Not everyone is lucky enough to live in or close to California wine country. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sample wines without spending a fortune. With our mini tasting kits, you can taste all of the best wines we have to offer without having to buy, and open, an entire 750mL bottle of wine or make a trip out to our tasting room here in California.

Sonoma Coast Vineyards offers some of the best Pinot Noir you will ever taste. We’ve taken the very best of what SCV has to offer and, for less than the cost of one full-sized bottle of any of these wines, you get a generous taste of six different and elegant wines from SCV. By using a breakthrough zero-oxygen technology, you get the same experience of our wine from a 750mL bottle in this diminutive, 50mL size. What a great way to try SCV wines with minimum risk, yet with the full aroma and flavor as a full-sized bottle. Order your mini tasting kit soon, though; we didn’t produce many of them and I certainly would hate for you to be disappointed.

Each mini bottle kit comes with tasting notes and vineyard information for each wine. The SCV Tasting Kit contains six 50mL (1.67 oz.) bottles of the following SCV varietals:

• 2008 Antonio Mountain Chardonnay ($40/bottle)
• 2008 Salmon Creek Pinot Noir ($50/bottle)
• 2008 Bodega Ridge Pinot Noir ($50/bottle)
• 2008 Petersen Vineyards Pinot Noir ($50/bottle)
• 2008 Balistreiri Vineyards Pinot Noir ($75/bottle)
• 2007 Occidental Road Syrah ($35/bottle)

Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at blending a wine, like one of our winemakers. Girard Winery has just the mini kit especially for you. Our Girard Mini Bordeaux Blending Kit allows you to create your own blend using five 50mL bottles of the traditional Bordeaux varietals select by acclaimed winemaker, Marco DiGiulio. To complete your mini wine lab (and to satisfy your inner science geek), we’ve included a funnel and two graduated cylinders so your measurements are precise. And, to see how well you do, there’s also a 50mL bottle of Girard Artistry so you can compare your blend to our blend.

Each Girard Mini Bordeaux Blending Kit contains a 50mL (1.67 oz.) bottle of each of the following:

• 2007 Girard Artistry, Napa Valley
• 2007 Girard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
• 2007 Girard Merlot, Napa Valley
• 2007 Girard Petite Verdot, Napa Valley
• 2007 Girard Malbec, Napa Valley
• 2007 Girard Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley

To get the most out of your tasting or wine blending, be sure you have the proper stemware and accessories from IWA. Check out our selection from the biggest names in glassware such as Reidel, Speigelau, Ultima and others.

We’re picky about our barrels…and it shows in the quality of Vintage Wine Estate’s wine.

Oak barrels are vital components in the making of our wines. Not only does the oak affect the aroma, flavor, color and texture of a wine during its fermentation and aging process, it also helps to concentrate the flavors and aromas through evaporation and softens the fruit tannins through the oxidation that occurs from small amount of oxygen that is present in the barrel.

Since oak barrels release most of their flavors within the first few months in contact with wine, Vintage Wine Estates needs to purchase nearly 1,500 new barrels each year for all the different wines we produce. With a typical barrel costing somewhere between $900 to $1,200, it’s imperative that we are getting the most from our barrels for our money. New barrels replace those used for previous vintages and older neutral barrels that no longer impart oak flavors into the wine continue to be used to store and age wines.

Winemakers, Marco DiGiulio and Zach Long have specific flavor profiles they expect from the barrels they buy. Oak barrels are toasted with heat to develop specific flavors. This graphic gives you an idea of how temperature, and time develop different flavors when toasting a barrel. Experienced coopers (barrel makers) know just how much heat and time it takes to toast the inside of a barrel to achieve these specific flavor profiles.

Our winemakers select their barrels from cooperages based on the quality, flavor profile and consistency from year to year. In this video, Marco describes how that selection process works at Girard Winery, one of our popular premium brands, and why they taste samples directly from the barrels from time to time.

Did you know that Vintage Wine Estates—that includes IWA—has a tasting room in Healdsburg, California. It’s warm, bright, comfortable and best of all, right on the square in downtown Healdsburg. Oh wait, on second thought, the best thing is the wine. We’re pouring the Windsor Vineyards Champagne, along with some of our sister wineries including, Sonoma Coast Vineyards,Windsor Sonoma Winery, Fire Station Red, Grove Street Winery, StoneFly Vineyards and, Sexy Wine Bomb.

Of course, there’s also wine accessories from International Wine Accessories available for purchase in the tasting room. We carry a good selection of stemware, decanters, funnels, aerators, corkscrews, and other smaller items.  Finally, when one of our friends is here in Sonoma Valley and asks, “Is there someplace we can go to try your wine?” we can send them over to Healdsburg.

By the way, because VWE has so many wines and only so much space, the Healdsburg tasting room pours a very limited selection of wine. However, if you call us at (800) 527-4072, you can arrange ahead of time to taste up to 3 wines of your choice when you visit. Please call at least 3 days in advance to schedule your tasting and mention this blog article to receive a discount on your tasting. See you in Healdsburg!

It’s spring time—the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and the latest wines are available. New wines have been released from our friends at Girard and Sonoma Coast Vineyards.

Girard 2008 Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon

Girard is known by their fans for its Artistry blend red wine. After blending the Artistry, they had so much extra Cab wine from all the different vineyards that they created a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from it. While the Girard Artistry is a culmination of their winemaking philosophy, the Girard 2008 Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon is that same philosophy applied to a single varietal at an exceptional value. Winemakers, Marco DiGiulio and Zach Long have developed this Napa County Cab to be a very food friendly wine that can be enjoyed with everyday meals. It pairs well with red meat such as a nice savory pot roast, or, now that the weather is getting warmer, a juicy grilled steak with fire-roasted vegetables.

Girard 2009 Sauvignon Blanc

Speaking of nice weather…warmer temperatures call for something light and refreshing, such as the Girard 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Girard’s winemakers have developed an identifiable flavor profile that expresses the characteristics of the terrior where the Sauvignon Blanc is grown. Because the winemakers, as well as fans of the Sauvignon Blanc, love its clean crisp flavors, they strive to maintain consistency across vintages so that customers can be assured of the same great wine year after year. The Girard Sauvignon Blanc is an award-winning pairing with fresh oysters on the half-shell or enjoy it with lighter seafood such as a classic red snapper ceviche or cilantro lime shrimp.

Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2009 Sauvignon Blanc

What makes the SCV 2009 Sauvignon Blanc so special? It’s a combination of scarcity and winemaking style. Most Sauvignon Blanc is grown in warmer regions, but the fruit for SCV is grown along the Sonoma Coast, once considered too cool for this varietal. It produces a complex and richer wine. In addition, about one-third of the fruit is the Sauvignon Musque clone which adds deep fruit flavors of pear, fig, apricot and warm tropical fruits along with the traditional citrus and grapefruit components. There’s no grassiness on the nose or palate. But great fruit would be nothing without great winemaking. The SCV Sauvignon Blanc is 50% fermented in stainless to retain the bright fresh character and 50% fermented and aged 6 months “sur lees” in French oak to give it complexity and a creamy rich mouthfeel. The 2009 SCV Sauvignon Blanc makes a great apertif but also pairs especially well with seafood—it’s wonderful with sushi—and is great with goat cheese. Try it will goat cheese and jalapeño jelly on a water cracker—yum! It’s a versatile wine and its crisp acidity makes it ideally suited for spicy Thai, Indian and Asian cuisine.

Well, it’s the wine, of course. And with all the great wine produced in this area, it only makes sense that we also offer wine for sale so you can make use of all those accessories. Did you know we sell wine? But not just any wine; these are wines produced with exceptional care by our own winemaking team with only the finest fruit from some of the best vineyards in California. We’re proud to offer Girard and StoneFly wines from the Napa Valley; Fire Station Red and Windsor Sonoma from the Sonoma Valley; and Sonoma Coast Vineyards from, you guessed it, the Sonoma Coast. If you haven’t tried any of these fine wines, you don’t know what you’re missing.

But don’t take my word for it. Watch this video with our Sonoma Coast Vineyards winemaker, Anthony Austin, as he shows us the fruit he uses for the SCV Chardonnay and explains why great grapes make great wine. You might even want to buy a bottle just to taste for yourself what he’s talking about. Enjoy.

Vintage Wine Estates Family of Wineries

Sure, IWA has some of the finest wine accesories, but did you know that we also sell wine? Not just any ol’ wine, though, but some of the finest wines from Northern California’s wine country. Connoisseur or neophyte or anywhere in between, for holiday gift-giving, there’s nothing more well received than a great bottle of wine picked out for just that special someone.

Girard Winery

You know about Girard Wines, right? What, you don’t? Let me tell you, the wines are phenomenal and have received lots of accolades from critics and the press. In fact, Girard was named “Artisan Winery of the Year” and “one of the top 100 wineries in the world” by Wine & Spirits magazine. With over three decades of experience and a remarkable portfolio of wines with a “sense of place” in the Napa Valley, Girard has certainly earned the respect it receives.

Sonoma Coast Vineyards

Handcrafted small-production Chardonnays and Pinots from the Sonoma Coast AVA are the focus of Sonoma Coast Vineyards’ winemaker, Anthony Austin. The cool climate of the Extreme Sonoma Coast creates fruit with a unique character, producing wine with great elegance, finesse and intense structure—wines which have been favorably compared with some of the greatest wines of France. Take a look at this video of Anthony and see his dedication to producing great fruit. Better yet, give these wines a try and experience the character of this appellation and the passion of our winemaker in every glass.

StoneFly Vineyards

A unique combination of talent, passion and the desire to pair fly-fishing with premium wines is at the heart of StoneFly Vineyards. Experience the extraordinary Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc from Napa and the Russian River Valley that StoneFly produces. More importantly, feel good about helping leading fly-fishing and conservation organizations which are protecting and enhancing the health of our watersheds and fly fisheries. Don’t you feel better already?

Fire Station Red

Producing wines that honor the service and sacrifice of firefighters while also providing a means to assist the fundraising efforts of fire departments and burn centers along with the many community programs supported by firefighers , Fire Station Red has reached both wine lovers and the fire services community while earning strong critical acclaim from both trade and wine reviewers alike. Here’s your opportunity to support firefighters both locally and nationally while enjoying exceptional wine.

Windsor Sonoma Winery

Windsor Sonoma Winery is our line of high-quality, value-priced wines from grapes that celebrate terroir and true varietal characteristics of the best Sonoma appellations. Windsor Sonoma Winery is the perfect Sonoma family complement to the celebrated Girard Winery in the Napa Valley. Great for giving and receiving.

Mini-Cellar

With all that wine, you’re definitely going to need somewhere to put it all. Oh sure, you could just stick it in your pantry next to the chicken broth and pasta noodles, but why not store it in style in one of our wine racks or freestanding cellars. Or if you’re just keeping a few bottles on-hand or live in a small space, check out our Vintage Cellars 12-Bottle Countertop Mini-Cellar. It’s built of the same quality materials just like one of the bigger ones and stores 12 of your favorites wines at the temperature you select. Check out this video demonstration of the features of our mini-cellar. (Sorry about the porn-groove music, but it just seemed so appropriate as I was showing off the intimate details of this mini-cellar’s stuff.)

What a great gift idea

Here’s a great idea: why not combine all the best wines from the extraordinary wineries I just mentioned, with the 12-bottle mini-cellar to make an extremely impressive, all-in-one gift for any wine aficionado. Wow, someone must have been reading my mind, because that’s exactly what we have—the Vintage Wine Estates 12-Bottle Wine Collection & Mini-Cellar Gift Set which includes the exclusive 12-bottle mini-cellar from Vintage Cellars along with a 12-bottle mixed case of the best from Vintage Wine Estates wineries, featuring: