Starting to think about the upcoming Memorial Day holiday?  Be sure to include Villa del Monte Winery in your plans!  We will be open for wine tasting from noon to 5 pm on May 25 and 26.  We will have a selection of wines for you to taste, including some of our new releases. 

Can’t make it to the winery?  Stop by Redwood Estates Store or Summit Store to stock up on wine for your Memorial Day picnic or any other upcoming celebration.

Did you receive our May newsletter?  If not, be sure to check it out so you can read about:

• Summer wine tasting dates
• Upcoming local wine events
• The return of a favorite wine
• And more!

As always, our newsletter pairs well with a glass of award-winning Villa del Monte wine!

The first-ever Wine Tourism Day in North America will take place on May 11th, 2013. Wineries, hotels, restaurants, and other wine tourism businesses across North America are offering special events to the public on this day to celebrate the importance (and fun) of wine tourism.

We will be participating in a special tasting day at Domenico Winery in San Carlos.  Seven wineries will be on hand to showcase different winemaking styles and varietals.  Admission is $15 and includes a Domenico-logo  tasting glass.  Wine Club members (you know who you are!) can attend for the discounted fee of $5 per person.

Other wineries that will be participating at Domenico include Cuvee Cellars, Eristavi Cellars, Flocchini Wines, Jazz Cellars, and Russian Ridge Winery.  Domenico Winery will provide a chocolate fountain as well as a selection of snack pairing stations focused on salty and sweet snacks.  Wine will be for sale by the bottle just in case you need something special for Mother’s Day on May 12.

Saturday, May 11
Noon to 5 pm

Domenico Winery
1697 Industrial Road
San Carlos, California 94070
650.593.2335

I stopped at Summit Store today for one of their famous sandwiches and took a peek at the wine shelf.  If you are looking for Villa del Monte wines on a day that our winery is closed, check Summit Store as they currently have several bottles of these award-winning wines:

2010 Villa del Monte Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard
Bronze medal, SCMWA 2012 Commercial Wine Competition

2010 Villa del Monte Pinot Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard
Bronze medal, 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

2009 Villa del Monte Merlot Reserve Carneros Moon Vineyard
Gold medal, 2011 Riverside International Wine Competition
Silver medal, SCMWA 2012 Commercial Wine Competition
Silver medal, SCMWA 2011 Commercial Wine Competition;
Silver medal, 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Silver medal, 2011 West Coast Wine Competition
Silver medal, 2011 NextGen Wine Competition 

2010 Villa del Monte Cabernet Santa Cruz Mountains LindHill Vineyard
Released in March 2013, LindHill is a new vineyard located above Lexington Reservoir in the Santa Cruz Mountains. 

Summit Store
24197 Summit Road
Los Gatos  95033
408-353-2186

We’ll be open from noon to 5 pm tomorrow (April 28) for wine tasting and wine club pickups. Along with wine tasting, you can also taste some delicious wine-infused chocolates from Monterey Chocolate Company in Santa Cruz. They created three chocolates, with the same base recipe, and then infused the 54% organic and fair trade chocolates with three different Villa del Monte wines. A yummy combination!

Wine Club members will get to taste our tasting flight as well as futures of Pinot, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet and Late Harvest Zinfandel.

The wine club shipment includes:

• 2011 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
• 2010 Malbec Paicines Pedregal Vineyard
• 2010 Cabernet Santa Cruz Mountains LindHill Vineyard
• 2009 Merlot Dessert Carneros Moon Vineyard

In continuing our tradition of supporting local small businesses, we are also including wine/food pairing recipes from Blue Sage, a catering company in Los Gatos, and a Salted Watermelon Jelly sample from Friends in Cheeses in Santa Cruz.

Hope to see you at the winery! And, remember, there is still time to join the Villa del Monte Wine Club!

We will be open for wine tasting and wine club pickups from noon to 5 pm on April 27 and 28. Along with wine tasting, you can also taste some delicious wine-infused chocolates from Monterey Chocolate Company. They created three chocolates, with the same base recipe, and then infused the 54% organic and fair trade chocolates with three different Villa del Monte wines. Taste and see if you can tell which chocolate is infused with which wine: Cabernet Chocolate, Cherry Merlot Chocolate, Port Chocolate (Villa del Monte ’09 Merlot Dessert Wine).

Cabernet Chocolate-54% organic and fair trade chocolate infused with Villa del Monte ’10 Cabernet Sauvignon. This chocolate begins with the rich, full chocolate taste with a caramel finish.

Cherry Merlot Chocolate-54% organic and fair trade chocolate infused with Villa del Monte ’02 Moon Vineyard Merlot and organic cherries. This chocolate begins with the rich, full chocolate taste with a fruity finish.

Port Chocolate-54% organic and fair trade chocolate infused with Villa del Monte ’09 Merlot Dessert Wine. This chocolate begins with the rich, full chocolate taste with a spiced, caramel and raisin finish.

Open noon to 5 pm on April 27 and 28.

Mark your calendar for April 27 and 28. We will be open for wine tasting and wine club pick ups from noon to 5 pm on both days. Not a club member yet?  No worries, you can sign up at the winery if you want — you’ll get substantial discounts on your purchases!

The wine club shipment will include:

• 2011 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
• 2010 Malbec Paicines Pedregal Vineyard
• 2010 Cabernet Santa Cruz Mountains LindHill Vineyard
• 2009 Merlot Dessert Carneros Moon Vineyard

We’ll be including recipes from Blue Sage, a catering company in Los Gatos, and a Salted Watermelon Jelly sample from Friends in Cheeses in Santa Cruz. 

Wine Club members who are picking up wine club shipments are encouraged to bring a reusable bag.

Earth Day 2013 is on Monday, April 22. We will not be open on that day, so we want to be sure that you know about some of our sustainability practices. Our winery, which will be open for wine tasting on April 27 and 28, runs on solar and has a water catchment system. If you’ve been to the winery, you’ve probably noticed the large PVC pipe that runs off the winery roof to the storage tank below.

The Regan Vineyard in Corralitos, where our Chardonnay and much of our Pinot are grown, uses sustainable winegrowing practices to minimize the impact on the environment. Their commitment to solar energy, biodiesel, composting, and hand harvesting to prevent erosion result in full-flavored grapes, perfect for us to craft into Villa del Monte wines for you to enjoy.

So, on Earth Day 2013, we suggest toasting our great planet with a glass of Villa del Monte Pinot from the Regan Vineyard in the southern part of the Santa Cruz Mountains. And, on April 27 or 28, come by the winery for wine tasting and you can see our sustainability practices in action.

Attention fashionistas! Now you can have your Villa del Monte wine and wear it too! Villa del Monte Winery sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, and tote bags are available through zazzle.com.

Might we suggest pairing a sweatshirt with the award-winning Villa del Monte Cabernet or a t-shirt with the Villa del Monte Chardonnay? And, the Syrah, of course, works well with a hat any day while a trio of Villa del Monte Merlots fit nicely into a tote bag. We could go on and on, but we trust your ability to make a good apparel-wine pairing.

Wine Club members will be able to pick up their shipments during our regular wine tasting hours of noon to 5 pm on April 27 and 28. If you ordered futures, we’ll have those ready too!

Not a wine club member yet?  Come by for wine tasting on April 27 or 28 and you can join onsite if you’re interested.  Wine Club members receive two semi-annual shipments of four bottles each and substantial discounts on purchases:

• 30% discount off retail price for wine club shipments
• 15% discount for additional purchases of 11 bottles or fewer
• 25% discount for additional purchases of 12 bottles or more
• Notification of upcoming bottlings and the opportunity to purchase futures of these pre-release wines at 40% discount off retail price

And, in case you are wondering what is happening in the vineyards during Spring, here is a preview:

Bud Break on the Pinot Vines in the Santa Cruz Mountains