Red Wine

No holiday is complete without a good bottle (or two) of red wine.  If you’re looking to really surprise your guests with a red wine that is unique and enjoyable to drink then our Plethora red wine blend is a must.  Made of nine different grape varieties, this wine is perfect for all types of red wine drinkers.  Aromas of oak, dark berries, and spice make it the perfect wine to enjoy during the holiday season.  Make your holiday gift giving a breeze by grabbing a bottle or case today!

2021 Riesling

Of course we can’t forget the white wine drinkers in your life, afterall we love a good white as well.  One of our favorite white wines to gift during the holiday season is our 2021 Riesling. Rieslings are generally pretty versatile, easy to drink, and pair with most foods. They also age well, so if you have a friend who loves to collect wine, this would be a great gift for them.

Our 2021 Riesling is full of aromas of fresh golden delicious apples, ripe pineapple, and honeysuckle that makes it the perfect wine to enjoy not only during the holidays but all year round.

Decadencia Chocolate Old Vine Zinfandel

Chocolate and wine are truly a match made in Heaven.  If you’ve never experienced our delicious Decadencia Chocolate Old Vine Zinfandel then you’re in for a real treat. And if you have, then you know this wine is perfect for the holiday season when indulging in rich, yummy desserts. Our chocolate zin is smooth, elegant, and rich with fruit-forward flavors, chocolate, vanilla, and spice making it the perfect companion to a holiday gathering. Surprise your friends and loved ones this holiday season with this heavenly treat they are sure to enjoy!

Wine Club Membership 

What better way to show your loved ones you care than by giving them a gift that keeps on giving with a wine club membership.  With a wine club membership, your friends and family can enjoy their favorite wines shipped directly to their door all year long.  Choose from a 6 month or 12 month gift membership that delivers two bottles of wine bi-monthly to your favorite family member or friend.  Plus, all memberships come with member perks! Join either a red, white, mixed, or reserve club.

Gift card

Last but certainly not least, give the gift of choice with a Wilson Creek gift card!  Perfect for the person who has everything or is difficult to shop for.  They also make great stocking stuffers, gifts for coworkers, and gift exchange gifts.   Redeemable on property at the gift shop, restaurants or for wine tasting and tours and also online (call to redeem). 

Shipping Deadline*

For arrival before Christmas:

West Coast:  All orders shipping UPS ground should be placed no later than December 16th
Midwest:  All orders shipping UPS ground should be placed no later than December 14th
East Coast:  All orders shipping UPS ground should be placed no later than December 14th

For arrival before New Years:

West Coast:  All orders shipping UPS ground should be placed no later than December 26th
Midwest:  All orders shipping UPS ground should be placed no later than December 21st
East Coast:  All orders shipping UPS ground should be placed no later than December 21st

*Shipping times are not guaranteed.

CTA:  Find the perfect holiday gift this season at Wilson Creek Winery!
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 “Variant Series” is a term to describe wines introduced to showcase the variations of the classical style. Wilson Creek is excited to announce our new Variant Series, which includes an uncommon mix of our now famous White Cabernet and Cabernet Zinfandel red blend. Both are conceived of and vinted to create a unique interpretation of the Nobel Varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon. Find out the difference between Zinfandel vs Cabernet, including how they get their distinct flavor, and why they are better together in our new Variant Series Cabernet Zinfandel blend. 

The Science of Wine Flavor

Wine is interesting stuff from a biochemical and hence taste perspective. It takes flavors and compounds that we are genetically programmed to crave, like sweetness and ripe fruit flavors, and blends it with components that we are genetically programmed to avoid, like acid tannins and alcohols. (Ok, maybe not so much alcohol.) 

Many popular wines are blended to only take advantage of those flavors that are easy to love (think White Zinfandel or fruit-driven cheap wine). Many extremely good, and more complexly nuanced, wines are a challenge until the palate has been trained to embrace the push and pull between sweet fruit and tannins acids and alcohols. 

This is the genesis of the Variant Series. We are aiming for wines that are initially pleasing to the senses, but have subtle complex nuances of depth and character. The mature Zinfandel brings a fruit-driven approach and the Cabernet ends in tannins that are soft. This leads to a wine that can be paired with just a sunset or will not get lost with a burger. If you’re going to a party where you don’t know the pallets or preferences of the guests, CabZin is the perfect option – ideal for nontraditional wine drinkers, while still able to hold up to the scrutiny of wine aficionados. 

California Cabernet Sauvignon

Blends have the unique capacity to combine the strengths of two different varietals, resulting in a more well-rounded and balanced wine. The classic example of this for Cabernet Sauvignon are the French Bordeaux wines. The Left Bank of the Gironde estuary is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant with lesser amounts of Merlot. The Right Bank of the Gironde estuary is Merlot dominant wines with a lesser amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. The California version of these Bordeaux inspired wines are called Meritage (rhymes with heritage).

In the rest of the world, Cabernet Sauvignon often has  difficulty coming to full ripeness. But, in the California sunshine and heat, it develops fully ripe non-vegetal wines that have an initial flavor of ripe black cherries and current, spiciness and cedar. 

California Zinfandel

Zinfandel, which originated in what is now modern-day Croatia, was popular throughout northern Italy before it landed in California in the mid-1800s. Thriving in a warm California climate, it then developed a unique California terroir and expression of deep rich fruit-forward notes, including  blackberry, strawberry and a mild spiciness most commonly expressed as cinnamon. 

The Best of Both Worlds 

Our CabZin is a classic blending theory. Although Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel blends are relatively uncommon, this blend shows the best of two classic grapes that have found a unique expression in the ideal climates of Southern California. 

We are very careful to use techniques that soften the tannins. This means you’ll taste the tannins, but without that signature, strong and bitter astringent profile often associated with tannins.

Once you start drinking the CabZin, you will acclimate your palate to stronger tannins and venture into wines like Sarah, Cinsault, and eventually wind up on the doorstep of Double Dog. 

Zinfandel has large bold clusters that just scream out “look at me!” Juxtaposed to this is Cabernet Sauvignon’s, smaller clusters are reluctant to ripen, a little bit fussy but complex and nuanced. The marriage of these two is a marriage like the life of the party with an introverted intellectual. The expression of two dissimilar but harmonious varietals like Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon is proof positive that opposites attract.

Harvest is just winding down. Yields are a little low, but the quality is exceptional. Block One is the old vine Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard next to the tasting room. We invite you to come grab a cab, be it white or zin, and enjoy all this time of year has to offer in the vineyard where it was born! The vines always enjoy some company and although modest, love a compliment. 

Experience Fine California Wine 

View of the Rainbow Gap from Wilson Creek. The gap is the one on the left. 

The Rainbow Gap: Temecula Valley Breathes 

Yes, good wine regions breathe. And, so do vines. Great wine regions flourish through wind flow. And the best part? It’s all through nature’s impeccable design. 

The Importance of Mountain Gaps For Grape Growing

Mountains are typically needed to create a barrier from the ocean influence. No barrier to the ocean influence results in a lot of air flow and high winds – weather that’s too harsh for grapes.  

However, if there is too much of a mountain barrier, there is not enough flow from the coast, as the air currents are blocked off. 

So, a mountain gap is critical – it acts like an opening and operates like a windpipe, drawing air in and out between the ocean and the valley.

The Rainbow Gap in Temecula

The mountain gap between Temecula and the ocean is called the “Rainbow Gap”. In Temecula Valley, we are nestled between two mountain ranges. West of Temecula, between San Onofre Beach and Camp Pendleton, there’s the Rainbow Gap. The mountains east of Temecula, Mt. San Jacinto, separate Temecula Valley from the heat of Palm Springs. 

How Does The Rainbow Gap Work?

In the morning hours, the wind in Temecula is relatively still, sometimes flowing slightly west. Then around 10 or 11 a.m., Palm Springs heats up, and the rising hot air creates a vacuum that pulls in the cool ocean air from over 30 miles away. That vacuum pulls the ocean air through the Rainbow Gap and it settles into our valley. Then, in the evening, when the air in the east mountains cools down, the air gets heavier and gently flows downhill/westward back into the valley, cooling Temecula Valley at night. 

How The Rainbow Gap Creates Ideal Wine Growing Conditions 

The valley inhales the ocean air in the late morning through the Rainbow Gap, then at night, the air gently flows back down into the valley. This coolness at night allows the grapes to recoup and rest a bit from their hard work of photosynthesis during the day. 

Some of the most famous wine regions have a similar “breathing” process, including Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Bordeaux and even The Rhone Valley in France.

This breathing creates a necessary diurnal shift that grapes need. Grapes like hot days and cool nights with low humidity. The shift from the hottest time to the coolest time is called the diurnal shift. All good wine regions have a big diurnal shift. Temecula Valley can often shift 40-50%, which could mean 98 degrees to 50 degrees on the same day!

While the valley breathes, the vines and soil get love, too. Vines inhale CO2 all night long and exhale oxygen all day long. The soil does the opposite—it inhales oxygen all day and exhales CO2 all night. They enjoy a symbiotic relationship by feeding each other. For the vines, the CO2 is heavier and falls to the ground and the soil ‘inhales’ it.”

With ideal growing conditions, you can say that Temecula Valley is made for quality wine grapes and great tasting wine.

So, when you visit Temecula Valley again and feel the breeze that flows from the ocean to the west, you can be thankful for the Rainbow Gap. And, next time you go wine tasting, ask about how the area breathes and the diurnal shift to find out exactly how nature’s perfect design brings great wine to your taste buds. 

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Post by: Mick Wilson  

Mick Wilson is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine with the Society of Wine Educators.  He also teaches various subjects at the Wilson Creek Wine Academy.

Learn more about Wilson Creek Winemaking.