The Wilson Family Story
Many of you have asked, “So what’s your story here?” So we thought we would take this issue of the
newsletter to do a synopsis of how our family started the winery. Ready?
It all began in 1995
when we tossed around the idea of
running a winery. Here’s how it
happened.
So Gerry and Rosie sold their house
in South Pasadena and moved to
Temecula. They rented a house (house
#1) until the winery, and their house
could be built. Then, after delays on
Our family is basically Midwestern.
the permitting and construction, they
Gerry and Rosie Wilson used to make
had to move and rent another house
dandelion and rhubarb wine in their
(house #2) in Temecula because the
basement in Minnesota. They both
landlord had to move back into house
lived in Minnesota for years and raised
#1. After only two months in house
the Wilson kids there until we all
#2, it sold right away even though the
moved to South Pasadena, California in
real estate agent said it would take a
1969. By the way, FYI, their 50th
long time. Once again they had to
wedding anniversary is next year! In
move and rent yet another house
the early 1990s Gerry and Rosie retired.
(house #3) in Temecula. That’s three
Rosie was a school teacher for years
moves in just over a year (who out
teaching Home Economics and Gerry
there likes moving?). In the
worked for a money management firm.
meantime, Libby and Craig Johns
moved to Temecula in 1996, and in
In 1995,with all the kids out of the
Left
to
right
standing:
Libby
and
Craig
Johns,
Heather
1997 Bill and Jenifer Wilson sold their
nest, our parents decided to move... but
Wilson,
Mick
Wilson,
Bill
Wilson,
Jenifer
Wilson,
and
house in Mission Viejo and moved to a
to where? Craig Johns (Libby Wilson’s
Christopher
Wilson.
Lower
row:
Gavin
Johns,
Cambria
mobile home on the property. For their
husband) sowed the seed and suggested
Wilson
in
Gerry
Wilson’s
lap,
Hayden
Johns
in
Rosie
first months they had no septic (porta
Gerry look at the possibility of moving
Wilson’s
lap,
Cassidy
Wilson,
and
center
with
scarf
is
potty), no water, no phone, and their
to wine country in Santa Ynez and
(gopher hunting)
Merlot
Wilson.
Not
pictured:
Taffy
Wilson
doublewide was powered by a small
growing grapes. Hmmmm. That would
generator that wasn’t big enough to run
be interesting... and fun!
any AC. They stuck it out and lived there with their two little girls as
Then Bill Wilson heard through a friend that there was a small winery
Bill helped build the winery. In 1999 Mick Wilson moved down to
for sale in Temecula. Gerry and Rosie knew this area because it was
join the family venture.
their getaway place to play golf. So we all drove down and looked at
So now it is 1998, and we had a large steel frame for the winery built.
the winery. As a family we all liked this new idea of running a winery
At this time Gerry and Rosie bought the home you now see on the hill.
together, with Gerry and Rosie running the tasting bar. Even though
So that is now four moves in 2 years. During this process a
we had no experience, we did possess a combination of adventure, risk,
sub-contractor who built the frame of the winery had some financial
go-for-it-ness, and insanity. But there were some obstacles. We all
problems and bailed on the project. That left us hanging with just a
lived outside of Temecula. Bill and his wife Jenifer lived in Mission
steel frame, and we were out of money and options. Rosie jokes that
Viejo, Libby and Craig lived in Solvang, and Mick lived in Arcadia.
we ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, but really lived it up
So would the whole family relocate? The seller of the small winery
for dinner with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This lull lasted for
really didn’t want to sell, and after 6 months of negotiating with us, he
another year, until in late 1998 we got an SBA loan from a bank who
decided that he really wanted to keep his winery. But as it turned out,
believed we could succeed. During these years we also worked on
it was a blessing in disguise.
cleaning up the property and the landscaping. We trucked out over 20
So here was the dilemma! As a family, we loved the idea of a
big trailers of trash including mattresses, old couches and toilets just
winery, but other wineries for sale in the state were prohibitively
thrown on the property. Besides the vines, it was literally an
(no, ridiculously) expensive. We eventually heard of a vineyard for
overgrown dump site. The area down by the lower bridge was
sale in Temecula on Rancho California Rd. It had no infrastructure
completely trashed and overgrown. We all pitched in and planted trees,
whatsoever (no power, no septic, no phone, no nothin’, just grapes).
flowers, and grass. It was tough work digging trenches, pouring
So what do you do? Give up a dream of running a winery because
concrete, building fences, rigging irrigation, putting in power, etc.
they are too expensive, or go for it and buy a vineyard and build from
And we were basically suburbanites doing most of this ourselves.
scratch? Insanity prevailed. We took the risk and bought the 20 acre
vineyard in 1996.
Because we had NO real background in vineyard management and
winemaking (and because we had NO winery at this time) we sought
outside help. The vines continued to be maintained by a professional
vineyard manager (before we bought the vineyard, the grapes that were
harvested were sent up to Napa... that other wine area up north ).
We slowly started keeping some of the grapes and making wine at
other wineries. Our grapes were crushed and fermented and
bottled by local wineries including Thornton and Callaway, who both
helped us a lot in getting started. Also, Maurice Carrie, Cilurzo,
Mount Palomar, and especially Stuart Cellars were extremely
helpful. No one really knew how good our vines were until we came
out with our popular 1996 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and our 1996
and 1997 Estate Chardonnay. We now had some wine we could sell
when (or if) we opened.
So now it is 1999, and because of the loan we were able to finish the
basics of the winery. At this time our first wedding was held in the
lower grass area – the front lawn was still dirt. Gerry and Rosie now
have four Temecula grandchildren: Cassidy and Cambria Wilson
(5&7), and Hayden and Gavin Johns (1&5). We had an official Grand
Opening in 2000 with over 1100 people visiting us in one day.
Parking was quite a challenge!
bottles, but during the week he oversees our finances. Rosie cooks
lunch for the staff EVERY day, helps with tasks on our special events,
and keeps up with all the flowers. Bill is the General Manager who
oversees the vineyard, winemaking, projects, and special events.
His wife Jenifer coordinates the weddings and oversees the gift shop.
Libby Johns does all our Human Resources and payroll (over 35
full and part-time employees), Craig Johns does our web site
(www.wilsoncreekwinery.com) and helps with the big special events.
Mick oversees the Wine Club of over 2200 members (we heard it is
the fastest growing Wine Club in California), marketing, and all the
landscaping.
We’re still learning and growing. We are not out of the woods yet, but
our head is above water. The main thing is that we all work together,
and Gerry loves the fact that all his children and grandchildren are
here. His commute to work is about 250 feet with a cup of coffee in
hand. It doesn’t get much better than that.
So here we are in 2002, and we are having a blast! In the last two
years we built the gazebo and the new jazz stage, had over 150
weddings, went from 2000 cases the first year to around 15,000 cases a
year now, and are raising some eyebrows with our recent humanitarian
awards and wine awards. The whole family is still involved. Gerry is
in the tasting room on weekends giving Wine Club tours and signing
Gerry, Rosie,
and Libby
pouring at
the tasting bar.
THESE DAYS, THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING HAPPENING
AT WILSON CREEK!
ure”
for the C ised
lk
a
W
“
d and ra
Diabetes
Juvenile eople participate is event
Th
0p
Over 60 00 for research. Club “Vine
,0
e
0
in
1
1
W
$
the
over
idea for
e
th
d
e
k
spar
er.”
nd Dinn
Tasting a
Craig Johns pouring our Estate 2001
Zinfandel as Rosie Wilson oversees, and
winemaker "Mikey" shaking hands at the
recent Wine Club BBQ. Over 300 attended!
Our drea
mc
wine wa ame true. Yes, W
s consum
il
last mon
ed at the son Creek
th. Well
not actu White House
all
House, b y in the White
ut in fro
nt (har).
Dancing
at Joey &
ndraiser
fu
l
a
Ma
v
ti
Comedy
s
fe
d
n
s
a
d
b
raising fu ria’s Italian Din
“Thunder,” the the Lake Elsinore Storm mascot
ity
ban
ne
nds for L
Commun 5-30 piece wind llis/stage.
ake Elsin r
2
and Wilson Creek Winery pouring Almond Champagne
tre
o
re
featuring under our new hony soon.
Animal F
at the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival
mp
ing
riends.
perform ning a sunset sy
n
We’re pla
“EXTENDED FAMILY”
Wine Club News
WILSON CREEK WINERY & VINEYARDS
“Quality Wines & Quality Times!”
June/July 2002
2002
GOLD
WINNER
Issue 6
AND THE recent WINE COMPETITION TALLY IS:
5 GOLD, 5 SILVER, & 9 BRONZE MEDALS, & 1 BEST OF CLASS
We have been blown away at the results of the first four wine competitions we have entered. The results recently came in from the New
World International Wine Competition, Riverside International Wine Competition (469 wineries and over 2500 wines were represented),
the Los Angeles County Fair (one of the most prestigious wine competitions), and the Orange County Fair (just under 3000 wines were
represented). We felt like little kids when they win their first ribbon. We competed against wines from Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Paso
Robles, Washington, Oregon, New York (Finger Lakes), Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. So little “David” went up against some
“Goliaths” and came out a winner. We were told by the L.A. County Fair that we walked away with more medals than most of the wineries
– and this included big wineries who entered over 40 wines each. Yep, little ol’ Wilson Creek Winery enters 9 wines in LA County Fair and
comes away with 7 medals. Not bad for a two year old winery!
2000 Estate Chardonnay
Riverside International Wine Competition . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
2001 White Cabernet
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BEST OF CLASS
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOLD medal
New World International Wine Competition . . . . . . BRONZE medal
Orange County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SILVER medal
2000 Mourvedre
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GOLD medal
Riverside International Wine Competition . . . . . . . . GOLD medal
2000 Reserve Merlot
New World Internal Wine Competition . . . . . . . . . . GOLD medal
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
2000 Double Dog Old Vine Zinfandel
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
MEET OUR WINEMAKER
Interview
With
MIKE CALABRO
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE AND APPROACH
TO WINEMAKING?
I love the taste of wine and the challenge of making a great wine. I’m
Italian, so it is in my blood (uncles and grandfather). I am passionate
about the winemaking process, from the vine to the bottle.
Everyone has different taste, so I hope to create something that
everyone can enjoy. For example, our Cabernet has enough fruit for
the novice to enjoy and enough finish for the experts. I am proud of
our line-up in that we offer a wide range of wines that anyone can
enjoy. The style I’d like to bring is big, full bodied, red wines (my
personal favorite), yet in the whites I concentrate on the wines specific
to the Temecula Valley that grow well, such as Viogner, Riesling, and
yes, Chardonnay. I strive to let each varietal be itself, rather than
Duet Late Harvest Zinfandel/Cabernet
Riverside International Wine Competition . . . . . . . . SILVER medal
Decadencia Chocolate Port
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SILVER medal
New World International Wine Competition . . . . . . SILVER medal
New World International Label Competition . . . . . . GOLD medal
Green Hungarian
New World International Wine Competition . . . . . . BRONZE medal
2001 Riesling
Riverside International Wine Competition . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
Orange County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SILVER medal
2000 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (to be released this fall)
Los Angeles County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
Riverside International Wine Competition . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
Orange County Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BRONZE medal
try to make it something
it is not. In the reds, I
want to bring out the
varietal quality of
Rhone style reds
(Mourvedre, Syrah,
Grenache), as well as
Italian/Tuscan reds (such as Sangiovese) and the big reds such as our
estate 2000 Cabernet and 2001 Zinfandel that is now at a BIG 16.9%
alcohol level. You can almost drink this bad boy with a fork.
WHY WORK AT WILSON CREEK WINERY?
One reason is that Wilson Creek has what I consider to be the best
Cabernet and Zinfandel vineyards in the area. A view of winemaking
I stand by is to start with a good grape and don’t screw it up. I also
love Wilson Creek because the family gave me an opportunity to
pursue my passion of winemaking. Wine is truly a remarkable creation,
and I enjoy the entire process – starting with a good grape and getting
a fine wine into the bottle. We are all learning together, and other
winemakers in the valley have been very helpful in giving me feedback
and advice. But, the main reason is that I like the Wilson family. The
environment is fun and energetic. I am also a contractor, so when not
making wine, I help them build things and do the electrical work.
W ILSON C REEK W INERY & V INEYARDS
•
“EXTENDED FAMILY” WINE CLUB
So as do each of the Wilsons, I wear many hats too. I am
affectionately referred by Wilsons as “Mikey.”
WHAT ELSE?
I live in San Diego and commuting to Temecula to make
wine is a pleasure. I don’t mind waking up at 5AM and getting
home at 6PM because of the traffic. Really! I also love
interacting with Wine Club members. I enjoy it when they leave
Wilson Creek Winery knowing a little more about winemaking,
and are able to enjoy wine even more. What other beverage do
we smell, sniff, evaluate, rate, discuss, debate, slurp, fuss over,
analyze, and enjoy so much as wine? It is rather miraculous that
a grape, once fermented, can taste like cherry pie, chololate,
cinnamon, plum etc. I am proud that the judges in the recent
prestigious wine competitions have rated our wines among
the best.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
AT WILSON CREEK?
ALMOND CHAMPAGNE IN STORES NEAR YOU
You can now buy our Almond Champagne in these stores:
• Albertsons in Temecula on Rancho California Rd. and the one
on Hwy 79, Alberstons in Murrieta, and Albertsons in Lake
Elsinore
• Long’s Drug in Temecula on Rancho California Rd.
and the store on Winchester Rd.
• Save-on Drugs in Temecula
• Holiday Wine Cellars in Escondido
• Paradise Wines in Ventura
• Wally’s IGA in Imperial Beach
• Daniel’s Market in Bonsall
More on the way! We’ll keep you posted.
NEW TASTING TICKETS
Next time you visit us, you will notice that we are using tear off
tasting tickets for both Wine Club members and other guests as
well. This will help us control the flow of the wine tasting bars
(weekends only). You still receive your complimentary tasting
for up to four people which includes 5 tastes per person.
We still want to stay personal and family oriented, but we had to
do this because with four tasting bars on the weekends it gets a
bit hectic. So when you visit us, just belly up to any bar and you
will get a small tasting coupon with 5 tear off tickets, and then
enjoy the 5 free tastes out of the large Wine Club glasses. Oh ya,
remember that the Wine Club glasses stay at the winery, and if a
Wilson is available (which is most of the time) you can taste out
of the barrels in the back barrel room.
WEB SITE UPDATED
Some of you have noticed that our web site has finally been
updated. We have been getting thousands of hits a month and
are running smoother than ever. This is due to the fact that Craig
Johns has taken over the web site and brought it to the next level.
It is more user friendly and interactive. Check it out at
www.wilsoncreekwinery.com. When you order wine online, you
get the same Wine Club discounts (20% off bottles and 25% off
cases).
WEDDING DATES AVAILABLE
August 24th and September 21st are available. We just had two
rare wedding cancellations, so these prime dates are open for a
wedding this year. 125 person minimum. Most all other wedding
dates are booked for a year.
A GREAT QUOTE WE JUST HEARD FROM THE AUTHOR
OF THE WINE BIBLE:
“IF ZINFANDEL WERE A GUY,
HALF THE WOMEN IN AMERICA WOULD MARRY IT.”
EXCLUSIVE WINE CLUB EVENT
SUNSET “VINE TASTING” AND DINNER
Friday, August 9th at 6:30PM
Imagine a nice evening strolling through the vineyards sipping
wine as the sun sets, then returning to the winery to enjoy a glass
of wine with an elegant dinner; kind of a “Vine tasting” –
walking through our estate vines while tasting estate wines.
Small groups will be taken on the tour but will rejoin for dinner.
As we walk through our Cabernet vineyard while tasting our
Cabernet wine, the Wilson family and our winemaker will
describe the vines and the wine. We will pass through our
Chardonnay vines, and finishing again with our Cabernet
vineyard. You will see where the Pierce’s Disease has ravaged
much of the area, but you will also see acres of flourishing vines.
The 360 degree view of mountains, vines and the famous
Rainbow Gap is incredible. It will be fun, informative,
interactive, tasty, and unique.
The price is $60/person, $70 for non-Wine Club member’s guests
(limit: 3 guests per Wine Club member). The price includes
appetizers, wine tasting amidst the vines with cheese and
crackers, and dinner with a glass of wine or beer (additional wine
and beer for sale by the glass). Seating is limited, so make your
reservations early. Call (909) 699-9463 M-F from 10-5 or come
by the tasting room to get your tickets. Prepaid only.
UPCOMING EVENTS
70’S PARTY/CONCERT/DANCE
Saturday, August 3rd at 7 - 10:00PM
$35, $30 (Wine Club price)
Be entertained, and dance to the sounds and performance of a
fun 70’s band. Dress in the typical 70’s attire (get out those
bell-bottoms, gold chains, and tacky shirts). Awards for best
costumes. Ticket includes two drinks, and appetizers. Call us
for tickets and more details. Limited tickets. Prepaid only.
SUNSET JAZZ CONCERT
Saturday, September 14th
Mark your calendars for an amazing evening of top notch live
smooth jazz. It will be energetic, fun, and entertaining. Prices
and times to be announced in the next newsletter, but mark your
calendar! Tickets will be discounted for Wine Club members.
3rd Annual Harvest Party at Wilson Creek
Saturday, October 12th
Grape stomping, kids activities, BBQ, live music! More
information in the next newsletter. More information in the next
newsletter. Tickets will be discounted for Wine Club members.
Left to right:
Bill Wilson,
JR Richardson
(bartender at the
winery) Gerry Wilson,
and Mick Wilson
(on knee).
Golf Champions at Temecula Creek Inn
Wilson Creek scrambled a bit, but this
foursome eventually WON the fund
raising golf tournament for the Juvenile
Diabetes Foundation. By the way, we
are thinking about doing a Wine Club
golf tournament sometime this year.
We’ll keep you posted.
Above:
Thunder Mascot
“Thunder” the wild
and off-the-wall
mascot for the minor
league baseball
team, the Lake
Elsinore Storm,
Special Olympics Torch Run
poses with Craig
Law enforcement officers carry the torch along
Rancho California Rd. ending up at Wilson Creek Johns while holding
in their fund raiser that raised money for Special a private labeled
bottle of our Almond
Olympics. This year’s event raised three times
Champagne.
the amount as last year.
SAVE UP TO $85
ATTENTION GOLF
LOVERS
WINE CLUB MEMBERS RECEIVE
FOUR
FOUR FOR THE PRICE OF THREE
During the winter holidays Wine Club
members received a coupon for Temeku Hills Golf and Country
Club. Well, that went over so well that we are doing it again, but
at a different golf course. We have partnered with one of the most
pristine golf courses here in Temecula, CrossCreek Golf Club.
Wine Club members get a free round when they book a foursome.
It works like this: Come visit our winery and ask for your golf
coupon. Then bring your foursome to CrossCreek and only pay
for three! Depending on what day of the week you play, this
could save you $85.00! (Valid all 7 days, sorry no cash value.)
Hey, this is a great offer for our Wine Club, so jump on it – and
enjoy a complimentary
tasting when you pick up your
coupon!! Expires: 12-15-02
THIS SHIPMENT’S
FEATURE WINES
2001 WHITE CABERNET
$22.95/bottle, $234.09/case
WINE CLUB PRICE: $18.36/bottle, $206.55/case
Many of you helped in the selection of these two wines. Our 2001
White Cabernet has been flying out the door. And the judges agree.
The 2002 Los Angeles County Fair voted it BEST OF CLASS and the
GOLD medal (that is amazing to get both by the way!). The New
World International Wine Competition gave it a BRONZE medal and
the Orange County Fair awarded it a SILVER medal. We have yet to
hear from the California State Fair. The grapes in this White Cabernet
come from our estate RED Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. But because
we pressed the juice away from the skins before fermentation of the
juice, the wine is white. So when you present this bottle to some
friends at a dinner, and they say, “What? A WHITE Cabernet?
What’s that?” You can now say, “Well, grape juice is white, but in
this wine the juice was never in contact with the red skins while
fermenting, so the wine remained white. Because there is no skin
contact, the wine is sweeter and fruitier than a red Cabernet
Sauvignon. Kinda cool, eh? In contrast, the RED Cabernet Sauvignon
is fermented with the skins, then the skins are pressed through a big
bladder press after fermentation. So the wine is red, and full of more
tannins (from the seeds and skins). In fact if you keep the skins in
contact with the juice for just a few hours during fermentation, you
will have a pink Cabernet, typically called “Rose of Cabernet.” See
how smart you will sound! By the way, we have slowly started
distributing to local restaurants, and our White Cabernet is the 2nd
most re-ordered wine we have for restaurants (2nd to the Almond
Champagne). We are guesstimating that we may sell out our White
Cabernet by the end of the year.
2001 DUET, ESTATE ZINFANDEL/CABERNET
$16.95/bottle, $172.89/case
WINE CLUB PRICE: $13.56/bottle, $152.55/case
This beautiful wine is our 2nd best seller in the tasting room, again
next to the Almond Champagne. Because it was harvested late (late
October versus early September), the sugar content is higher, making it
a sweet dessert wine. It is made from 50% estate Cabernet grapes and
50% estate Zinfandel grapes. Enjoy this wine after a nice meal, or
even take it with you to a picnic. We have heard many reports from
Wine Club members that each of these wines have made a very unique
impression on friends when a member takes it to a dinner or party.
This wine won the SILVER medal at the Riverside International Wine
Competition. Yep, both wines in this shipment are top award winners!
By the way, both wines in the last shipment were award winners too
(2000 Double Dog Zinfandel: Bronze at L.A. County Fair, 2000
Riesling: Bronze at Riverside International Wine Competition and
silver at the Orange County Fair). Open the Duet just like our Port.
Just ignore the wax and twist the corkscrew in and pop it out as usual.
It may take a bit of a tug!
PRICE OF THE WINE IN THIS SHIPMENT
2000 Duet
2000 White Cabernet
Less 20% Wine Club Discount
Subtotal
Tax (CA only)
Shipping (cost varies)
16.95
22.95
39.90
-7.98
31.92
2.47
ROSIE’S RECIPE
Well, we originally had a delicious but
LONG recipe for this newsletter –
but after typing it, I was exhausted
just thinking about preparing it. My
thinking is that preparing this recipe
would’ve taken way to much time from
the essentials of life which include family,
friends, and yes, wine drinking. So here is a quick, fun, and
decadent treat that is yummmmmy. We served this at the last
Passport tasting, and it went over well. Many of you asked
exactly how we made it. It is very simple, but makes a great
impression on friends and guests. Sure this doesn’t have all
the measuring and intricacies of a complicated recipe, but it
is sooooo good.
DOUBLE DECADENT DELIGHT DESSERT
1. Make some big fat brownies (like 11/2”-2” thick).
Even a quick brownie mix works.
2. Add some vanilla ice cream over it. The natural stuff with
all the calories and fat grams in it (hey, it isn’t called
“Double Decadent” for nothing!).
3. Sprinkle Chocolate Port over brownies and ice cream.
You can use any port, but of course Wilson Creek
“Decadencia” Chocolate Port tastes best . Let the Port
soak into the brownies a bit!!!
4. Put some whipped cream on top. Again, the decadent kind!!
5. Drizzle on Wild Cherry Chocolate Body Frosting. You can
use any chocolate syrup, but the Body Frosting goes great
with the Port.
6. Sprinkle nuts on top and add a cherry.
7. Serve with the Wilson Creek 2000 Duet Late Harvest
Cab/Zin
8. Enjoy, and exercise within two days so you can rationalize
what you just ate!!
WINE TIPS
& TRIVIA
WINE 101
Here are some informative “Wine Don’ts” adapted
from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine, which is another good
read and wine resource book! (The notes in the parenthesis are ours)
• Don’t store wine in hot places or in the sunlight.
• Don’t keep wine in the trunk of your car.
• Don’t store your wine standing up (to keep the cork moist).
• Don’t fill a wineglass more than halfway (so you can swirl it).
• Don’t serve wine in unwashed glasses.
• Don’t pop the champagne cork (slowly twist it and pull it off).
• Don’t serve a white wine too cold, or reds too warm.
• Don’t buy wine from the store window.
• Don’t give too much attention to wine snobs.
• Don’t assume a vintage date means good quality
(unless it says Wilson Creek ).
• Don’t assume a cork in a bottle is a sign of good quality.
• Don’t fail to ask when you don’t understand wine terminology.
• Don’t take the 100-point rating system too seriously.
• Don’t assume all Napa wines are superior (notice the many
recent awards Temecula wineries have won).
• Don’t assume the words “reserve” or “classic” on a U.S. wine
label have any significance (again, except Wilson Creek wines
of course).
• Don’t assume all bottle-aged wine in a single case will be of the
same quality.
• Don’t accept a faulty wine in a restaurant.
• Don’t accept a bottle in a restaurant that hasn’t been opened at
your table.
• Always assume that Wilson Creek wines are far superior in
quality (just seeing if you’re paying attention!).
An additional guide for people who are really idiots (not our Wine
Club members of course).
• A rule of thumb: the best premium wine is typically not found
in a box with a pour spout.
• Proper wine glasses are made out of, um, GLASS. Dixie cups
typically add some wax residue when drinking wine out of
them. If need be, filter the wax out by drawing in wine through
your teeth.
• Wine is best aerated in the mouth by a soft slurping, not a loud
gargling and sloshing in the mouth. And doing upside-down
wine shots is not considered good wine etiquette.
• Jug wines do not keep for over a month, really.
• Champagne does not achieve the perfect temperature when left
overnight in the freezer.
• Putting 7-Up in a white wine does NOT turn it into Champagne.
• Do not aim the bottle at people when opening Champagne.
This is not a way to win friends and influence people.
CHAMPAGNE AS A PRESCRIPTION?
Carol and Robert Hayden, fellow Wine Club members told Rosie
Wilson about a friend in Indian Wells whose doctor prescribed a glass
of Champagne every evening for his Parkinson’s Disease. They said
his tremors stopped within a half hour of his glass of Champagne. So
we sent the Haydens a couple bottles of our Almond Champagne to
give to their friend.
Because of this feedback I (Mick Wilson) became inspired to
find a connection between our wines and my ailment which
is allergies. Now I have a bad allergies, and I have been
experimenting to see if a glass of our Merlot or Petite Syrah would
help in the healing. Yes, hours of research ensued, and sample after
sample – the toil and hardship of research. A little Petite Syrah –
hmmm still allergies – a little Merlot – still there – a little Port –
hmmmm I feel better but still allergies. So scientific, so gruesome!
Others volunteered to help me in my quest for scientific breakthroughs. Well, I may have not found the cure to allergies, but I
really enjoy the research?
Any other feedback out there on how wine has helped you?
W e d love to hear from you! Call (909) 699-WINE or visit our web site at www.wilsoncreekwinery.com
35960 Rancho California Road Temecula, CA 92591 (909) 699-9463 Fax: (909) 695-9463