We want to give a big thank you to our very own HR Generalist, Brandi Scoby for putting a Christmas twist on the Famous Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake. Brandi thought our Almond Sparkling would add a delicious flavor to this already tasty dessert. She decided to her give her new idea a GO and added the Almond Sparkling while she was mixing up the whipped cream. She brought her cake to work for everyone to enjoy and she was correct, the Almond Sparkling adds a pure almond flavor with a hint of caramelized sugar to the cake. Yum! Next time you are at the winery, grab a bottle of Almond and give this famous dessert a try! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint plus ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup Almond Sparkling

½ cup powdered sugar

1 package of Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, whip the cream on high and add in Almond Sparkling and powdered sugar until it forms stiff peaks. 

2. Spread a teaspoon of whipped cream onto each wafer. Stack wafers together. Then stand on edge of serving platter to make log.

3. Frost with remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. Decorate with seasonal sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut shavings or serve as is! Enjoy!

Wilson Creek Winery’s chosen charity for the holiday season is Oak Grove Center.

Oak Grove Center Gift Collection for Children without Families

Oak Grove will be housing 67 children during the Holidays this year; 24 are without families such as foster children. For children in care, the Holidays can be a difficult time being away from their families or reminded of families lost. To help bring love, joy and cheer, Oak Grove is collecting gifts to provide to the children on Christmas morning for those living at the Center. Children living at Oak Grove range from age 8 to 18 years old. The most commonly requested items for the younger children include dolls, Barbie dolls, Lego sets, and sports equipment. Teens have been requesting MP4 players, gift cards, make up, cologne and clothing. Working with the Community, Oak Grove is able to help them create positive memories, start new traditions, and celebrate. Individuals interested in helping a youth this season can contribute any of the items on the wish list.  Gifts must be new and come unwrapped. Items can be delivered to Oak Grove Center’s Culinary Creations next, 41923 Second Street, Suite 104, Temecula. Gifts are needed by December 15^th. Founded in 1989, Oak Grove Center is a nonprofit Residential, Education and Treatment Center (with multiple campuses) for children throughout California with mental health, emotional and behavioral problems and special needs. Oak Grove Center’s mission is to rebuild the lives of at-risk children and their families through educating, healing, restoring relationships, building character and instilling hope.

The Holidays are a time for family and friends, a time when many people think of Joy and Hope. Yet, for a child living in foster care, the Holidays can be heartbreaking with constant reminders of broken homes and families lost. Oak Grove Center is asking for your consideration to help provide gifts for the 76 Residential Youth.  Your support can help bring the youth joy and hope, and reminds them that they are valued.

Here is how you can help:

Gifts accepted from December 1st-December 18th. 

Make this year’s unwrapping experience unforgettable. We have curated our holiday gift guide personal, thoughtful and a little playful to help you find the best wine gift for anyone on your list.

Wine Gifts For Her

When Christmas shopping, you want to make sure you find something that the women in your life will love and use. Here are some ideas that she will fall in love with:

Idea 1: Wine Picnic Instead of gifting clothes or shoes, why don’t you gift her a date! Come to Wilson Creek, grab a charcuterie board or lunch from our Courtyard Bar and Grill, sit in our Lower Garden with a bottle of her favorite wine, and enjoy each other’s company! 

Idea 2: Tastings While you’re on property, you can’t leave without tasting our handcrafted, award-winning wine. Along with the wine picnic, take her wine tasting so that she knows exactly what her favorite is for next time. (Tasting Options)

Idea 3: White Cabernet Pack Don’t live within driving distance to Wilson Creek? Well, then we know what you need. Purchase a White Cabernet three pack and take her to your nearest park for a wine picnic-DIY style! Your lady will fall in love with the effort and time you put into her Christmas gift this year. (Treasured Gift Ideas)

The holidays are a perfect time to show your sister how much you care about her and how special she is to you!  Gift your sister a Peach Bellini Sparkling Wine or a Rose Sparkling Wine! 

Idea 1: Make it Personal When you order Peach Bellini or Rose Sparkling Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, we can include a picture of you and your sister complete with a special message that will mean the world to her. Not only will she get a delicious bottle of wine, but she will also get to keep it as a memory of the two of you. (Create Your Custom Label)

Idea 2: Wine Packages Check out our red or white wine packages that will leave her wanting more. To go along with that red or white package, add a gift card with a fun note saying she can cash in a tasting with you whenever she’s available! Not only are you giving her a delicious gift, but you are also planning some quality time with the two of you after the holiday craziness calms down. 

Idea 3: Wine Club Membership Wine Club Membership would be a perfect gift for your sister or even your best friend! And to add to the fun, a wine club membership is the perfect excuse to plan the day and do a wine-pick up all in one! (Wine Club Membership)

Wine Gifts For Your Mom

Moms hold a special place in our hearts. If you are looking for gift ideas to spoil your mom and make her feel loved, we have some solid wine gift ideas.

Idea 1: Wine Pack Head to the “Treasured Gift Ideas” tab where you can find items she will love. One gift idea that we find to be a fan favorite is bringing a package of wine that mom can share at the holiday party. Having that on hand is so beneficial for her as she probably has a million-check list to do items in prep for the parties that are about to happen! Try out our White Cabernet and Sparkling Almond 3-pack or our 2-pack Meritage package. (Treasured Gift Ideas)

Idea 2: Wine Club Membership If your mom loves Wilson Creek Wine as much as we think she does, then one wine pack will not be enough! Gift her a Wine Club Membership so that she continues to receive her favorite wines over and over again. She will be reminded of you every time her package arrives. (Wine Club Membership)

Idea 3: Custom Label When looking for a sentimental gift, a custom label would be sure to put a smile on her face. Have her favorite sparkling flavor made with a picture of you and all your siblings or a special photo of you and her, so that she can keep it for years to come as a memory! (Create Your Custom Label)

Wine Gifts For Your Sister

The holidays are a perfect time to show your sister how much you care about her and how special she is.

Idea 1: Sparkling Wine for the “Sweet” Wine Drinker Our bubbly wines make a great gift especially for a sweet wine drinker. Gift your sister a Peach Bellini Sparkling Wine or a Rose Sparkling Wine. (Sparkling Wine)

Idea 2: Make it Personal When you order Peach Bellini, Rose, Brut or Almond Sparkling we can include a picture of you and your sister complete with a special message. (Create Your Custom Label)

Idea 3: Lunch Date How long has it been since you had lunch with your sister?  Our Executive Chef at Creekside Grille rotates the restaurant menu every season with farm fresh, locally sourced menu items that she will love!  Even more special, you have some time to catch up over a glass or two.

Wine Gifts For Him

Forget the shave kits and the golf clubs.  This year is all about a robust wine sure to leave the palette happy! 

Idea 1: The Best Gift for Wine Lovers Instead of holiday liquor, pick up a bottle or two of our ’19 Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel. Not only do they make perfect wine gifts, but they also have a great story! Aged in a Bourbon Whiskey barrel for 16 months, this wine gift idea has a smoky flavor-perfect for your manly man. 

Idea 2: Another Red Favorite Another perfect gift for your man is a 3-pack of our Meritage. This wine was aged in American and French oak barrels for 19 months which adds to its robust character and adds to the rich aromas and flavors included in this wine. (Treasured Gift Ideas)

Idea 3: Something Unique for the Beer Drinker If your husband or boyfriend is more of a “beer” drinker, gift him a bottle of our Brut Sparkling Wine. This sparkling is one of the most popular amongst the beer drinking community and is a great gateway wine to introducing him to richer flavors. Ever wished he would sit down and enjoy a bottle of wine with you? Then, encourage him to try this sparkling! By gifting it to him, he can’t say no! (Brut Sparkling)

Idea 4: Reserve a sit-down wine tasting experience in the Reserve Room Get away from the hustle and bustle of the Tasting Room and take a trip upstairs to the Reserve Room.  Take it up a notch and indulge in a sit-down guided tasting by one of our knowledgable wine experts. Select from red, white, sparkling, library wines or even try a vertical flight.  (Reservations)

Wine Gifts For Your Brother

If you’ve been wracking your brain for the perfect Christmas gift for your brother, then we can help win you some sibling points! 

Idea 1: Developed Palette If your wine connoisseur brother has a more developed  palette, we recommend getting him a bottle of our Plethora. This wine is delicious and has a very interesting story to go along with it. Most wines are made up of just a few grape varietals but this wine has about nine different varieties that make up the flavor. Complete with aromas of French Oak and blackberries, this will surprise him with your gift giving ability!  (Plethora)

Idea 2: Lifestyle Accessories Check out our popular Wilson Creek Winery polos. Sleek style and design nails distinguished comfort on the golf course or casual Fridays in the office. Our collection of double-insulated, WCW logoed coffee and wine tumblers are ideal for camping or beach picnics as they keep the hot stuff hot and the chilled drinks, chilly! (Accessories)

Wine Gifts For Your Dad

Is your dad’s Christmas wish list sparse? Dads can be  tough to shop for, but Wilson Creek Winery is here to make it a much easier experience this holiday season. 

Idea 1: Custom Collection Instead of buying him a T-shirt, tie, or latest tech gimmick from Amazon, build a custom collection of wine favorites that he can enjoy with your mom, his buddies, or you! Add a mix of red, white, and sparkling wines that will give him a variety of flavors to try. Fan favorites include: our ’18 Family Reserve Syrah, our ’18 Family Reserve Double Dog, ’19 Golden Jubilee, ’19 Roussanne, or our Brut Sparkling Wine!

Idea 2: Get Him Geared Up! To go along with him on his next fishing trip, purchase your dad a Wilson Creek Winery baseball hat. With this gift, he can sport his favorite winery and protect himself from the sun! Don’t forget to pair it with a Wilson Creek sweatshirt or t-shirt. (Accessories)

Idea 3: Wine Tour Is your dad a wine connoisseur? Or even just curious about the winemaking process? Well, we have the perfect gift for him. Give your dad a wine tour with the whole family! He will love taking a look behind the scenes of all things winemaking and seeing our vineyards, tanks, & barrels from a hands-on perspective. And, he might even get to try some of his favorites along the way! 

Wine Gifts For Your Best Friend

Even though we get super busy all year long, the holidays are a great time to re-connect over a glass or two with friends.

Idea 1: Adventure Pack Time with the bestie is always valuable.  Purchase an e-gift and plan a wine tasting date with you two for some quality time!  And don’t forget to add her favorite bottle of sparkling with it.  There is nothing better than popping open a bottle of sparkling with your best friend to celebrate. (Sparkling Wine)

Idea 2: Custom Labeled Bottle Put a special photo of the two of you with a note that says “come taste with me”.  Not only is the bottle a special gift but spending time at the winery catching up, even better! (Create Your Custom Label)

Idea 3: Wine Slushie  Yes, it says “wine slushie”.  Treat your side kick to a one-of-a-kind treat.  Served on property at Courtyard Bar and Grill or Creekside Grille restaurant, the day is not complete without one.

Wine Gifts For Your Grandparents

This season, grab your grandparents some of your Wilson Creek Winery favorites and show them the things that make you happy!  Grandparents are easy to please especially when it’s something you are passionate about!  Decadencia Chocolate ‘Old vine Zinfandel’ and our Angelica Cream Sherry make special gifts, especially for those that haven’t tried our delicious dessert wine before. (Dessert Wine)

If you are just curious and looking for personalized guidance, click on the chat in the lower right corner.  We have a trained representative ready to assist you and answer any questions you may have to guide you through a personalized selection. Regardless of your wine gift selection for your loved ones, we are pleased to be a part of your celebrations this season.

Ingredients

Halloween Sprinkles 

Bowl or Paper Plate

Limes

Glasses

1 bottle Golden Jubilee 

1 bottle Peach Bellini Sparkling Wine 

1 bottle Watermelon Sparkling Wine 

Directions

Pour a generous amount of Halloween themed sprinkles onto a plate or bowl

Take your wine glass and coat rim with lime juice 

Dip rim of wine glass into Halloween sprinkles and slowly spin to coat 

Pour half glass of Golden Jubilee

Top of the rest of the glass with Peach Bellini Sparkling Wine, leaving a little room at the top

Splash in some Watermelon Sparkling Wine to create an “orange” Wicked Wilson  

Serve to your friends and family this Halloween. Cheers! 

Some Helpful Tips to Make Online Shopping Easier!

We love to see you here at the winery as often as you can, however, there are many opportunities and exclusive offers that you can access directly from your home or office. Because these exclusive offers are only available to Wine Club Members, you have to log in to your account to receive the discounts and view the special offers.

Visit www.wilsoncreekwinery.com and follow these helpful tips to login to your online webstore account:

• Your username is the email you used when you signed up.
• If you joined the wine club at the winery, your webstore shopping profile will be setup within 48 hours of joining and you can verify it.
• If you are using your online webstore account for the first time, you must “activate” your account, and reset your password. Click on “verify account” as seen below and follow the prompts.  You will receive an email to verify and reset your password.

• If you joined our wine club online, your account is immediately activated with the password you created. No need to do anything else, you are ready to shop!

While logged in, you will receive discounts on any orders you place, you can review any pending orders and track online order shipments.
There will be certain times when you will need your Member ID number. This number is included on the  emails you receive from Wilson Creek, please keep it in a safe place for reference.

For additional assistance logging into your webstore account, please email barbara@wilsoncreekwinery.com

RECIPES TO MAKE WITH OUR ORANGE MIMOSA SPARKLING WINE

CHAMPAGNE DREAMS
Orange Mimosa with pomegranate liquor, garnish with orange slice

CHOCOLATE OBSESSION
Orange Mimosa with chocolate liquor

THE INCORRIGIBLE
Orange Mimosa with pomegranate liquor and raspberry

AMERICAN GLORY
Orange Mimosa and lemonade

ORANGE BLOSSOM
Orange Mimosa and ginger liquor

ORANGE ROYALE
Acai berry liquor and top with Orange Mimosa

CHAMPAGNE COBBLER
Orange Mimosa with curacao and add lemon juice

MORNING GLORY
Orange Mimosa and cherry brandy with a dash of Bitters

MOON over MIMOSA (Beermosa) 
Orange Mimosa with Blue Moon or Shock Top (Belgium White Ale)

For more Sparkling Wine recipes, click HERE

Emmanuel Community Demonstration Garden, Fullerton, planted a small vineyard called the ‘Back Forty’ in 2014. With approximately 100 vines, four rows of Merlot and four rows of Zinfandel, this vineyard serves more than just wine drinkers. After two years of growing, we had our first vintage in 2016. Our aim was to produce sacramental wine for the Church along with wine for our Guild members. We had reasonable/drinkable quality wine that continued to improve each year.

However, during the 2018 Harvest, we noticed that several bunches of grapes had dried up like raisins and the leaves were blotchy thus turning red and dying. The harvest in 2019 wasn’t any better! The vines contained many red colored leaves, which dropped off the vine and brought along the shriveled-up grapes with it. So, we set about finding answers to our problem. After much research and consideration, we thought it was a possibility that we had Pierce’s Disease. What is Pierce’s Disease you may ask? PD is a disease that affects grapevines and is prevalent across the US spanning from California to Florida. The contents of this disease infects different plant hosts and negatively affects the yields of many economically important crops-many more than just grapevines!

Through our research, it was recommended that we join the Temecula Valley Small Wine Growers Association. During the first session we attended, on Zoom, they were talking about Pierce’s Disease. Greg Pennyroyal, Vineyard Manager of Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula, and leader of the association, had instructed concerned grape-growers to drop off samples of their vines to be sent off and tested for this deadly disease-PD. After receiving a plethora of samples, he promptly sent them to their testing site in hopes of being able to salvage vines for the concerned vineyard managers.

A few weeks later, we learned that unfortunately, all of the samples had PD. Although the disease is not harmful to man, it is a death toll for many vines. Because there is no real way to stop this disease from overtaking the vines, the only alternative was to dig them all up and plant anew. This time, we made sure to plant a disease resistant vine that would last and not be overtaken.

We arranged to meet Greg and his foreman, Pedro, at Wilson Creek Winery to discuss our situation and to get their expert advice. Greg shared that he and Pedro had some work planned in Rancho Cucamonga in a couple of weeks and that they would be glad to come and visit our vineyard before returning to Temecula.

Greg was pleasantly surprised with what he saw, saying that it was one of the best designed private vineyards he had ever seen-which meant the world. As they sauntered through our vineyard, Pedro began brainstorming how they could help. He concluded that they would send a group of skilled vineyard workers from Temecula to come and replant our vineyard with vines known to be resistant to PD. We set about preparing our vineyard for replanting.

On March 28, 2021, a Wilson Creek truck appeared in our church parking lot. Before we knew it, we had a crew of 12 helping us revitalize what used to be our prized possession. They worked like a well-oiled machine, each worker knowing precisely what to do. With few breaks, the crew finished the job just before 1pm. Not only had they planted 100 or so vines; they had tied them up to newly placed stakes and modified the watering system for the entire vineyard.

–Emmanuel Community Demonstration Garden and Vineyard

Pumpkin Turkey Chili Recipe

To pair with 2020 Roussanne

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)

1 medium bell pepper, red, yellow, or orange, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/3 pounds ground turkey or chicken

1 15-oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid 

1/4 cup tomato paste, no salt added

1 14-oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

4 cups baby spinach leaves

avocado, optional

Sour cream or nonfat plain Greek yogurt, optional

cilantro, optional

Directions

Liberally coat a large pot or Dutch oven with oil spray and warm over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper sauté, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the garlic, stir everything together and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey or chicken. Use a spatula or a large spool to break up the meat as it cooks. Continue to cook about 6 to 7 minutes, until fully cooked. Add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, pumpkin puree, broth, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, and optional cayenne pepper, and stir. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Right before serving, add the spinach and mix throughout. Enjoy the chili with desired toppings, such as avocado, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, cilantro, and salsa. 

How to Make our Chef’s Famous “Balsamic Steak” 

Perfectly paired with our ’20 Viognier

INGREDIENTS

For the Marinade

1lb sirloin steak

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

For the Salad

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 

2 heads endive lettuce, outer leaves removed, halved, and roughly chopped into 2 in. pieces 

6 cups mixed spring greens

1 corn on the cob, husk removed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for drizzling 

For the Gremolata

1 tablespoons basil leaves

2 table spoons parsley, minced 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon zest 

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette 

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Dash of salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, stir together ingredients for the marinade. Place steaks in a large zip-lock bag. Pour marinade over the steaks, seal the bag, and shake to coat. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Make the gremolata: Combine the basil, parsley, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside. Preheat a cast iron grill pan at a medium-high heat or an outdoor grill. Drizzle corn on the cob with 1 tablespoon olive oil and liberally sprinkle salt and pepper. Using tongs, place on the heated grill. Cook each side until grill marks form on the corn kernels and they are somewhat softened, about 10 minutes total. When cool, slice corn kernels off the cob. Grill steak to a plate and let rest for five minutes. Slice thinly against the grain. In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients for vinaigrette. Toss together half of the vinaigrette, half of the gremolata, mixed greens, endives, tomatoes, gorgonzola, sliced corn, and red onion in a large bowl. Lay sliced steak on top of the salad. Drizzle steak and salad with gremolata and remaining vinaigrette as desired. 

Why Temecula Wineries Like Wilson Creek Are Good For Creating Rose

Grenache Grapes Grown in Temecula

There are two main families of Grenache.  There is the French-style Grenache and then the Tinto Grenache out of Spain.  Both really like the heat, which makes them great for growing in Temecula.  Currently, we have about 3-4 acres of the more traditional Grenache out of France and we just planted 5 acres of Tinto Grenache, which will provide a bit more color and richness and ultimately allow us to create a true varietal Grenache.  Grenache is a very versatile grape that can be used as a great blending grape or varietal; it adds a nice essence to each wine it is blended with.  It is also a very plentiful grape where we get a lot of yield and that makes it great for creating a lot of exciting wines.

One of the unique aspects of Grenache is that it can be grown in all sorts of climates, but it only truly ripens and gets mature in warmer climates.  So, when you see an expression of Grenache in Temecula it is outside of the usual expectation of places where Grenache is harvested.  Much of the Grenache we know is from places like Provence where it is harvested when it is younger because many of the wine-growing regions in the world are much further North and it doesn’t have the climate to reach full maturity.  This has a lot to do with old world and modern day refrigeration.  Old world there were only so many places where you could actually store the wine by digging into the side of a hill and then storing your barrels essentially underground to keep them under the 62-degree threshold necessary to store wine.  With modern refrigeration you are now able to grow and preserve wines in varying climates, which allow them to fully mature in growing regions like Temecula.