Oak Mountain Winery

Historical Winery Tour

Valerie — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:45:57 +0000

Oak Mountain Winery

951 699-9102

Join us for a great day of wine tasting

Monday, July 18, 2011

9:30am Load Bus for San Antonio Winery in LA

2:00pm Load Bus from San Antonio Winery to Galleano Winery

4:00 pm Depart Galleano Winery for return trip to Oak Mountain Winery

Cost $50.00 per person

Reservations required

Savor some of San Antonio’s most outstanding wines!

Relax and enjoy the beauty and wines of the historic Galleano Winery.

It will definitely be an amazing day!

The Influence Of Oak On Wine by Jerry Snyder

Valerie — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:35:17 +0000

THE INFLUENCE OF OAK ON WINE

Most Wines are enhanced very much by the use of oak barrels, Oak may be the single most influential tool a winemaker has in his arsenal, but red wine is especially improved by the use of wood. The most popular barrel with winemakers is the 60 gal, it can be American Oak, mostly from Missouri white Oak, or any of the many French oak Forests, like Allier, Nevers, Trancois, Vosges, or Limousin, (although Limousin has such an open grain, that few winemakers use it anymore, as it imparts too much oaky flavor, and is hard to control, but it is widely used in Cognac, and Armagnac.) The wine can be fermented right in the barrel, or fermented in open top cement vats, or stainless steel tanks, and then put in the oak to age. Using the oak to the best advantage of each grape is an art form. The winemaker can select American Oak, that imparts a stronger, more forward taste, with vanilla extract finish, or the more subtle French oak, or even Slovakian oak, which adds very little oak taste, but helps mellow out the wine during the aging process, or some of the newer oaks, like Russian oak. The winemaker can order the wine from the cooper with a light toast, medium toast, or heavy toast, and even request that the top and bottom of the barrel be toasted.

After deciding which oak and which toast will best benefit his particular grape, the next decision is how much new oak, how much 2 year old, and how much 3 year old. Very few wineries use all new oak, for two reasons, one is that it imparts far too much oaky flavor to the wine, while the goal of the winemaker is balance of fruit, wood, acid, and tannin. The second reason is cost, a new French oak barrel can cost up to a 1800 dollars, and a new American oak around 600-800 dollars. To display the difference oak makes in a wine, try a bottle of Croton Charlemagne from Burgundy, which is aged for about a year in about 30% new oak, which gives it a buttery, butterscotch taste, and Chablis from Burgundy, both made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, the Chablis usually has no oak, and is flinty, chalky, and crisp. Most California Chardonnays have some oak, some wineries have tried to make a no oak Chardonnay, but most do not capture the flavor that Americans equate with this grape. Leaving the juice on the gross lees, a process called sur lie, sometimes can almost duplicate the taste, but not quite. The last benefit from oak aging is infusing tannins into the wine, the tannins come from the skins, seeds, and any stems that get into the must, but oak is the next best source of tannin. Why do we want tannins? First of all the tannin is what encapsulates the wine and preserves the fruit while the wine is aging, and coming together, it drops away as the wine ages. Young Bordeaux, or Cabernets, can have an abrasive amount of tannin, but that is why it ages so well. Some wineries like Joseph Heitz in Napa age their wine for as long as two years in the barrel, at a thousand dollars a barrel, and tied up for two years with no money coming in, you can see why these wines are so expensive.

Woofs and Purrs In The Vines

Valerie — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:11:43 +0000

Wine Tasting For Dummies

Valerie — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 03:30:39 +0000

Develop your skills as a wine taster and become fully confident about buying, storing and serving wine and matching wine with food

If you want a fun introduction to wine tasting for only $10.00, call Oak Mountain Winery and book your class. Class schedules run monday thru friday 10:00 or 11:00 minimum group size 4, class takes 45 minutes and you will taste 5 wines, learn about swirling and sniffing and swishing, color and clarity of wines, aromas, calories in wine, proper serving temperatures, food & wine pairing and much more. you will also taste our line of infused avocado oils. Contact information: 951 699-9102 www.oakmountainwinery.com

2011 Event Schedule

Valerie — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:38:32 +0000

2011 Events

Monday thru Friday 10:00-11:30am wine tasting for dummies

Saturdays Live music by Jimmy Blaze 1-5pm , Sunday’s 1-5pm live Jazz by Norm Douglas

MaY 8^TH Mother’s day pre purchase box lunch

June 2nd& 4th: Wine Club Pick up party 6-8pm

July 13^th cooking class

July 18th Wine Bus Trip to Historic wineries

July 29 winemaker dinner

August 12 cooking class

July 22nd BBQ cooking Class Hands on

Sept 8 Wine Club Party 6-8

Sept 10 Wine Club Party 6-8

Oct 6^th cooking class

October 16^th Woof’s and Purr’s In The Vines

Oct 21^st winemaker dinner

November 10^th cooking class

Dec 1^st wine club party

Dec 10^t^h wine club party

Aging Wine

Valerie — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:03:48 +0000

The aging of wine and its ability to potentially improve in quality, distinguishes wine from most other beverages. wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine’s sugars, acids and phenolic compounds (such as tannins) can alter the aroma, color, mouthfeel and taste of the wine in a way that may be more pleasing to the taster. The ability of a wine to age is influenced by many factors including grape variety, vintage, viticultural practices, wine region and winemaking style. The condition that the wine is kept in after bottling can also influence how well a wine ages and may require significant time and financial investment. Young red wine usually has a strong tannic taste that tears at your tongue, this is especially true in young Bordeauxs, aging tends to allow the tannins to drop out, leaving the fruit, which has had a chance to meld together, with the other components, and achieve a much more complex, and mellow taste,note than older red wines will drop a sediment, the sediment while harmless , can have and unpleasant taste, and should be seperated from the wine. Only a few wines have the ability to significantly improve with age. Only the top 10% of all red wines, and the top 5% of all white wines can improve significantly after more than a decade. Experts feel than more wine is consumed too old, rather than too young, and that the great mafority of wines start to lose appeal and fruitiness after 6 months in the bottle. It is a matter of taste whether a person finds a 10,20, or 50 year old wine, too old.

WINES WITH LITTLE OR NO AGING POTENTIAL

German QBAS

Asti and Moscato Spumante

Rose’ and blush wines

Jug wine

Nouveau wines

Vermouth

Wines that age extremly well for a long period, are, Vintage port, which can age for 50 or more years, with excellent results. Classified Bordeaux, if stored properly, have been kept in the Rothchild cellers for over 100 years, this writer doesn’t recommend bordeaux over 25 or 30 years old, however, afficianados claim to love much older ones.

Written by A Votre Sante’ Jerry

Cold Stabilization Of Wine and Tartrate Crystals

Valerie — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:15:42 +0000

Some aspects of the wine community are strictly about appearance. Labels do not affect the flavor of a wine at all, yet they can often be a big part of the purchase decision. Large, sleek wineries might churn out mediocre wines, while small, back yard plots create the nectar of the gods. It is in this vein that the process of cold stabilization was born – a superficial process whose sole purpose is to make a wine “look” better.

The purpose behind cold stabilization is to remove all tartrate crystals from a wine during its fermentation stage. Tartrate Crystals are also called “wine diamonds”. They are a natural product of the wine, and form when the wine gets too cold. It is in essence cream of tartar, forming because of the temperature change. Think of sugar turning into rock candy and you’ll have a good mental image.

Tartaric acid is a normal grape acid. Potassium also exists in grapes, and when these two things bind together under chilly conditions, they form little potassium bitartrate crystals, which then settle to the bottom of the bottle. They’re completely harmless, and quite natural. The problem, of course, is with appearances.

While in Europe these crystals are accepted as a sign that the wine is a natural one, and even appreciated, Americans are used to wine being clear, pure, filtered, processed and de-sedimented. Consumers often panic when they see little crystals in their Chardonnay, thinking they are impurities or even bits of broken glass. They often refuse to drink the wine and return it to the winemaker (who promptly serves it to his own family). Cold Stabilization is a way to prevent these returns from happening.

How is Cold Stabilization Done?

Since the tartaric acid and potassium are natural components of grapes, they cannot really be removed. To make sure crystals don’t form in the consumer’s home, therefore, the winemaker forces all crystals to form at the winery.

Usually the main stainless steel fermentation vessel for the wine has a cooling system on it. After the fermentation is complete, that vessel is plunged to near-freezing for 3 to 4 days to force the crystals to form. The crystals stick to the sides of the vessel, and when the wine is then removed, the crystals remain behind. Some winemakers argue that a portion of the flavor and uniqueness of the wine remains behind as well.

Cold Stabilization is normally only done to white and blush wines. This isn’t because red wines do not form crystals – any wine will form crystals, since every wine is made from grapes containing the ingredients for crystals. However, since crystals only form when a wine gets very cold, red wines rarely show crystals, since red wines are served at a relatively warm temperature. They should never reach that cooler, crystal-forming temperature.

How do I Serve a Wine with Crystals?

Crystals are just like any other natural sediment. Stand the wine bottle upright for a few hours, to allow the sediment to settle into the bottom of the glass. Then decant the glass into another container, being careful not to let the sediment go into the decanter. The crystals are not harmful in any way.

Wine Maker Dinners

Valerie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:57:44 +0000

Temecula Winery Finds Magic Chef Temecula, California – While some of the large Temecula wineries are changing out their chefs on a regular basis looking for MAGIC, a picturesque winery overlooking De Portola Road has delivered. The SECRET behind Oak Mountain Winery tripling the size of their monthly Winemaker’s Dinners is not really surprising. People that enjoy the finest wines want it to be complimented by the finest foods! When this principle is ignored, diners suffer.

Temecula wineries have had difficulty finding the MAGIC of a fine chef whose food can consistently stand toe to toe with Temecula’s award winning wines. Oak Mountain found that Magic with Chef Michael. This gourmet chef is a special person with special gifts and many years of training in the best gourmet kitchens. Chef Michael of Temecula Catering has spent years in world renown kitchens of the Ritz Carlton and Disney developing his craft.

Chef Michael says that “to create MAGIC in a kitchen requires a chef to excite all of the senses! Chef Michael puts his clients to the test at every Oak Mountain event; smelling the aromas of the food and paired Oak Mountain wine; listening to the chef describe his creations; and tasting the complicated flavors of each course.” To achieve these results, Chef Michael tests his recipes time and again until they are magical and worthy of being paired with finest Temecula wines. Some of the feedback from Oak Mountain Guests give a sense of their experience. At his first Oak Mountain winemaker’s dinner, one patron said “Can we eat this? It looks too beautiful to touch!” At his first gourmet cooking class, a patron said “Oh my gosh, I can do this! My guests will be blown away.” Our most traveled guest, who visits winemaker’s event up and down the California coast said “this is the best food I have ever seen or tasted at any winery.”

Of course, fine food requires MAGIC from complimentary wines. The MAGIC of a good wine is the result of a special person with special training. The MAGIC of Winemaker Steve Andrews of Oak Mountain Winery has been widely recognized. As validation, other Temecula wineries use his gift to make their wines special too.

Oak Mountain has Chef Michael featured on February 12th Valentine’s Day Winemaker Dinner

Appetizer:

Gelee Hearts

2009 Viognier

Soup:

Trio of White Corn Soup, Butternut Squash & Vichyssoise

2009 Oaked Chardonnay

Entrée:

Filet Mignon, Root Veggies, Sweet Potato Gratin

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert:

Flourless Chocolate Cake, wine Poached Pineapple

Port

Red Wine and Your Eyesight

Valerie — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:14:49 +0000

You have read a great deal of information on reservatrol (which is found in red wine) and improved health, I have an exciting story to tell and you can be the judge. I was overdue for a trip to my brother in law’s ( Dr Dale Edelson) optometrist office. It had been three years since my last eye exam. Joining me was my friend and co worker Annie. My exam showed my stigmatism and distance vision problems were 100% gone. Dr Edelson re-tested me a couple of times as that usually doesn’t occur. Next was Annies turn and believe it or not her stigmatism and distance vision were 100% normal. As we both work at Oak Mountain Winery and drink our fair share of red wines there we have come to the conclusion the reservetrol in our red wines has caused this. If you have any similar eye exam results let us know.

Talk Dirty To Me

Valerie — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:05:57 +0000

One of the most important elements in making wine, is the Gout de Terroir, (the taste of the earth) the soil the grapes are grown in makes all the difference. On the Sloping vineyards of Germany, rolling down to the Mosel or the Rhine, one can find chips of slate, this slatey mineral taste, shows up in the Rieslings, and Muller Thurgau of those vineyards. In Chablis in the Burgundy area of France, dig down 3 feet and you will see layers of chalk, this chalky taste is the basis of the crisp wet stone taste of great Chablis. The famous vineyards of the world like Romanee conti in Burgundy, Chateau Lafite in Bordeaux, and Heitz Martha’s Vineyard and Screaming Eagle in Napa, all have one thing in common, the great Gout de Terroir. One of the most interesting facits of Terroir is that some of the worst austere soil produces the best wine grapes. Wine grapes, unlike Thompson seedless, like to struggle and be stressed by dry farming, competing crops grown in the rows separating the vines, and gravely, volcanic soil,

Which produces small leaves, low vigor vines and smaller berries. Small leaves and controlled vegetative growth allow optimum sun exposure for grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. At J. Lohr winery in Paso Robles Calif., Jerry Lohr uses a highly selective process of matching the exact clone and root stock with the most favorable soil type. Prior to planting a vineyard the soils are carefully analyzed and then prepared using a method called “fertility Balancing”. Each of these steps is critical to maximize the flavor of the harvested grapes.

Here at Oak Mountain, and Temecula Hills Wineries, our soil is mostly decomposed granite, and fractured rock, the same soil from which some of the best wines in the world are made. Our soil approximates the terroir of the Rhone Valley in France, with the difference that their rock is not fractured, but is in the form of smooth river stones, some weighing 5 pounds, and they cover the surface of the vineyards. The benefit from both conditions is that the sun pours down, heating the stones both on the surface, and below the surface, and then at night it comes back like radiant heating to warm the grapes and give them a different character than any other condition.

Author

Jerry Snyder