Have you ever poured a glass of wine unsure if it was okay to drink? Maybe it didn’t look or smell right, and you weren’t confident that your once tasty beverage was now drinkable. Despite our attempts to package wine in a preserving way, wine is still susceptible to environmental conditions and even contamination.  Light, temperature, oxygen, bacteria are all possible culprits plotting to wreak havoc on your precious wine inventory. 

For instance, an open bottle of wine, or one with a faulty cork, left out too long or improperly stored may expose the contents of the bottle to oxygen, causing the wine to oxidize.  The oxidation process can cause your wine to change color to a more tawny hue, taste different like teriyaki sauce, or even smell like “old gym socks.”  If you think your wine has gone bad, there are a few things to look out for that may confirm your suspicion.

Cork

If your cork is slightly pushed out from the top of the bottle, it’s likely the bottle was improperly corked or it’s a sign the wine has been overheated and expanded within the bottle.

Color

If red wine turns brown or your white wine turns yellowish brown, your bottle may no longer be drinkable.  A bottle of red wine that turns a brownish color is usually a sign the wine is either old or tainted, and white wines that turn yellowish brown have likely been exposed to too much air and oxidized also.

Smell

Unfortunately, when some wines go bad they can have a very unpleasant smell.  The once intoxicating aroma can turn into, what smells like a gym bag of old clothes or a wet dog.  Sometimes a bad cork may cause wine to smell musty like a dingy basement; this is what we call “corked”.  (If this happens, most wineries will replace the bottle at no charge, assuming the wine is still in the bottle.)

There are many aromas to watch out for and if you smell any of them, chances are the wine is not drinkable. Common smells that indicate your wine is bad include:

• Wet Dog
• Vinegar
• Teriyaki sauce
• Wet Cardboard
• Musty basement

Taste

You probably don’t want to taste wine that has any of the characteristic already discussed, but if for some reason you miss the signs and actually take a sip, you won’t need anyone to tell you, your drinking bad wine.  Flavors may include teriyaki sauce, moldy or mildew, vinegar and vermouth.

Store Your Wine Properly and Avoid Bad Wine

Storing wine properly will help to minimize the occurrence of spoiled wine and help to keep your wine fresh.  So make sure your wine is properly corked and stored in a cool, dark place and you’ll have more wine to enjoy later.

If you love drinking wine and you’ve found a wonderful winery, why not join the wine club? You’ve already done the hard part by finding a superb winery. Why not indulge yourself? The benefits go far beyond a regular shipment of brilliant wine to your front door, although that’s enough for most.  Most wineries have a plethora of benefits that make joining the wine club an easy decision. Benefits will likely range from VIP events to discounts on your favorite wine.  Every winery is different but here are the top four reasons to join a wine club.

VIP Events

There’s nothing like VIP access or attending exclusive events.  Imagine going behind the scenes of the winery and tasting wine straight from the barrel or getting exclusive dinners or tours in rarely seen areas of the winery.  This is the type of access that many wineries offer to their wine club members.

Discounts

Most wineries will offer a special discount for wine club members. The discount may be for certain wines and/or a percentage off any bottle of wine.  We’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t enjoy a good discount on a great wine.

Free Wine Tastings

Wine club members usually enjoy free wine club tasting upon visits and some wineries will also allow for you to bring a guest.  This is somewhat standard for wine clubs memberships but I nice perk nonetheless.

Pre- Release and Special Reserves

Wineries have special reserves and wines that were produced in small quantities.  Some wineries produce these unique blends specifically for their wine club members. This means that unless you’re a part of the wine club, you’re missing out.

Join a wine club

Joining a wine club can be a nice way to regularly enjoy delightful wines from your favorite winery and receive additional perks such as VIP events, discounts, free wine tastings and special reserved wines.  Whatever your reason for joining a wine club, make sure you maximize your membership and get out to the winery and take part in the events and exclusive tours.

If you are interested in learning more about the Solis Winery wine club, and our award winning wines, feel free to reach out to us anytime. We’d love to hear from you. Our wine club does not have a membership fee and we offer all the above-mentioned benefits and more.

We’d love to have you as a member of our wine club, but there are other truly excellent wine clubs out there. Whatever wine club you choose to join, just remember, you deserve it.

We will be closed on Easter Sunday in observance of the Holiday.

Hosting a wine party can be a lot of fun, but hosting a blind wine-tasting party can be even more entertaining. Your guest will blindly taste different brands, wine varieties, and even price ranges, and then guess what they’ve tasted and rate flavor, scent, etc.  You’ll definitely be in for some fun once the guessing starts and people are inevitably wrong or right. Having the party is simple enough and you only need a few things to make it successful.

Select a Theme

Selecting a theme is usually the first step in planning your party. A theme will give your party some structure and purpose and a great theme will get your guest excited about your party before they arrive.  Try to think about your guest and what would be fun for them and select your theme, e.g. France, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, dessert, etc.  Once you’ve selected your theme, you will need a few items in preparation of the party.

Something to drink and something to pour the drink into

You can’t have a wine party without wine, but you don’t have to supply all the wine yourself. Have your guest bring a bottle that fits within your party theme.  You’ll also want to double check and make sure you have enough wine glasses before the date of the party.

Something to write on and something to guide your guest

Your guest will write their guesses and ratings on a note card or a piece of paper. You may want to have a little tasting guide that gives your guest some parameters and direction so there is a general understanding and you are not stuck explaining all night.

Something to hide the wine

You could blindfold everyone, but an easier way is to put all the wine bottles in brown paper bags and use the tape to secure the bag to the bottle.  That way, both the label and the shape of the bottle will be hidden from your guests.  Be sure to remove the corks and capsules too, often times they can reveal what the hidden wine is.

Something to cleanse the palate

Your guest will taste multiple wines in a fairly short period of time and will need something to cleanse their palate.  You may use unflavored water, white or French bread or crackers to assist with the palate cleansing during the party.  Ultimately, you will want to finish with a meal or dessert to absorb the several tastings.

Invite your guest and have the party

Now that you have selected a theme and got all your items in preparation, the only thing left to do is to have the party and have some fun too.  Remember, to be safe and if you have a few friends that had too much fun, call them a cab or make it a sleep over.

As long as you’re prepared, your blind wine tasting party should be a hit.

The culture of wine is intoxicating (literally and figuratively), and many wine drinkers are enamored with every part of the wine experience from how it’s made, to the best temperature to drink it at,right down to the best ways to store it.  Once you really delve into the tradition, you’ll appreciate wine as more than a drink and it is likely you will find meaning beyond a simple glass of wine.  There are so many things to love about wine:  the color, the aroma, the flavor, the feel; plus it enhances food flavors and the entire experience of eating.  Not to mention it’s also a great way to relax with friends.  Not that you need any more excuses but we wanted to give you a few random reasons to enjoy a glass of wine.

1. Wine is good for your skin

Wine contains beneficial antioxidants that help eliminate some of the  negative effects on the skin to which we are exposed daily. Wine and grape products are also used in cosmetic preparations, because it makes the skin smooth and tightens it, giving skin firmness and feeding it, making it healthier and more resilient. Who knew a glass of wine could help your skin glow and look more radiant?

2. Wine is also good for your health

It protects your heart.

Besides lowering cholesterol, antioxidants in red wine keep blood vessels flexible and reduce the risk of blood clots.

Wine regulates the level of sugar in the blood.

Grape is a rich source of resveratrol, which helps to regulate levels of sugar in the blood, which is especially important for diabetics. Research has shown that people who intake resveratrol daily have lower blood sugar levels.

It protects the brain

Resveratrol has proven to be excellent at maintaining a good memory. It helps prevents the formation of plaque, which causes the Alzheimer’s disease.  Just one glass of wine a day will help keep your memory in good form.

Strengthens immunity system

Antioxidants in red wine can significantly strengthen your immune system and reduce the risk of colds. Experts believe that red wine can accelerate the treatment of infections and reduce the level of free radicals in the body that are responsible for the occurrence of various infections and diseases.

3. Wine can also remove stains

Nothing removes stains from red wine as good as white wine. Carefully pour white wine on the stain and cover it with salt to absorb the liquid. Then remove the salt, rub the stain with baking soda and give it a normal wash.

4. Wine makes for a great gift to almost anyone

Wine makes for a great gift at any time of the year and any event, holidays, birthdays or parties, and   gifting wine can be a very thoughtful and meaningful gesture.  Most people will be thankful for a good bottle even if they don’t drink wine, but don’t be surprised if you get your favorite bottle from the same friend on Christmas.

Come Visit Solis Winery

Wine is many things to many people and there are numerous reasons to fall in love with drinking wine, the culture and the tradition. Whatever your reason, it doesn’t matter as long as it brings relaxation, pleasure and joy to you.   If you happen to be in the Gilroy area, come visit us here at Solis Winery and we will give you a few more reasons to fall in love with wine.

3 lbs beef chuck cut into 1 ½” pieces

1 lb hamburger

Olive oil

1 medium onion, small dice

2 medium carrots, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

2 celery rib, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

¾ lb small brown mushrooms, quartered

1 can crushed tomatoes (16oz)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup frozen petite peas thawed

1 to 2 packs dry brown gravy mix depending on thickness

2 garlic cloves, small dice

1 cup full-bodied red wine (Solis Merlot Estate)

2 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Chopped fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and parsley)

1 bay leaf

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Season the stew meat with salt & pepper. Heat a thick bottomed  large pot over medium high heat, add some olive oil to coat the bottom, just before smoking add  half the meat and sear until well browned on all sides, remove the meat to an oven proof pot. Pour out any fat that remains and carefully deglaze the pot with half of the wine and half of the stock and simmer for a few minutes scraping up any brown particles and pour into the pot with the meat. For second batch, after you take out the meat leave the fat and add a little more olive oil if needed, and saute the diced onions for a few minutes, add the garlic and saute a few minutes more, deglaze with the rest of the wine and stock scrapping the bottom of pan and add to stew pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf and mix, cover the pot and put in the oven for 2 ½ hours. During last ½ hour of cooking, brown off the hamburger and drain out any liquid, in a separate pan add some olive and saute the carrots, celery and mushrooms. After 2 ½ hours take the stew out of oven and using a large spoon carefully remove any oil that may have risen to top. Add the hamburger and vegetables to the stew, sprinkle in1 pack of the brown gravy mix to incorporate, if needed sprinkle in other pack depending on how thick you like it. Put back in the over for 30 more minutes OR until stew meat is very tender. Add the peas and salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve ladle over polenta and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Enjoy with a glass of Solis Merlot.

Note* The cooking time will depend on the size of the stew meat. I usually use well marbled chuck and cut them into 1 ½  inch pieces.

Serves 8-10

If you love to drink wine or simply drink on occasion you’ve probably left a few bottles unfinished. An unfinished bottle of wine presents you with a simple question, “What do I do with this unfinished bottle of wine” many novice wine drinkers don’t think about the shelf life of a bottle of wine or how to keep an open bottle fresh for as long as possible. Of course, the wine will be most enjoyable at its freshest, but sometimes you need to store an opened bottle for later consumption. If stored incorrectly you are likely to ruin the remainder of what was a delightful bottle.  Here are some tips to help you keep your open wine fresh and how to preserve its bouquet and flavor.

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Be a part of the fun on March 9th and 10th from 12-4:30PM as we share some of our older vintage award-winning merlots. Taste a vertical line up of 5 merlots and enjoy the day learning about the sublte differences each year can make.  $10 admission ($5 for wine club members).

February 8, 2013 (Gilroy, CA): The 2013 wine award season has officially begun, and Solis Winery came out a winner in every category they entered. The Santa Clara Valley winery took home six awards in the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Solis Winery’s Merlot, Estate 2009 ($32) took home the Gold award, and the Baciami 2010 Rhone Blend won Silver. The winery was also recognized with Bronze awards for the Sangiovese, Estate 2010 ($24), the Seducente 2010 Super Tuscan Blend ($24), the Syrah, Estate 2009 ($24), and the Zinfandel, Estate 2010 ($28).

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Become aquantined with the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley via Spring Passport Weekend…for just $30 you receive a Spring 2013 passport and souvenir glass plus VIP treatment at all participating wineries of Santa Clara Valley: Food, music, barrel tastings, special discounts and more.
Saturday & Sunday,March 23rd & 24th, 2013 from 11-5pm.

Buy your passports at any participating winery.