Wilson Creek Blog
Events, News, Recipes & more!

Even though Valentine’s Day is just behind us, keep your love flourishing with those small gestures! Showing how much you care about your significant other is key to keeping your relationship strong! Our very own Rosie and Gerry are a perfect example, being married for 63 Years! As Rosie would say, “Marriage isn’t 50/50, it’s 80/80,” and that is what she always tells our brides!

Rosie and Gerry being the foundation of Wilson Creek, and building upon their legacy, is what makes our Winery so special. If you have had the pleasure of meeting them, you know what wonderful people they are. You can just see the love that they have for each other and that love spreads to everyone around them. Check out this super adorable article that The Valley Business Journal wrote this month about Rosie and Gerry and their Love Story for the Ages…

THANKS TO YOU – We are proud to announce the Wine Club family has grown to over 1,000 MORE members in just an astonishing three-month time period! We are amazed at the response and are very happy to have such a large family. Thank you all for joining. We hope this Wine Club will be a fun experience for you and that Wilson Creek can be your “Extended Family” when you visit us for wine tasting or Wine Club events. Thanks again for being part of the family.

The very first article for our “Extended Family” Wine Club Newsletter was July/August 2001. WOW, how time flies! Since then we have grown quite a bit in our wine club, as well as the winery! There has been a lot of changes but one thing that hasn’t changed and never will is our love for our “extended family”. Our wine club is our heart and soul of the winery and today once again we thank you!

Today we see quite a few faces from our beginning who are still wine club members. Some still have their original wine club member card and are proud to show it! Our tasting room was full of our member’s photos which have since been removed with blowing out walls to accommodate our large growing family. We have started construction above the tasting room to add Reserve and paired tastings as well as an additional venue for events. We can’t wait to welcome you to our new room!

We’ve taken the tent down and replaced it with our beautiful events building including our Champagne Ballroom to accommodate the wedding receptions from the tent. In addition, we have a delicious restaurant, the Creekside Grille. It offers Wine Club Wednesday’s where members who purchase 2 entrées receive a bottle of wine for 50% off. We also have a fabulous Sunday brunch which if you haven’t tried it is something worth experiencing.

Our clubs have grown from the traditional Reds, Whites, and Desserts to having a club for everyone! Bi-monthly Mixed, Reds, Reserve, and Our Brand New White Cab Club. We also have the Semi-annual Winemaker Favorites as well as Online Wine Clubs which really work well for out of state members who love our Sparkling, White Cabernet and VS Cabernet (formerly known as Duet).

We had some great events over the years. From wonderful Jazz concerts, which have evolved to amazing Country concerts. Our members remember the wonderful Thursday Tapas, Joey and Maria’s Comedy Italian Wedding, and Cigar Nights just to name a few. We are planning some wonderful events for this year. All information will be in our newsletter as well as on our website.

We thank you again for being part of our extended family here at Wilson Creek Winery. We look forward to welcoming you back home when you visit us next.

Cheers,

Lisa Keks

Hospitality Sales Assistant Manager

A fabulous addition to a cold winter evening. A holiday tradition of ours, this wassail will add a glow to your festivities & make family & friends feel welcome.

• 1 qt Apple Juice
• 1 qt Orange Juice
• 1 qt Cranberry Juice
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice or Mango Nectar
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 Cinnamon Sticks
• 8 Whole Allspice
• Navel Orange Slices
• 1 Bottle of VS Cabernet Zinfandel

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and heat until warmed through. When in doubt add more VS Cabernet Zinfandel!

The holidays are back again. It’s funny how this happens every year whether we like it or not, and somehow no matter how hectic it all seems we always pull it together. I often find myself wishing the holidays came every other year instead of every year, but I guess I would miss this unbelievable challenge of keeping up my undeniable reputation for being the “hostess with the mostess”. I thought that since I am the Innkeeper at the Wilson Creek Manor I could throw a few tips your way to keep yourself sane. The first thing you should do is pour yourself a glass of wine… I suggest a glass of Yes Dear Chardonnay, and then read my blog with a bit of whimsy and a sense of humor.

Let’s start with the kitchen, the heart of the house. Everyone winds up in the kitchen and everyone is starving this time of year. Diets don’t start until January 1^st so you need to be prepared with snacks! From a fresh bowl of fruit on the counter, to simple snacks that your kids can grab. Your guests that drop by will think you are amazing!

You will need two types of crackers in the cupboard and a cheese ball (and I’m not referring to your husband). I’m talking a DELICIOUS good old fashioned port wine cheese ball covered in nuts, or a spreadable cheese like rondelé garlic and herb, or even a block or two of your favorite cheese. Accompany with some sort of cured meat like some salami nuggets and a good old fashioned can of olives. I also recommend having some nuts close by (the ones you can serve, not the relatives that are coming) since they always look so festive. These are staples to have on hand for your guests, or even if you need a quick appetizer to go to a neighbor’s house. Cheese is easy and everyone loves it. Guess what else… it goes well with wine! Ha

Also in your kitchen, you will need a sweet or two. Maybe some Christmas cookies on hand or a box of chocolates, or even a pie in your fridge that’s left over from Thanksgiving. My favorite sweet is the chocolate covered popcorn that I get in the tasting room at Wilson Creek Winery. Make sure you have plenty of ice on hand and some refreshing sparkling water. Don’t forget the egg nog, of course, and some cranberry and orange juice. Your kitchen fridge should have a soft drink as well. Coke, Diet coke, or Pepsi are good staples. Don’t forget a bottle of Sparkling Cider. Everyone likes Martinelli’s.

Let’s move over to the bar area, shall we? As a good hostess, you want to have variety. So, have some spirits like Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, and my new favorite, Fireball. I recommend having a few bottles of wine on hand at all times. Two types of red wine, two types of white wine, and two sparkling wine flavors.  Wine is good to cook with in the kitchen too. Sometimes I even put it in the food. It makes everything easier during this time of year. I always say WINE is the answer, what is the question? In fact, pour yourself another glass of wine while your reading the next part.

In the guest bath have shampoo, conditioner, a fresh bar of soap in the shower, a frilly liquid soap on the counter closest to the sink, and a can of air freshener in case the cheese is a little too much. I recommend having an extra toothbrush and toothpaste on hand.  In the guest bedroom have a fluffy blanket or warm down comforter with fresh pillows on the bed. A spare robe in the closet and a bottle of water on the night stand is always nice. Have another glass of wine then everything will be perfect!

Be prepared to ask questions like “what is your favorite Christmas movie” or “what is your favorite Christmas tradition”.

Hopefully your house is decorated by the second weekend in December and you can get all your packages and cards mailed out by the 17^th so they can get to your friends in time for Christmas.

Don’t forget to buy plenty of tape, extra bows, and silly but… batteries. Lots of decorations need them these days. You might need an extension cord or two for the Holidays but mostly…

Enjoy your family and friends this time of year.

There is nothing a little bit of Wilson Creek Wine can’t handle. And before you know it, it will be time to make a resolution. Mine will be to drink Wilson Creek Wine every day!

With a smile!

Abby Trybulski – Wilson Creek Manor Guest Services Manager

I know its harvest time when I catch myself asking my wife “What day is it?” at least three times a day. The months of August and September fly by in a surreal blur as my mind becomes highly focused on the thousands of details of wine making that need attention and action. These two months have become known as the “Harvest Widow” months in our home. Sometimes within the surreal harvest blur I do get messages from the outside real world like – “Remember we are babysitting the grandchildren this Thursday,” and “Your newsletter article is past due – we need it now.” HOLY COW! The newsletter article, yes, yes, I shake my head clear and quickly sit in front of the laptop. My mind goes blank and I’m back inside the surreal harvest blur again thinking about the “Yes Dear” Chardonnay. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to give you a little peak inside this world….

The chardonnay came from two vineyard blocks with slight differences in flavor. I decided to treat each block different. The block that highlighted the Chardonnay’s fruity character is barrel fermented in French oak puncheon barrels. Whereas the chardonnay highlighting its acidity is fermented in stainless. Two different yeast strains were chosen one for barrel fermentation the other for the tank. The yeast strain chosen for the French oak puncheons is special in that it ferments slowly and the spent yeast cells breakup quickly releasing its creamy flavor into the wine. I’m very excited about using the puncheon barrels this year. What is a puncheon you ask? Take a peek inside the barrel room and you will see them, eight barrels that are twice the size of a normal barrel (barrels on steroids). These barrels will incorporate the full richness of the oak into a full mouth creaminess. With the correct conditions will produce the correct amount of butteriness. Do you think the “Wilson ladies” will approve? I certainly do!

~ Gus Vizgirda