I’m gonna start off in the negative this week even though I try not to. I must share I had the world’s worst tasteless plums last week. They were so bad… How bad were they? Sounds like the start of a bad joke. Well, I bought five, I took a bite of the first one and struggled to take a second bite. I ended up not finishing it and I bit into the second one and it was just as bad as the first and really didn’t know what to do…
This coming Saturday is my annual vertical Merlot tasting. I have been thinking today about what pairings I will have. Merlot is a medium bodied and low acidity wine that makes it easy to pair with many foods. It does pair well with lighter meats, like chicken and pork. The 2012 estate Merlot is an aromatic wine that has notes of blueberries and cedar. It is crimson in color with scrumptious notes of blueberries and spices. Being a well-balanced wine, its so enjoyable to have a glass by itself.
When I originally…
I have been thinking what the meal should be for Ladies Night while I’ve been on my trip. Today we had an appetizer that reminded me of something that I thought would be delicious to share, a pumpkin ricotta tart with caramelized onions. I think this will be a perfecter starter to start the evening. Now, October is #MerlotMe month, so every course will pair with one of our award-winning Merlot’s. This will pair perfectly with our 2010 Merlot. It has notes of black cherries, blueberries and cinnamon. I love pairing…
This past weekend, I opened a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon to see how it is developing. 2014, was a tough year for our grapes. We didn’t have a lot of water, which made the wine a bit astringent. If you follow me, you are aware that we have a Cabernet Vertical coming next week. I had someone ask me what type of petite bites I serve. Well, depending upon the wine and what is in season, from cheese to dessert and anything in-between. Last year, the 2014 was paired with a dark…
Recently, I purchased a pasta machine. It makes pasta in 5 minutes, then you just need to boil water that really takes longer than making the pasta itself. This week, I decided to make pasta from scratch. Flour, water and an egg are the ingredients in this simple recipe. Yes, you can buy pasta and it will taste good, but making your own from scratch is the best. The one thing that is frustrating that cleaning up takes too long. Yes, all the parts can go into the dishwasher, which is wonderful, but the cleaning process is very…
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…
February 14 is celebrated as St. Valentine’s Day in various parts of the world. We have combined International Syrah Day and Valentines Day by having a winemaker dinner on the 15th & 16th of February. Come Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Reyes Winery.
What could be a more romantic way to celebrate your Valentine’s day than by bringing your loved one to Reyes Winery for a specially prepared wine pairing dinner? Every year, we have had a pink,…
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…
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…
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…
Come celebrate National Wine and Cheese Day at Reyes Winery…We will be serving our Muscats from 2011-2016 and Sweet Serenity, a dessert wine made from our 2009 Muscat. Sweet Serenity has won Gold & Best in Class in the 2014 Long Beach Grand Cru and a bronze in the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine…
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…
Last week, was the second leg of a 6 six-city tour for the “Double Gold” medal tour with the San Francisco International Wine & Spirits Competition. Last Tuesday, I went to Manhattan to Quality Italian Steakhouse on 57th street to the “Double Gold” Tasting event. I am excited to meet the media from New York. I love to share that we are the only winery here from Los Angeles County especially because we…
by Beth Heiserman
Last week, was the first leg of a 6 six-city tour for the “Double Gold” medal tour with the San Francisco International Wine & Spirits Competition. I will be traveling to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the next few weeks. Plus the wine will travel on to Portland and Chicago without me. I was in San Francisco pouring our 2012 Syrah. This was our second Double Gold Medal. The 2011 Syrah won two years ago…
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
