Deck the Halls with Sustainability

Ruby Hill Winery has had a commitment to sustainability since our beginning. We recycle, use solar power, and are constantly looking for ways to cut back on waste and care for the planet. Our boxes are made from recycled cardboard and all of our wine corks are made from a by-product of sugarcane production that otherwise goes to waste. After all we affirm that the best wines come from the best grapes, which means we want to nourish our vines with the healthiest soil and climate possible.

End-of-year festivities have a tendency to bring a bit of chaos and clutter into our lives, but there are also opportunities to conserve creatively! Below, we have assembled a few ideas of how to reduce waste this holiday season as our times of decorating and gift-giving continue. 

1. Decorate using what's in your home
   With just a bowl, ornaments, and Christmas lights, you can create a luminous display to show off a bottle of wine! We paired gold and silver baubles with a gleaming red Peacock Patch Zinfandel. If you've got other spare wine bottles around, we also love the look of wine bottles as vases! You can incorporate bright red flowers, pinecones, and clippings from your Christmas tree.
    

2. Give the gift of experiences or virtual subscriptions
   Instead of purchasing something that can collect dust, opting for gifts of experience can show a lot of thought and reduce waste! For bookworms, a subscription to Libro FM allows your loved one to enjoy quality audiobooks while supporting a local bookstore of their choice. For friends who have yet to discover your favorite wines, a wine club membership makes for an unforgettable gift that keeps on giving. Lastly, for creative friends, an online class through Skillshare gives the gift of new skills and knowledge.

3. Shop at local stores and boutiques
   When you do your shopping locally, not only do you cultivate the character of the community by supporting family-owned businesses, you also reduce the environmental impact of your items. We recommend calling shops ahead of time or checking websites to see how their capacity limits and other COVID-related precautions may affect your visit. In our experience, little shops spark holiday joy in a way no department store can. For a listing of a few of the boutique shops in the Tri-Valley, click here. 

In this season of giving and receiving, we are thankful to be here for you. From all of the Ruby Hill family, we hope that we've inspired some smiles and creativity, and that you will feel love and warmth this December and beyond.  

If you would like to decorate your table with Ruby Hill wines, or just enjoy few bottles, we are open for curbside pickup every Saturday and Sunday from 12pm-4pm. If you're interested in giving the gift of membership, please email us at membership@rubyhillwinery.net.

Sue's Holiday Picks

Sue Couls is one of our beloved tasting room managers and decorator extraordinaire. She manages all of our retail and keeps the tasting room beautiful in every season. During the week, we had a visit with Sue to hear about her favorite items in the tasting room. With the holidays fast approaching, we want to make sure we are prepared to find the right present for every parent, friend, spouse, and colleague on our lists. 
 

One of Sue's bestsellers are these wine glass holders. Each holder can carry up to 4 wine glasses. At Ruby Hill, we use these to serve our wine flights, but there are many possibilities! Lovingly called "trees" by our staff, each branch can hold a different wine, bringing a bit of the wine tasting experience into your home. If your personal collection allows it, you could even do a parallel tasting of four vintages of the same wine and see how they compare.

Sue mentions that these trees are perfect for intimate dinners. She calls them exciting and interactive, making them a perfect enhancement to a Holiday dinner. Bring a bit of flair and specialty to a night in--wrap up a wine tree under your Christmas tree!
 

Sue also curates a collection of her favorite wine aerators. Ruby Hill's tasting room boasts a menagerie of these unique tools. Made of 100% stainless steel, these durable aerators add character to any wine bottle. According to Sue, they allow you to serve wine with the perfect aeration with a flair of personal novelty. With a dose of whimsy, you can enjoy a wine straight from the reindeer's mouth!
 

Sue has also planted a dazzling forest of her favorite lighted trees. These metallic glass trees bring warm, festive light into our tasting room. Simple battery-powered gleam means optimal decoration opportunities with no cluttered cords! After a year of some uncertainty and darkness, Sue treasures the bright, luminous cheer that these trees can bring to every home.

A friendly spirit of warmth and generosity is a welcome comfort in every situation. Sue's light shines through in the beauty she brings to the Ruby Hill tasting room, and she invites everyone to bring that charm home with them. Whether for your own living room or wrapped up for a friend, all of these gifts are sure to spark joy. To help share the delight, all of our tasting room retail items are 20% off for a limited time, so we'd love to see you here soon!

A Thanksgiving Sparkling Cocktail Recipe

Our sparkling sale starts today and we thought we'd share this fun seasonal sparkling wine cocktail with you! Who doesn't love a great brunch? With the holiday season upon us, we're dreaming up the perfect Friendsgiving Brunch and breakfasts with the family. And nothing goes with brunch better than a mimosa. We thought this recipe for an Apple Cider Mimosa from Esquire Magazine is a tasty alternative to the regular orange juice version. 

The Ruby Hill Sparkling Wine is made from 100% Chardonnay and features bright aromas of apple, lemon, and tropical fruits. It has a full body that is balanced by acidity, making it a perfect wine to pair with salty foods, sharp cheeses — or in this case, an Apple Cider Mimosa. It's definitely with best friends. Tag us on social if you make it and let us know what you think!

Cheers!

 

Apple Cider Mimosa

Ingredients
• 4 oz. Ruby Hill Sparkling Wine
• 2 oz. all-natural apple cider
• 1 oz. cinnamon whiskey
• 1 slice of apple, for garnish

Directions
Mix cider and cinnamon whiskey in a champagne flute. Top with champagne, then stir lightly until incorporated. Garnish with an apple slice.

 

Shop the Ruby Hill Sparkling Sale November 20th-23rd!

 

 

Your Perfect Ruby Hill Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving

We don't know about you, but Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. Besides being an opportunity to gather with our loved ones, Thanksgiving is when we get to sit down and enjoy some of the most delicious foods of the season. It's the time of year where we dig through the recipe box for those classic recipes from our childhood or when we experiment with new twists on old favorites. 

But what's a great meal without great wine? If you're at the point in your planning where it's time to add wines to the shopping list, take a look below at some of our favorite Ruby Hill wines for your Turkey Day meals. 

 

Thanksgiving Pairings with Ruby Hill Wines

 

Ready for Thanksgiving, but want to add a little more ease to your holiday? The culinary team at the Casa Real and the Palm Event Center created an exceptional holiday take-home dinner! For just $160, you will receive a turkey breast with traditional gravy, orange-cranberry compote, butter-whipped potatoes with chives, sweet potato casserole, parker house rolls, and so much more! You can add your favorite Rubino Estates wines to your order as well. Email info@beetshospitality.com with any other questions or click here to order.

Happy Hallowine! Halloween Movies and Wine Pairings

 

It's that time of year. The weather is getting cooler, and we've been trying our best to keep our hands out of the candy bags. But Halloween is not just the candy and cool weather; it's the scary movies that we love too. We plan on curling up on the couch and bingeing on some scary movies. We thought we'd play around with pairing some classic horror movies and Ruby Hill wines. Make a list, and get your popcorn ready for Hallowine Weekend!

 

A Hallowine Weekend

 

The Addams Family and Ruby Hill Peacock Patch Zinfandel

 

       

We love the Addams' dark sense of humor and refined style. The inky color of Zinfandel reminds us of them: intense but with plenty of finesse.

 

Sleepy Hollow & Ruby Hill Patchwork

 

 

Constable Ichabod Crane comes to the town of Sleepy Hollow to solve the murders of several townspeople. It's up to him to piece together the clues to solve the case. Our Ruby Hill Patchwork is our winemaker's opportunity to sleuth out a perfect combination of grapes to create a delicious blend.

 

Carrie and Ruby Hill Reserve Sangiovese

 

We paired our Ruby Hill Reserve Sangiovese with this Stephen King classic for its color and its understated but powerful flavor.

 

Ready to stock up on wine for your Hallowine weekend? It's the last weekend to purchase our Fall Reds Case Special. You can order for pick-up or delivery today!

 

 

What To Do With Leftover Wine

Okay, okay. We can already hear you saying, "Who never finishes a bottle of wine?" Believe it or not, this does happen and we know that no one wants to throw away all of that good juice that's still left in the bottle. Believe it or not, there are still a few ways you can use up the last bits of wine in some new and creative ways. Here are five ways you can save every last drop!

 

5 Ways to Savor Every Last Drop

 

1. Stick it in the fridge and save it for a sauce. We love butter-based sauces for steak, pork, and fish dishes. Get fancy with your next meal and make a Buerre Rouge or a Buerre Blanc.

2. It's still a little warm so why not chill down that red wine and make a spritzer? This Tart Cherry Red Wine Spritzer is perfect for these warm fall afternoons.

3. Wine cubes. Pour the leftover wine into an ice tray and save them to add to sauces, soups, or if you need to chill down your glass on a hot day.

4. Simmer it down and make a wine syrup. Take your leftover wine, add some sugar, and then reduce it until it turns into a sweet syrup. Drizzle over cakes, ice cream, or fruit! This recipe seems simple enough!

5. Make your own...vinegar? Yep! You can turn your favorite red wine into a vinegar that will be perfect for making shrubs, viniagrettes, or pickling liquid! You can read how to make it here.

 

Have some other creative ways to work with leftover wine? Let us know what you come up with!

Introducing the New Ruby Hill Reserve Cabernet Franc

We are always thinking of new ways to surprise and delight lovers of Ruby Hill wines, and with this month's Club Release, we unveiled the new 2018 Ruby Hill Reserve Cabernet Franc! 

Cabernet Franc is the parent grape of both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's lighter in body than Cabernet Sauvignon and is typically used as part of the blend in traditional Bordeaux-style wines. Cabernet Franc is often vinified on its own in France's Loire Valley, and its popularity is growing steadily in the United States. 

Our 2018 Ruby Hill Cabernet Franc is a blend of 83% Cabernet Franc, 9% Barbera, 4% Petit Verdot, and 4% Petite Sirah. A rush of cherry and red raspberry and savory herbs fill the nose. On the palate, vibrant sour cherries and hints of spiced chocolate. The addition of Barbera adds complexity and acidity to the overall wine, creating an ideal balance. We aged the wine in a blend of new and neutral French Oak for 20 months before bottling. The wine has a round mouthfeel with well-balanced acidity, complexity of flavor, and a long finish. It's a perfect pairing for barbequed meats, savory pizzas, and hearty fall stews. 

To celebrate its release, we've added it to the new tasting flight for October. Please stop by the winery to enjoy a tasting and let us know what you think! We're open to walk-ins Monday through Thursday and by appointment Friday through Sunday. Call us at 925-931-9463 to reserve your tasting at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, or 3:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you!

 

Top 5 Golf Courses in Livermore Valley

The cooler temperatures are finally back, and what better way to start the weekend than with a round of golf? 

Here in the Livermore Valley, we're fortunate to have award-winning courses with beautiful views, and not too far from wine country. We've put together a short list of our favorite golf courses in Livermore Valley for you to look into for your next weekend getaway. Gather a group of friends for a morning tee time and then swing through to Ruby Hill and relax in the shade under one of our covered patios to enjoy a wine tasting. We always have something cold or something bold for you to sip on. We can't think of a better way to enjoy the weekend!

 

Top 5 Golf Courses in Livermore Valley

Poppy Ridge, Livermore, CA

Located in the heart of the Livermore Valley Wine Country, you'll enjoy 360-degree views of wine country while you play a challenging 27-hole Rees Jones designed golf course. 

 

Las Positas Golf Course, Livermore, CA

Las Positas Golf Course features a 27 hole facility in Livermore Wine Country. Choose from either The Signature 18 hole course or the equally challenging Links 9.

 

Callippe Reserve Golf Course, Pleasanton, CA

Enjoy scenic views of Mount Diablo and the Callippe Butterfly sanctuaries while you play this challenging and dramatic 72-hole course. 

 

Dublin Ranch Golf Course, Dublin, CA

Nestled in the rolling hills of the Tri-Valley, the Dublin Ranch Golf Course offers panoramic views of Livermore Valley and Mount Diablo. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, this par 63 offers quite the challenge. 

 

Ruby Hill Golf Course, Pleasanton, CA

Just a hop, skip, and jump away from Ruby Hill Winery, is Ruby Hill Golf Course. The only downside is that this is a members-only course. Make a new friend who can get in to enjoy this expansive 14-acre golf facility. And then bring them over to Ruby Hill Winery for a wine flight while you take in some vineyard views. 

 

Ready to put together your golf weekend? Schedule your tee time and then give us a call at 925-931-9463 to make a reservation for your tasting! We hope to see you soon!

Fall Activities in Livermore Valley

It's October, harvest is almost over, and we're excited to enjoy all of our favorite activities of the season. We love fall in wine country; the mornings are a little color and the light changes. The leaves on the vines start to change into those beautiful tones of orange and yellow and red, filling the valley with vibrant color. 

Things continue to look a little different in 2020 due to the pandemic, but the great thing about fall is that the temperatures are just right for being outdoors. There are some fun fall options to enjoy in Livermore Valley, and we're sharing a few of them here for you. Take a look and start planning your October fall adventures!

 

Fun Fall Activities in Livermore Valley

Witches Night Out! Moonlight Dining and Shopping! - This annual event has been revamped to ensure everyone's safety, but it will still be a blast! Gather a group of friends and reserve a table at a restaurant for dinner and wine while you get a head start on your holiday shopping. Participating retail shops will be open until 9 o'clock for the night. Wear your witch hat and cackle with your friends for a fun night out.

Family Fun at Joan's Farm - Head out to Joan's Farm for an afternoon of family fun at the pumpkin patch. Enjoy the lovely Sycamore trees while you pick out your porch pumpkins. They have a snack shack serving pumpkin pie and other fall favorites.

Weekend Ranger Nature Program - Trick or Treat in the Park - If you're looking for a socially-distant Trick-or-Treat option for the kids and grandkids, make a reservation with the Livermore Park District. Make a reservation for this special event where you'll learn about the spookier critters that live in the park while taking a lovely stroll after hours collecting treats.

Wine Tasting with the Livermore Wine Trolley - Enjoy the cooler temperatures with a ride on the Livermore Wine Trolley. Enjoy an all-inclusive wine-tasting tour to various wineries throughout the year, rain or shine, in the Livermore Valley. Visit three wineries and enjoy a pre-ordered lunch with your reservation. Perfect for small groups of up to 6 people. 

Drive Through Haunted House - For those who enjoy spookier adventures, the Alameda Fairgrounds hosts a Haunted Theme Park. This year, you and your friends will see who has nerves of steel as you drive through the haunted fairgrounds. 

 

Let's make the most of this season and enjoy all that Livermore Valley has to offer!

 

 

 

Turn Your Old Barrel Into an Outdoor Fire Pit!

Fall is finally here, which means crisp, cool mornings and nights - also known as sweater weather. While we love the heat of summer and harvest season, we love this change in the season when the leaves in the vineyard start to change color, and everything slows down a little. It's also the perfect season for gathering around the fire pit with a glass of red wine. 

We came upon this DIY project for a fire pit made out of a wine barrel and thought it was a pretty cool way to upcycle some of the used barrels we have at the winery. If you're looking for another way to add more wine country decor to your outdoor space, this is it! This tutorial is courtesy of Instructables. If you're in need of a barrel, we have some available for sale at our sister winery, Rubino Estates. Head on over during regular business hours to check them out!

 

DIY Wine Barrel Fire Pit

Tools/Equipment Needed:

• Sheet sander/Belt Sander
• Sandpaper 60/80 Grit & 120/150 Grit 
• Rags
• Wood Stain
• Fire Pit 29'' Home Depot Fire Pit 
• Wine Barrel cut in half

Instructions

1. Prepare the barrel for staining by sanding the exterior. Start with the roughest grit and then move on to the finer grit until the exterior is completely smooth. 
2. Stain the barrel to your liking. 
3. Sand down the metal bands using 80 grit to remove any drips of stain. 
4. Insert fire pit bowl and grate into wine barrel. 

And there you have it! Though we'd add one more final instruction: Light fire and enjoy a nice glass of Ruby Hill wine! It's the last week for our wine of the month, the 2016 Ruby Hill Reserve Petite Sirah; it's the perfect fireside sipping! Tag us on social @rubyhillwines the next time you're cozying up around the fire pit.