The cold weather made me not want to go out at all yesterday so, I decided to make a chicken soup. And yes, like all my other dishes my soup contains wine. Since, our newest release is our 2017 Viognier I thought my dinner should Focus on this tasty delight. if you’re familiar with our 2013, it is slightly different. Just like every vintage of the of the same wine does vary slightly based upon the weather. This year we seem to have a lot of rain again, which most likely if our summer is moderate then we…
Annually we have Paella Day at Reyes Winery. This year we are celebrating Harvest with Paella. We do a mixed version with chicken, fish and vegetables. Robert started making paella in the 1980’s with his childhood friend in Miami. He has created this recipe we feature this coming Saturday September 28, by choosing things he likes.
Paella is a rice dish that originated in Valencia, Spain around the 19th century. Many people around the world have believed that it is the national dish…
Grenache is one of the lightest red wine varietals, like Pinot Noir. It grows well in hot, dry and windy climates like Agua Dulce. Our 2015 Grenache was sourced from Alonso Family Vineyards in Agua Dulce. This year, we brought Grenache in from Lake Los Angeles, which is about 37 miles north east of Reyes Winery. The climate there is similar to ours, but they have much more water than us. This varietal tends to be harvested later than most other grapes. This year was somewhat in the middle.
I’m sure everybody has seen at the market how abundant and beautiful the cherries are this year. This week I decided to buy some cherries and make some jam. And of course, like always I always infuse wine into everything, Jams and jellies are no different. When I think of cherries there are a couple wines that come to mind, but the one that made me think the most this week because I haven’t used it in any recipe recently was 2014 Reyes Julia’s Blend. It is a…
A crisp cool and refreshing wine with a lighter dinner on a hot night. Most of us will agree, that when we get home from a long day at work during summer that sometimes we don’t feel like cooking. I tend to cook a few meals at one time and then enjoy them all week. I will say, I do have more of a challenge than others on reheating foods, since I don’t have a microwave at home. With this…
This past weekend a customer had asked a question, what is a punt for? First, I will answer, what is a punt before I answer what is it used for. A punt is the indentation at the bottom of a wine bottle. This is generally a topic that there has been no true explanation for its use or its history. I was taught it was from the mold.
More recently someone had told me they thought it…
by Beth Heiserman
Its that time again for our members to have their quarterly choices and a lunch. Our wine club consists of four shipments are year. They are march, June, September and December. There is no fee to become a member, only a commitment that you will remain a member for at least four shipments. Every shipment you have an option of either having it shipped to you or picking it up at the winery. For instance, this weekend is our member pick up party which we offer…
This coming Saturday, June 1, is our Port-style tasting. We will be releasing our 12-year-old Aqua Dulce Delight. We have released two other Agua Dulce Delights. The first time was in 2011 and the second was in 2013. This is one remarkable dessert wine that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah from the vintages of 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The first Release of the Aqua Dulce Delight was in 2011 and sold out over two years ago. I did save…
Every weekend, guests come to our tasting room and request Moscato instead of Muscat. Is there a difference, Yes! First, the name Muscato is Italian for Muscat. Muscat grapes are grown all around the world. Every country refers to the grape differently. In Italy it is Muscato D’Asti, Germany has Muskateller; while France, Australia and America have Muscat. France generally only uses the Muscat grape in fortified wines but can be found in sparkling and a still dry white wine depending upon the region. Germany grows predominately two…
In previous articles, I have mentioned about the history of a port-style wine, and single varietal ports, but not all the styles of a port-style wine. Solera is a process for different beverages like port wine. Some whiskeys can also be processed in this fashion. It is a process of blending in such a way that the finished creation is a mixture of a port style wine from different vintages, with the average age that continues as every year, as a…
Last week, I saw an article that caught my interest. Is wine gluten free? And yes, there can be gluten found in wine, but it is insignificant amount. There are two ways it could be found in wine. One way are fining agents. Those are to remove the impurities and sediment in wine before bottling. We use bentonite, which is mineral based, wheat free and vegan. B
entonite is used to absorb and remove what is not wanted in a glass of…
I was out shopping for a gift the other day and came across this fabulous olive oil and vinegar shop. They had so many choices for me and then I saw the truffle oil and felt inspired. I do have white truffle Dijon mustard that I enjoy using too. A schmear on a sandwich or a dab to gravy adds such amazing flavor.
Truffle oil seems to be one of the new trendy foods. Most seasoned chefs don’t like to use truffle oil because it has…
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, I would say are the two most famous red wines. They are the kings of red wine. This week, I am sharing with you a favorite, 2011 Renaissance by Reyes Les Deux Rois. This is our “Two Kings” red wine blend. The two grapes make up this amazing and award-winning Bordeaux-style red blend. For hundreds of years, these two grapes are widely known around the world.
Cabernet Sauvignon classically provides the blend’s structure, with heavier tannins and more acidity than Merlot….
Its that time again for our members to have their quarterly choices and a lunch. Our wine club consists of four shipments are year. They are march, June, September and December. There is no fee to become a member, only a commitment that you will remain a member for at least four shipments. Every shipment you have an option of either having it shipped to you or picking it up at the winery. For instance, next weekend is our member pick up…
by Beth Heiserman
This past weekend, I was watching a movie about a couple falling in love at a vineyard. It was driving me crazy watching it because it had so many false facts about vineyard care. While I was watching this love story, I remembered that this was a sequel to another one that I remembered that had so many wrong facts that I looked up on their Facebook page and saw already thousands of people, commented what I…
By Beth P. Heiserman
I am probably writing for the last time about the award-winning 2009 Syrah, since we only have a few cases left. This has been one of my favorites since I started to work at Reyes Winery. I thought I would focus this week on a Syrah again, since it is International Syrah Day on February 16th. Last year for our annual Winemaker Valentine’s Dinner, I prepared a leg of lamb and served it with the 2009 Syrah. Currently, I…
by Beth Heiserman
This past weekend someone asked me about why do wineries blend wine. Last July, I wrote an article about wine blends and I mentioned about combining two or more wines makes each one better than they would be on their own. Sometimes wine varietals need other wines to help them have the complexity that a wine needs. Sometimes a wine can be flat and if you blend an acidic wine, it will create a blend that is balanced. By blending you…
by Beth Heiserman
Usually when I decide upon a topic to write about, I usually choose a wine first. This week I chose the food before I decided upon what wine I would pair a dish with.
I was watching a cooking show the other day and they were making open faced roast beef sandwiches. It reminded me when I was growing up, how much I enjoyed when my mom used to make these for me. My mom used to make…
by Beth Heiserman
It has delightful aromas of citrus, lemon zest and a hint of grapefruit. Aged in French oak for 20 months, creating a multi layered and complex wine. It is rich on the palate and filled with notes of tangerines and quince. Enjoy chilled with grilled spicy salmon topped with a grapefruit salsa or a citrus salad. The other day, I bought kumquats and was remembering when I did my kumquat and habanero jam. That…
by Beth Heiserman
Coming February 2nd, I am doing the first “Red Blend Tasting Event”. I have done many wine pairing events, but not a blend event. I have chosen specific Reyes Winery Blends for this educational yet fun food and wine pairing. Every wine has a story, and I love sharing each one of them with you. Its $15 per person and it includes a Reyes Winery 12oz glass to take home. Please make your reservations in our tasting room or online at https://squareup.com/store/reyes-winery/.
Someone asked me last week on a tour, its December, what are doing? There is always something happening at the vineyard all year long. Right now, we are preparing to bottle our 2016 & 2017 vintages. Every year we have an event at the vineyard for guests to see the bottling process. It will be January 5th from 12pm-4pm. Its $49 per person and it includes lunch, a glass of wine, a tour of the bottling line and you get to take home…
What wines to pair for your family Thanksgiving dinner?by Beth Heiserman
Thanksgiving is around the corner and was creating my dinner menu with a wine list to match last night my dad. We were thinking what we wanted. Of course, turkey.
Two years, my Thanksgiving article included my Chardonnay gravy recipe that I always do with my turkey. Turkey and gravy were a match made in heaven, but when you add wine, its paradise! When enjoying turkey, you can have a glass of the 2015 Amber Chardonnay or 2010…
Just the other day somebody made that comment “ABC”. I haven’t heard that expression in quite a while. If you haven’t heard of before it stands for “anything but Chardonnay”. Traditionally I am one of those people who don’t really enjoy Chardonnay, but I absolutely adore our 2015 Amber Chardonnay. This is a white wine made for red wine drinkers. I am a red wine drinker. I enjoy red by far more than whites even though I do love having a glass…
For anyone who knows me, you know I love M&M’s and thought was my grandma’s fault. Every time, I go shopping at Target, I HAVE to peek at the seasonal flavors. I love to pair the flavors with notes from the wines. For instance, our 2009 Merlot paired well with the mint, the 2010 Merlot with the pumpkin pie and the 2011 Merlot with the coffee nut.
Reyes 2010 Merlot…
This week, I had a customer ask is there a difference between a cooking a wine and wine that is called for in a recipe. The answer is yes and no. It depends upon the wine that is part of the recipe. But for the most part, the main difference is the quality of wine. Drinking wine is a much better quality. Cooking with a drinking wine will give you a better dish because…
This coming Saturday, October 13th, Reyes Winery is hosting a Merlot Vertical. You will get to pair our award-winning Merlot with a tasty treat along with education about Merlot and our wines. I will be pouring from the 2009 vintage through the 2012, plus the newly released 2013, the unreleased 2015 and finishing with the 2015 Rose of Merlot.
The 2009 vintage has sold out of the tasting room, but I saved 2 cases for this special day. It has won a gold medal at the 2011 Long Beach Grand Cru Wine…
I had gone to a wine and spirit tasting and they had a cinnamon vodka. So…me and my inquisitive nature asks, what kind of cinnamon did they use? I did ask before I tried it. The response I got was, uh…there are different types? Yes, there are many different types of cinnamon. Not all cinnamon is the same, just like grapes. There are so many varietals of grapes.
True cinnamon comes from India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri…
Every weekend in the tasting room, we have guests from all over and I am asked an array of questions. This past weekend someone asked me what makes red wine…red? They asked if all wine starts out white and we add food coloring. No, we don’t add anything. The coloring comes from the skin of the grape, well that is a red grape; like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Grenache. Each variety of grapes has a different shade of red. Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby, Merlot has…
This past weekend, we hosted our quarterly member ship pick up party. Many of our guests have requested some of my recipes that have not yet been added to my blog, including my strawberry black peppercorn Cabernet cobbler. Instead of having ice cream, It tastes amazing if you eat it with a little bit of brie or chèvre. I pair this with our 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon. Today I’m starting with dessert versus the salad or lunch course. The first…
Sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon is referred to as just Cab, Cabernet, Cab Sauv and many other names. It is the same thing. There is no official grape called Cabernet. It is just a nick name like you might hear someone say Zin instead of Zinfandel.
There are grapes called Cabernet Franc, Ruby Cabernet, Cabernet Gris and a few more that aren’t cultivated anymore. Cabernet Sauvignon is a hybrid from Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc which are…
One of the most noted characters of Cabernet Sauvignon is its likeness for oak. You can ferment the wine in oak and during its aging period in the barrels it will acquire that oakiness we love. During the ageing period in a barrel, the wine will soften so the tannins, will be less pronounced.
In a previous article I wrote about the history of wine barrels, I mentioned that around the 2nd century BCE that people realized that oak softens…
The third stage of an annual grape vine is “fruit set”. It follows flowering, when the fertilized flower begins to develop a seed and the grape berry to protect the seed. Every week I walk around the fields to see the progress of the grapes each season. I was so impressed to see how the grapes are growing this year. Walking around the Cabernet Sauvignon…
In the next couple of weeks, leading up to our Cabernet Sauvignon vertical on August 25th, I will be sharing some wonderful info about this popular varietal. I will share each week a little something. There is so much to share about the fantastic grape that it’s too much for just one week.
Cabernet Sauvignon is considered to be one of the most popular wines. America is the third most grown varietal around the…
About 20 years ago, I remember being in the tasting room of Wente Winery during my internship and the tasting room manager was doing a wine pairing with me. He made beef jerky and paired it with their Cabernet Sauvignon. He also showed me a brownie mix they sold, that you add eggs, oil and Cabernet Sauvignon. I was sold! I have adapted this concept and made my own brownie recipe. Reyes Winery 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon has a sweet aroma gives this fruity wine its huge popularity. Raspberries, Cocoa and Blackberries…
By Beth Heiserman
This past weekend, we had many people ask about Petite Sirah. Why are they spelled different? Is Petite Sirah a smaller grape, lighter on flavor? Many people had so many questions, that I thought I would elaborate about Petite Sirah. A few months ago, I mentioned a little about one of my learning experiences of wine and Petite Sirah.
It’s really called Durif. It’s grown mainly in Australia, California and France. In the past 30 years, its popularity has…
“Bud break”…what is that?It is the initiation of growth from the bud. It is the first stage of the growth of a vine. When it starts, dormancy is over. Then Flowering starts approximately 60 days later, and then the fruit will set, fourth is veraison and finally harvest.
Every year after harvest all the plants go dormant. We generally need at least 45 days of 54° weather every year to have a good harvest the following year. Generally,…
Cork Taint, one of the “Wine Faults”
By Beth Heiserman
Have you ever opened a bottle of wine and as you are opening the bottle, get a whiff of something you aren’t sure what it is? Last week, I was opening a bottle of wine and as I removed the cork, an odor like no other was coming from the bottle. It smelled like a wet dog! I took a small sip to make sure, and then I knew the bottle had “Cork Taint”. I put the…
by Beth Heiserman
Many people think that there are certain descriptive words that people look for on a winery’s label, like reserve, estate grown, single vineyard, old vine, et
c. This past week, I had someone ask what our “reserve wines” were.
In the U.S., “reserve” doesn’t theoretically mean anything. When applying for label approval from the TTB (Tax and Trade Bureau) in our country, reserve is nothing more than a brand…
any years ago, I went to Concannon Winery in Livermore, CA. They are known for their Petite Sirah. My father knew Jim Concannon. I stayed up there for two weeks to learn more about wine. He taught me from Wine Tasting Etiquette to wine pairing. I enjoyed my trip so much; it is something I will never forget. I remember walking through a courtyard with him, asking him what do Petite Sirah grapes taste like compared to the actual wine. He reached up above up on an…
By Beth P. HeisermanTempranillo ripens earlier than other varietals. It grows around the world, but is mainly grown in the Rioja region of Spain. This varietal has been growing since Phoenicians settled in the Iberian Peninsula somewhere around 1000 BC when the wine trade was flourishing. The Phoenicians had created a widespread wine trading network around the Mediterranean Sea ports. It is possible that they started trading around 800 BC when they founded Carthage in 814 BC. They also founded Málaga,…
This past Sunday August 27, 2017, I buried my friend, Oso. It was a very, very sad day for me and all of us who loved him. He was the gentle giant German Shepherd at the winery where he grew up and spent his life in the freedom of the vineyard.
I was on a hike with both Oso and Dante and stopped to meet someone. Oso was injured and we took him to the hospital in Newhall, where the vet informed me he was paralyzed and would not survive an operation,…
The grape cycle begins with bud break, generally in March or April. Flowering, and fruit set happens shortly after. Then followed in the summer by veraison which leads into harvesting. By Thanksgiving, we have the beautiful colors of fall. The leaves start to fall, which leads into dormancy in the month of December and January. We then prune in January.
Currently, we are in the veraison stage. This is the stage before harvest. After “fruit set”, the red grapes varietals…
Robert Reyes promotes 3rd Annual Sierra Pelona Wine Festival to benefit American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of the Santa Clarita Valley on SCVtv on February 18, 2015 with Stacy Kupfer.
March 21, 2015, 8am-12pm
Reyes Winery Charity Hike and Saturday Brunch $75
Robert Reyes, wine-maker and general manager, will guide you on a beginner, medium or advance level hike through the Sierra Pelona Mountains. You will have…
Each year the Los Angeles Business Journal recognizes prominent Latino-owned businesses and individuals based on their merits, success, and contributions to their communities.
The LA Journal gives out 5 business awards based on the size of the businesses, from small private to Large Public, plus an award for a Community Charitable Organization and finally their highest recognition, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Robert Reyes was nominated this year as a candidate to receive an award. Altogether, there were 45 nominees this year including all categories. We are happy to report Robert Reyes…
Evaluating Wine by Sight
I previously discussed wine tasting surroundings and avoiding unwanted smells. Your next step is to visually examine the wine; your glass should be about one-quarter full.
Look straight down into the glass, then hold the glass to the light, and finally, tilt the glass so the wine rolls toward the edge. This will allow you to see the wine’s complete color range. I recommend you do this by placing your glass in front of a piece of white paper so you can see it more clearly, this will…
This is the first in a series of short informative articles about wine tasting and wine evaluation. I will be offering some simple suggestions to help you enjoy and evaluate wine. These are suggestions you can immediately use in your wine tasting journey. I want to simplify the process and make it a fun learning experience rather than giving you a rigid set of rules to abide by. After all, wine is to be enjoyed…
2014 Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition
SILVER MEDAL Syrah, Estate Grown, Sierra Pelona Valley 2011
2014 LA International Wine Comp
SILVER MEDAL Port, Agua Dulce Delight, Sierra Pelona Valley
SILVER MEDAL Syrah, Estate Grown, Sierra Pelona Valley 2011
BRONZE MEDAL Dry Red Blend, Julia’s Blend, California 2011
BRONZE MEDAL Dessert Wine, Sweet Serenity, Muscat Sierra Pelona Valley 2009
2014 OC Fair
GOLD MEDAL Dessert Wine, Agua Dulce Delight, Sierra Pelona Valley
BRONZE MEDAL Syrah, Estate Grown, Sierra Pelona Valley 2011
BRONZE MEDAL Proprietary Red, Robby’s Blend, California 2011
BRONZE…
Who will be joining me for “Paella Day at Reyes Winery”
Hosted by Le Chene and the Santa Clarita Wine Enthusiasts
May 17, 2014 at 1pm
$40 per person, purchase tickets at http://www.reyeswinery.com/events
It includes lunch, 2 glasses of wine, a tasting flight of 5 wines, and a tour of the vineyard.
Come and enjoy and afternoon and Reyes Winery enjoying Paella and listening to an amazing guitarist, The Latin Neon while sipping award winning wines.
Mission Statement Our mission is to produce the best quality wines in Los Angeles County by having a high standard of care and focusing on every phase of production. This passion for perfection will ensure that once consumers taste our wines, they'll know the quality and craftsmanship that goes into every bottle of Reyes Wines. (Our collection of 100 medals and awards as of June 2017 is a testament to our mission to be the best)
10262 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91390, USA
(661) 268 1865
