Winery Spotlight Series: July 2024

Posted on June 24, 2024 by mcginnessalex

Winery Spotlight Wine Tasting
Austin Hope
Paso Robles, California

July 2024

We’re thrilled to introduce these wines to you! Last September, we had the opportunity to visit the Austin Hope Winery − part of Hope Family Wines − during our annual WineStyles conference in Paso Robles. We had the pleasure of sampling their fantastic range of wines. Now, we invite you to join us for a new Winery Spotlight tasting event, where we’ll be showcasing five different wines from their remarkable line. Please join us!

Wines Tasted:

Treana Sauvignon Blanc
Treana Cabernet Sauvignon
Treana Red
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon
Quest Red Blend

To reserve a spot and attend the wine tasting, please contact your local participating WineStyles store, or reserve your tickets on their local Eventbrite.

Spotlight_Austin_Hope_July

About Treana:
Treana embodies the essential elements shaping their wines: the fertile land they farm, the warm California sun, and the cooling ocean breeze. The Pacific Ocean’s afternoon breezes cause significant diurnal temperature shifts, preserving the grapes’ natural acidity. Abundant sunshine during the growing season provides warmth, creating ideal conditions for grape cultivation. The Central Coast wine region in California offers some of the most unique and diverse soil types, further enhancing the quality of Treana’s wines.

About Quest:
As makers and dreamers, the minds behind Quest are never at rest, constantly pursuing untapped possibilities. Quest was born from a love of American oak and the Cabernet Franc varietal. Cabernet Franc is noble grape of the Bordeaux region not widely planted in California, particularly in Paso Robles, due to its specific soil and temperature requirements. After years of trial and error, the Hope Family team found the ideal terroir and microclimate in the Paso Robles AVA for the meticulous Cabernet Franc. With established vines, they collaborated with coopers to craft luxury American oak barrels that would enhance their vision for a world-class Cabernet Franc blend. Creating an exceptional Cabernet Franc, akin to crafting an exquisite Pinot Noir, demands careful attention to soil, site, and temperature.

About Austin Hope:
Winemaker Austin Hope launched his namesake label in 2000, five years after assuming leadership of the family business. Initially, Austin Hope wines focused on Rhône varieties cultivated at the Hope family’s estate vineyard. In 2017, after years of exploration and only when he was confident in creating something extraordinary, Austin unveiled his first Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine quickly became a benchmark for Paso Robles. Today, Austin Hope wines represent Austin’s dedication to elevating Paso Robles on the global stage.

Austin Hope is the mark of their family’s multigenerational legacy in Paso Robles, reserved for the finest expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon and estate Rhône varieties. These are the definitive wines from Wine Enthusiast’s 2022 American Winery of the Year.

“The goal is simple: to make wines that express everything Paso Robles has to offer, with its pastoral beauty, perfect soils, maritime climate and limitless possibility.” – Owner-Winemaker Austin Hope

Map of Hope Family vineyards

About Hope Family Wines:
In 1978, Austin Hope’s family settled in Paso Robles, establishing vineyards and apple orchards. Unaware of Paso Robles’ future as a premier wine growing region, they continued farming. Today, Hope Family Wines thrives with six distinct brands: Liberty School, Treana, Quest, Austin Hope, Troublemaker, and the newest addition, Austin. Recognitions include Austin Hope being named the 2019 “Wine Person of the Year” by Paso Robles, their 2017 Austin Hope label ranking #10 on Wine Enthusiast’s “Top 100 Enthusiast Wines of the World,” and their recent accolade as Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year in 2022. To learn more on their website, click here.

Let’s Taste, Learn and Enjoy® together!

Contact your local participating WineStyles to RSVP for this tasting event.

Winery Spotlight Wine Tasting
Austin Hope – Paso Robles, California
July 2024

Cheers!

WineStyles.com

June Bubbly Club Iowa

Posted on May 31, 2024 by mcginnessalex

Schramsberg Vineyards
Brut Rosé
North Coast, California

BUBBLY WINE STYLE

Schramsberg’s Brut Rosé is fruitful, complex and dry, making it both versatile with food and delicious by itself as an apéritif. The character of the wine is strongly influenced by bright, flavorful Pinot Noir grown along the coast from southern Mendocino County to northern Marin County. A few small lots of Pinot Noir are fermented in contact with their skins to add depth and subtle color to this vibrant sparkling wine. Chardonnay gives spice, structure and length on the palate.

“The 2019 Brut Rosé opens with enticing aromas of raspberry, strawberry and peach, intermingled with layers of lemon shortbread, brioche and a hint of white florals. A bright entry of watermelon, cherry-limeade, candied orange and sugar cookie leads to a long quenching finish.” – Winemakers Sean Thompson, Jessica Koga and Hugh Davies

Analysis: 13% alcohol / volume
Varietal: 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay
TA: 8.0 g/L
pH: 3.19
RS: 9.0 g/L
Appellation: North Coast, California
County Composition: 48% Sonoma, 24% Napa, 22% Mendocino, 6% Marin
Harvest Dates: August 20 – September 24th, 2019
Release Date: September 1st, 2022
Barrel Fermentation: 32%
Critical Acclaim: 93 pts Wine Enthusiast, 92 pts Wine Spectator
Serving Suggestions: This is a very versatile wine; try it with sushi, salmon, rock shrimp, roast chicken BBQ ribs, Caprese and Panzanella salads, red berry tarts and an array of cheeses, charcuterie, nuts and fresh fruit. For more recipe inspiration, click here.

SchramsbergVineyards_Vineyard-Sources-2020

Production & Winemaking:
Hand picking, careful handling and gentle pressing produce a wine of delicacy, aromatic purity and depth. Following the fall harvest and fermentation of the base wines, extensive tasting trails are carried out in the spring to create a polished blend reflective of the vintage. The finished blend undergoes a second fermentation in bottle before aging on its yeast lees for about two years, just enough to achieve refined effervescence and toastiness without diminishing its refreshing, vibrant appeal.

For 2019, winter brought an abundant amount of rainfall which helped restore the water reservoirs that had suffered from years of drought. With additional late rains in May, the vines had ample water for the growing season. The transition from veraison to full ripeness was very consistent due to the warm, but not hot, temperatures that were maintained during the summer. Harvest started slightly later than average, and in the end brought a bountiful crop with exceptional fruit structure, depth of flavor, and bright acidity.

About Hugh Davies – President and CEO:

Hugh Davies was born in 1965, the year his parents, Jack and Jamie Davies, revived the historic Schramsberg Vineyards property in Napa Valley. Forty years later, Hugh was named president and CEO of the then 40-year-old sparkling wine house. Prior to 2005, he held the dual responsibilities of winemaker and general manager for the winery. He serves on the board of directors for the Napa Valley Vintners (president 2006), and with his family, chaired the 2004 Auction Napa Valley. For prior hands-on experience in the wine industry before joining Schramsberg, Hugh worked with Möet et Chandon in Epernay; Petaluma Winery in South Australia, and Mumm in Napa Valley, among others.

About Schramsberg Vineyards:

In 1965, Jack and Jamie Davies established Schramsberg as a sparkling wine estate on the property originally founded in 1862 by German immigrant Jacob Schram. At a time when there were only 22 bonded wineries in Napa Valley and fewer than 100 acres of California vineyards planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, they set out to make world-class sparkling wine in the true méthode champenoise style. Theirs was the first California winery to provide a Blanc de Blancs in 1965 followed by a Blanc de Noirs in 1967. Now their son Hugh Davies, who was born the same year the Davies arrived at Schramsberg, leads the winery’s management and winemaking team. Learn more here.

Learn more about our Bubbly Club >

May Sweet Club: Iowa

Posted on April 24, 2024 by mcginnessalex

Carl Sittmann
Riesling
Mosel, Germany

NECTAR WINE STYLE

The Carl Sittmann Riesling features notes of green apples, pears, and apricots on the nose. Its sweet peach and apple flavors are delicately offset by crisp acidity, ensuring the wine remains elegantly refreshing and not overly sweet.

Analysis: 9.5% alcohol / volume
Varietal: 100% Riesling
Region: Mosel, Germany

WineStyles’ Wine and Cheese Pairing: Reach for a tangy goat’s milk cheese to complement the wine’s acidity and fruity notes. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.

Terra d’Oro
Moscato
Amador County, California

NECTAR WINE STYLE

Inviting aromas of honey, white peach, honeysuckle, pineapple and lemon zest lead into vibrant flavors of Meyer lemon, pineapple and a hint of anise. The wine has a pleasing viscosity on the palate and finishes with fresh acidity. This makes the Terra d’Oro Moscato extremely versatile and enjoyable with a meal as well as after it. Try it with spicy Asian cuisine, or a fruit tart.

Analysis: 9.5% alcohol / volume
Varietal: 100% Moscato
Acidity: 0.63 g/100mL
pH: 3.27

WineStyles’ Wine and Cheese Pairing: If you’re looking for a dessert pairing, mascarpone cheese topped with some tart fruit jam is a fantastic choice. Its creamy texture and mild flavor with a punch from the jam will pair well with the sweetness of Moscato, making it suitable for desserts or as a simple, luxurious treat. Learn more about our wine and cheese pairings here.

Vineyard Notes:
Moscato, also called Muscat, is grown in nearly every wine-producing region in the world, resulting in an array of styles. It is believed the name derived from the French word “Musque”, meaning “perfumed”— a fitting moniker for this intensely aromatic variety. Grapes were sourced from several select vineyards to create a wine with that perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

Winemaker Notes:
When making the Moscato, the goal was to craft a wine that is full of flavor with perceptible sweetness, yet is still light on the palate. The Terra d’Oro Moscato is crafted in a different manner than their other varietals. Grapes are destemmed and crushed in stainless steel tanks and left overnight before pressing. This “cap and drain” method keeps the grapes in contact with their skins for an extended period, delivering greater varietal intensity. After gentle pressing, 70% of the juice is inoculated with yeast. The remaining unfermented juice is kept at a very low temperature and then added back into the blend after fermentation to create a lightly sweet and refreshing wine with a lower alcohol.

About the Winery:
Amador’s first winery established after Prohibition was founded in 1970 by renowned winemaker Cary Gott, and he released the first wines under the Terra d’Oro label in 1973. Terra d’Oro’s early success with Amador Zinfandel and other wines, in particular Italian varietals, were key in helping re-establish the region’s reputation for fine wine. In 1988, the Trinchero family, which had been purchasing grapes from the Amador region for 20 years, purchased the winery and 240-acre vineyard. Over the years, the family invested in subsequent vineyards, and in early 2000, completed construction of a new, state-of-the-art winery at the site of the original winery, designed to unlock the potential of each acre of Terra d’Oro’s vineyards. Today, Terra d’Oro farms produces award-winning wines from its 800+ acres of sustainably farmed vines in Amador County and the Clarksburg AVA. Learn more about their sustainable practices here.

Love the Sweet life?
“Wine” not try our Sweet Club!

Click here to learn more >

May Bubbly Club Iowa

Posted on April 24, 2024 by mcginnessalex

Bodegas Manzanos
Berceo Brut
Cava, Spain

BUBBLY WINE STYLE

This Brut Cava D.O. is pale lemon, clean and bright in color; it has a good release of small bubbles that end up forming a cheerful crown of mousse. On the nose, there is a high intensity aroma dominated by citrus fruit (lemon, grapefruit) and dairy. Autolytic and honey aromas of aging in bottle are distinguished. On the palate, this wine is fresh, fruity and pleasant with balanced acidity and very good aromatic persistence.

Varietal: Xarel·lo, Macabeo, Parellada
Terroir: Grapes varieties are from vineyards located in the Penedès region. It’s the territory between the sea and mountains, halfway between Barcelona and Tarragona. It has a great diversity of microclimates, a consequence of its proximity to the coast and its altitude. The climate is typically Mediterranean, mild and warm.
Serving Suggestions: Risotto, shellfish, smoked foods or aperitif.

Winemaking:
Made using the “méthode champenoise” or “traditional method” of the Cava DO. Blend or coupage of the traditional varieties of the appellation. Second fermentation in the bottle, as is traditional, with subsequent aging. Disgorgement and subsequent addition of the expedition liquor or dosage.

About Berceo:

In the XIII Century, a monk and poet named Gonzalo de Berceo lived in La Rioja, in the Monastery of Suso. At that time, the languages spoken in the area were Arabic and Basque. Back then, Latin was the only written idiom. Gonzalo de Berceo dared to write in Spanish, in a religious poem that also made mention to wine. Since then, Berceo was a very important link between history and wine culture.

About Bodegas Manzanos:

The history of Manzanos Wines is the story of a family, their effort, their perseverance and their know-how. The Fernández de Manzanos have been cultivating vineyards and producing wines for more than a century. It was exactly in 1890 when the first generation of the Fernández de Manzanos family established a small winery in Azagra with a capacity of 50,000 liters of wine. Nowadays, the public faces of Bodegas Manzanos are those of the brothers Víctor, and David Fernández de Manzanos, as well as Laura Mateo, wife of the former. In 2010, these young entrepreneurs took the reins of the winery to turn Bodegas Manzanos into a prosperous business, modern and endowed with the latest technologies in the field. A business that has managed to preserve the old flavor of tradition and its legacy. Learn more here.

Emmolo
Sparkling No. 6
California

BUBBLY WINE STYLE

The nose features notes of Meyer lemon blossom, baked brioche, pear and a hint of green apple with vibrant minerality. The palate is fresh but complex. Satsuma citrus with echoes of pear. Opens round and creamy, then turns zesty with bright natural acidity carrying through to the finish.

Varietal: 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir – Being non-vintage allows the winery to build a desired character that is serious, yet light and fresh.
Style differentiator: A prolonged en tirage for 41 months gives this wine creaminess and depth. Extremely fine bubbles provide elegance.
Dosage: 2021 Chardonnay from Monterey gives this wine some of its fresh character.
Vineyards: Monterey, Sonoma and Santa Barbara counties. The extended growing season in these cooler coastal regions leads to wine of heightened complexity.
Serving Suggestions from Winemaker, Jenny Wagner: Cheese puff with biscuit dough, smoked salmon tartine, popcorn or just enjoy on its own.

Winemaker Notes:
“My goal is to create an elegant wine with a richly developed character. Even tough this is a California sparkling, I take inspiration from my favorite Champagnes.” – Jenny Wagner, Owner and Winemaker

About the Winery:
“Emmolo is the name of my mom’s side of the family, which has a long farming history in Napa Valley. My mom, Cheryl Emmolo, has no brothers and wanted to keep the name alive. She dreamed of making wine using family vineyards, and I feel very fortunate that she passed the reins on to me. When I showed my first wine to my grandparents, it was very emotional for all of us.” – Jenny Wagner

Emmolo Winery, established by Cheryl Emmolo in 1994, is deeply rooted in the rich wine history of Napa Valley. Cheryl’s vision was to honor her family’s long-standing tradition in the region, dating back to her grandfather, who operated a vine nursery in the 1920s. Today, her daughter Jenny Wagner has taken the helm as the winemaker, emphasizing minimalist winemaking techniques that showcase the unique characteristics of their varietals. Through a delicate balance of tradition and innovation, Emmolo continues to produce exceptional wines that are a tribute to their heritage and a delight to wine enthusiasts. Learn more here.

Learn more about our Bubbly Club >

Winery Spotlight Series: April 2024

Posted on March 25, 2024 by mcginnessalex

Winery Spotlight Wine Tasting
Hope Family Wines
Paso Robles, California

April 2024

We’re thrilled to introduce these wines to you! Last September, we had the opportunity to visit the Austin Hope Winery − part of Hope Family Wines − during our annual WineStyles conference in Paso Robles. We had the pleasure of sampling their fantastic range of wines. Now, we invite you to join us for the Hope Family Wines Winery Spotlight tasting event, where we’ll be showcasing five of their remarkable wines. Please join us!

Wines Tasted:

Austin Chardonnay
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon
Austin Cabernet Sauvignon
Liberty School Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Troublemaker Blend 16

To reserve a table and attend the wine tasting, please contact your local participating WineStyles store, or reserve your tickets on Eventbrite.

Sustainability:
Hope Family Wines is committed to sustainable growing practices that promote vine health, improve wine quality, and ensure that growers remain profitable. The number of tractor passes is kept to a minimum, protecting the integrity of the root structures and avoiding compacting the soil. Hope Family Wines works actively with the Central Coast Vineyard Team to promote best practices in the vineyards. They also use self-assessment tools put together by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers to gauge progress and identify areas for improvement over time. This multi-pronged approach to growing, from winter pruning through fall harvest, ensures we use only the finest grapes for each of our labels.

SIP Certified:
Chuck and Austin Hope believe their stewardship of their estate vineyard reaches far beyond the vineyard rows to ensure the ecosystem thrives. They’ve created wildlife corridors so the native quail, deer and maybe a wild boar or two, can pass through the vineyard. Their estate vineyards are SIP Certified ensuring they focus on preservation and protection of natural and human resources. Learn more about their sustainability efforts >

About Austin Hope – Winemaker & President:
Austin Hope began his journey in Paso Robles in 1978 when his family acquired a ranch. Assigned to work in the vineyards as punishment by his father, Chuck Hope, a young Austin surprised everyone by embracing the task at just eight years old. While studying Fruit Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California, Austin’s family laid the groundwork for Treana Winery. When his uncle passed away in 1996, Chuck turned to Austin to lead the business. Teaming up with winemaker Chris Phelps, Austin ventured into producing red table wine from Paso Robles, then a lesser-known region. His boldness paid off; today, Austin continues to expand his wine portfolio, driven by his unwavering commitment to showcasing Paso Robles’ essence in every bottle.