Shushi Shiraga, the Founder & CEO of a wine e-commerce startup SoCalization Inc (Tokyo, Japan |www.socalization.com ), was a regular customer at Wilson Creek during his 7 years of life in San Diego, working as an expat, then studying as a grad-student. He became interested in wine because of Wilson Creek’s signature Almond Sparkling.

SoCalization Shushi at Wilson Creek 

In 2019, as he graduates from Sports MBA program at San Diego State University, he went back to Japan to work as a consultant to projects at Rugby World Cup 2019 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

However, something was missing for him. It just felt wrong. Living a happy, stress-free life in a SoCal city changed his perspective so much. A workaholic, who was on international conference calls regularly until midnight, questioned “Why are people in Japan working so late?”, “Why are people here not enjoying their personal life?”, “Why are people not having a quality time with their family?”. He was culture-shocked to his own country.

That feeling just got stronger and stronger, every time he recalled receiving unconditional love and support from his American “family”, a Christian family in San Diego who had been accepting international students to live together at their home.

Shushi was intrinsically entrepreneurial as he built his career at start-ups prior to MBA degree. However, if he was to build a company, he wanted to do something impactful to the society. So, he founded SoCalization, to promote relaxed and loving SoCal people’s value to Japan through SoCal food culture.

“I need an ‘Ace’ product…” Shushi thought. Something that is unique and has potential to become nationally popular but also represents SoCal value. Wilson Creek Almond Sparkling wine, he thought. He flew back to San Diego and drove to Temecula without an appointment with us (Wilson Creek), January 2020. We welcomed his passion and agreed to do business once he incorporates and receives necessary licenses.

He came back with them, but the pandemic hits the US. With both of us patiently and carefully checking off the boxes, Almond Sparkling Wine landed to Japan for the first time in October 2020! 

Almond Sparkling is gradually gaining awareness and served at wine bars in Tokyo. Shushi and SoCalization promote family-first value to Japan through the taste of Almond Sparkling – like the “stick” of cuttings clones and shares Wilson Creek’s founding values through their branches and vines.

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For former SoCal-residents in Japan, below is the direct link to purchase our Almond Sparkling wine in Japan from SoCalization! (English check out process available from link below.)

https://www.socalization.com/en/collections/wilson-creek/products/wilson-creek-almond-sparkling

For those of you moving to Japan, now you know where to get us! ????

Celebrating his brother’s birthday at the first restaurant in Tokyo to serve Almond Sparkling

We know how stressful the holidays can be, especially when you are the host. You want to be the Hostess with the Mostest, with that perfect Pinterest display! Our must have guide for choosing the perfect wines will leave you feeling confident for your crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving feast!

Rather than selecting one bottle of wine to compliment all of your dishes, we recommend getting a couple options. You have all of those flavors of tart cranberries, creamy mashed potatoes, brown sugared yams, stuffing with a combination of ingredients, white and dark meats, and you can’t forget that spiced pumpkin pie for dessert! As we always say, there are no wrong pairings. We believe that the best pairings are with the wines you enjoy drinking, but for Thanksgiving we recommend lighter bodied wine to compliment the flavors of your dishes.

Sparkling Wines

Bubbles are the perfect celebratory wine! As guests arrive serve Sparkling Wine to get everyone in the holiday spirit! Sparkling is also a great choice to enjoy with salty and cheesy appetizers. The bubbles cut through the salt to cleanse the palate leaving a refreshed feeling. We have 10 Sparkling Wines to choose from and any of them would be a great choice to get your holiday started.

If you plan to serve it with dinner, we recommend going with a dry sparkling such as Brut or Sparkling Rose.

White Wines

When selecting a white wine, think about pairing it with your lighter side dishes and salads. Try white wines with less oak and more flavors that are fruity and refreshing.

Viognier – Full-fruit-forward flavors of peach, green melon and hint of tangerine in the finish.

Roussanne – You’ll love this medium-body wine with exotic flavors of pear, melon, and herbal tea trickling into a citrus peel finish.

Yes Dear Chardonnay – Vanilla and French Oak aromas with a touch of butter on the palate.

Red Wines

Yes, Red wines are delicious with Turkey and not forbidden! You definitely want a lighter bodied red with moderate acidity to balance out the richness of your dishes.

Zinfandel  – Supple in flavor yet firm in structure with cascading layers of cherry, blackberry and raspberry.

Cabernet Sauvignon – Classic cherry and raspberries interplay with the warm vanilla and light cedar characters of the oak barrel. 

Vardande– Flavors of blackberry and leather spice with prominent tannins.

Cinsault – Light bodied wine with flavors of strawberry and black pepper on the palate. 

Dessert Wines

Get dessert going with an after dinner celebration of sweet wines! Bubbly is also a great choice to pair with pie if your guests prefer something less sweet.

Decadencia – A fortified dessert wine made from century-old “Old Vine” Zinfandel with a touch of natural chocolate making it even more heavenly delicious.

Angelica Cream Sherry – A truly world-class Sherry. Fortified with brandy. Perfect for sipping by the fire after a long day. Serve room temperature and enjoy!

Make your Thanksgiving Display Pinterest Worthy with our Fall items in the Tasting Room!

Gather your ingredients and learn how to prepare Kurobuta Pork Shank Colcannon with Chef Steve. Ryan McCormick pairs this delicious recipe with our Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel and Bill Wilson joins the cooking fun as the official taste tester!

You can view Chef Steve’s Cooking Demo on YouTube here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hViLoywoRQI&t=6s

Recipe below: 

KUROBUTA PORK SHANK COLCANNON (3-4 servings)

Pair with Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 

Ingredients:

2 Kurobuta pork shank

Kosher salt & white pepper, or your favorite bbq rub

1 Tablespoon canola oil

½ cup Sliced leeks

1 cup green cabbage, cooked al dente and cut into 1” pieces(can be done 1 day ahead)

3 cups of mashed potato

 2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard

Directions: 

For the pork, season liberally with salt & pepper or bbq rub. Smoke in a smoker or roast in an oven slow and low until the meat can be shred. Shred the meat from the bone. This can be done 1-2 days ahead. If pork shanks are not available, you can substitute por shoulder.

For the Colcannon, heat the oil in a pan. Add leeks and cook until tender. Add cabbage and pork and cook until both are heated through. Add whole grain mustard and mashed potato. Mix to evenly combine. Check seasoning.

Dear Somm, how is a Rosé wine made? I see so many and their colors are so different. Why?  – C. Watkins, Royal Oak, Michigan

This past summer, and now this fall, are times to experience the beauty of a good Rosé wine!

Firstly, a Rosé can be made from most any red grape. I have tasted Rosés from Nebbiolo, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Merlot, etc. This last summer we released a Cabernet Rosé that was tasty. It’s all about the skin contact. The color in a red or Rosé wine come from the anthocyanin pigment in the red grape skins. The more skin contact with the juice results in more pigment. One method of Rosé winemaking is maceration which is the time of skin contact with the juice. The longer the maceration, the more color will be in the skins. With a red wine, during fermentation the maceration can be from 5-15 days. With Rosé wines the maceration can occur prior to fermentation called a cold soak. The skins stay in contact for 6-12 hours in a chilled tank so any native yeast does not kick-start fermentation. The pink juice is then pumped away from the skins and then fermented in another tank. A Rosé wine is typically fermented cooler (at 42-48 degrees) vs. red wines ferment hotter at 80-100 degrees. A cooler fermentation retains the delicate flavors in a white or Rosé wine. This method is popular in Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon regions. The other method is called Saigneé (Sawn-yay) which is based on the French word for “bleeding”. The winemaker will bleed off about 10% of the juice from the red skins during fermentation. The remaining 90% creates a more intense red wine. The 10% of the bled wine is fermented separately into a Rosé wine. Typically, this method will produce a Rosé wine that is darker pink than the maceration method. We do both methods at Wilson Creek. Maceration will yield a lighter wine with more perfumed aromatics and delicate flavors. Saigneé will produce wines that are richer and darker in color. 

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.

Drink Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each of us knows a friend, sister, aunt, mother, daughter, or grandmother that has been affected by breast cancer. Wilson Creek Winery is joining the fight by donating a portion of the proceeds of each bottle of Rosé of Cabernet or Custom Labeled Rosé Sparkling Wine to an organization close to our hearts, Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center. 

Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center was created as a dying wish of Michelle Watson. Michelle was a 26-year-old victim of breast cancer. As a Temecula resident, Michelle was frustrated with the lack of local resources available to her while facing the challenges of cancer treatment. Sadly, Michelle succumbed to her disease on July 23, 2000. In the wake of Michelle’s passing came a mission of service to make it easier for others touched by this unrelenting disease. Family, friends, and the community have come together and created a mission to serve the local community. 

PURCHASE HERE AND HELP JOIN THE FIGHT

If you are a frequent guest to Wilson Creek Winery, you have probably had an entertaining wine tasting with servers Massie or Chris! Their energetic personalities and knowledge of wine guarantee any returning or new guest an educational, but fun wine tasting. They know know how to read a guests’ palate and will recommend a perfect wine whether you prefer sweet, dry or bold. Along with sampling the excellent selection of Wilson Creek Wines, they have probably thrown a few wine mixes in there! Wilson Creek is well known for our selection of Sparkling Wines, our most popular being our Almond Champagne! Our Sparkling Wines now consist of Watermelon, Yuzu Lemon, Peach Bellini, Coconut, Sangria, Rosé, and even an Orange Mimosa! All these flavors gave our Tasting Room Servers the idea to create some fun wine mixes. They have become very popular over the years with more and more guests coming to the winery and requesting their favorite mix or even making them at home! 

We thought it would fun to get our two master wine mixers together, Massie and Chris, to go LIVE for a Virtual Mixology Session and show you how they create some of their favorite wine mixes! After you watched the session on Tuesday, 9/22 at 5:30pm on Facebook and Instagram LIVE, below are the wine recipes used in the live and also a link to view even more wine mixes created here at  Wilson Creek. 

SPARKLING WINE RECIPES BELOW: 

PEACH + SANGRIA

COCONUT + MOSCATO

PEACH + ORANGE + CAB/ZIN

THE UNICORN:  PEACH + ALMOND + WHITE CAB

SANGRIA + DECADENCIA 

More Wilson Creek Winery Recipes….