Bad traffic through Sonoma County pushed back the time of our canoe trip down the Russian River on Saturday, and subsequently delayed our visit to wine country. With the 5 p.m. tasting room closing time looming, there was only time to visit one place, so we couldn’t make a mistake. It’s why Sbragia Family Vineyards was the easy choice.
Nestled on top of a hill on the way to beautiful Lake Sonoma in Geyserville, Calif., Sbragia is, as its name suggests, a family-run winery that produces some of the best reds and whites in the Dry Creek Valley. The patriarch, Ed Sbragia, has a top-notch pedigree as the former winemaker at Beringer, where he won Wine Spectator’s Wine of the Year for a 1986 Private Reserve Cabernet and a 1994 Private Reserve Chardonnay. Not surprisingly, the Sbragia Chardonnay shares many characteristics with the one from Beringer.
Sbragia’s white wines, and its Zinfandels, are the draw. The Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is perhaps our favorite wine from the winery, in part because it delivers the most bang for the buck and comes in comfortably below our $20 comfort zone for white wines. Sbragia also participates in the Sonoma County Vintners Visa Signature program that gives users a free tasting and 10% off all purchases.
The Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect warm summer day wine. It’s bright and crisp with a definite citrus flavor. It never disappoints. The other interesting thing about the Home Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is the reusable glass stopper they use in place of the cork.
The Gamble Ranch Chardonnay most resembles the wines Sbragia produced at Beringer, most likely because the grapes are sourced from Yountville in Napa Valley, but the wine lies just outside of our price range at $40. It’s creamy and rich, but doesn’t taste overly oaked. It’s always a treat to taste it at the winery.
All under $30, the three Zinfandels at Sbragia also provide good value. On this visit, the $28 2005 Gino’s Vineyard Zinfandel stood out. The extra year in the bottle than the 2006 Italo’s Vineyard Zinfandel brought out more of the wine’s character and gave it a little extra zip during the tasting.
The wines are reason enough to visit Sbragia, but an added bonus is its fantastic deck that sits high above the valley and provides a gorgeous location to hang out, drink wine and have a picnic. Many people believe that the enjoyment of wine comes not just from the wine itself, but also from where you are, who you are with, the setting, the food you’re eating – virtually everything that you’re experiencing at that moment.
Sbragia’s wines are good with or without an experience. Visiting the winery only enhances it.
Jill and David Shabelman
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire - Dec. 4, 2007) - Two Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Merlot blend have launched in New Brunswick, announced Murray Marshall, CEO of Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits.
These 100% VQA wines from Niagara are the first to be released as part of the Dan Aykroyd-branded wine portfolio.
Both the Dan Aykroyd Discovery Series Chardonnay and the Cabernet Merlot are priced at $16.99. Both wines are available at ANBL Alcool stores across New Brunswick.
“This is another positive step toward ensuring that the Canadian wine industry receives the recognition that it rightfully deserves,” said Dan Aykroyd. “Diamond Estates has produced an incredible line of VQA wines that I will be proud to serve at home or anywhere my travels take me.”
In the coming months, more Dan Aykroyd-branded wines are scheduled to hit retail shelves. These will include additional releases of Discovery Series wines ranging in price from $15 to $25.
To promote the launch of his wines in New Brunswick, Dan Aykroyd will host several in-store bottle signings at the following ANBL locations:
Sunday, December 9, 2007 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Alcool NB Liquor Prospect Store, 1150 Prospect Street, Fredericton
Monday, December 10, 2007 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Alcool NB Liquor Devon Park Store, 580 Union Street, Fredericton
Tuesday, December 11 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Alcool NB Liquor Parkway Mall, 212 McAllister Drive, Saint John
Wednesday, December 12 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Alcool NB Liquor Dieppe, 513 Regis Street, Dieppe
Additionally, Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits will be releasing a Dan Aykroyd Signature Reserve series that will be produced in limited quantities and will range in price from $50 a bottle upward. No more than 300 cases of any of the Signature Reserve wines will be made and each bottle will be numbered and signed by the winemaker. The first wine under this brand will be a barrel-fermented Niagara Peninsula VQA Vidal Icewine.
“As the sales and marketing agent in New Brunswick for this incredible Canadian wine brand, we are very proud to be able to offer these VQA wines to New Brunswickers” said Wayne Chahley, President, Kriscott Distributors Limited.
Kriscott Distributors Limited, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd., has a sales reach that covers all four Atlantic Provinces and a brand portfolio that includes such companies as Sleeman Breweries, Scottish & Newcastle, Dr. McGillicuddy, Finca Las Moras wines from Argentina, Kendall-Jackson California wines, Pieroth German wines and Carpineto wines from Tuscany.
Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd., who owns and serves as the sales and marketing agency for domestic wines from Lakeview Cellars, EastDell Estates and Birchwood Estate as well as compelling international wine and spirits brands from premium regions around the world. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.diamondwines.com.
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