Spotlight on Our New Arrivals

Last week marked our first wine release of 2023! We are thrilled to introduce three new vintages of our delicious wines, joining the ranks of Ruby Hill favorites. Our new arrivals all shine in their own way, bringing rich, mouthwatering flavors and luxurious textures to the palate. Below, we’ve provided some tasting notes and details for these newly introduced gems!

2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

A longtime favorite and staple of California wine country, our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon offers strong competition to other Bordeaux wines. To create the delightful profile of this wine, we balanced the Cabernet with an addition of a few percent Merlot, Petite SIrah, and Petit Verdot. The result is a classy flavor and aroma profile, including strawberries, dark cherries, black pepper, and vanilla. A mid-plus weight on the palate is balanced by an acidity that makes this wine ideal for pairing.
 

2018 Intesa

Our Intesa is a blend created exclusively for members of the Ruby Hill wine club. This vintage was crafted with a careful symmetry: 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Barbera, and a touch of Merlot. For optimal flavor and mouthfeel, this vintage was aged in 100% French oak. Only the finest for our members! Plush aromas of rich red fruit, including strawberry jam and pomegranate, glide into dynamic flavors of cherry, cardamom, and a touch of toast brioche that lingers through the finish. This wine sips like velvet and tastes like harmony. 
 

2018 Jewel Petite Sirah

Every wine in our Jewel collection receives the highest degree of attention to detail, but this vintage of our Jewel Petite Sirah stands out even more. With 94 points from Wine Enthusiast and a gold medal from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, this full-bodied wine sets itself apart with irresistible, saturated flavors including dark chocolate, blackberries, vanilla bean, and toasted oak. Though dark and inky in the glass, this wine graces the palate with refined elegance and a light grip. Enjoy now or age, because this wine is worth it. 

Curious about your favorite flavors and aromas to pick out in a wine? Come enjoy wine tasting here at Ruby Hill in an approachable environment so you can explore the things you like.   

 

Wine Superstitions and Folklore

It’s Friday the 13th, so we’re thinking all about superstitions. Whether you believe in luck or not, it is fun to reflect on the things that have delighted or unnerved us for centuries. Wine has had a strong foothold in human life for centuries, long enough to pick up some folklore along the way. Customs, traditions, and urban legend all play little roles in our lives as we shape our understanding of the world and look into the past. 

In some cultures, spilling wine portended disaster, similar to having a black cat cross one’s path. Some Italian traditions held that this could be countered by dabbing a little bit of that spilled wine behind each ear--it’s said that this would bring wealth! Other traditions agree that spilled wine is actually good luck. The tradition of breaking a glass full of wine at a wedding is meant to bring many years of love to the happy couple. 

One Persian story holds that wine was “invented” when a woman who was suffering from a headache drank juice that had inadvertently fermented in its jar. She became relaxed and fell asleep. When she awoke, her headache was gone. In wine there is health!

Old German winemaking superstitions dictate that the very last grape harvest of the year should be pulled in from the field in an ox-drawn cart, or else the whole harvest would be plagued by sour grapes yielding terrible wine. Fortunately, this superstition is region-specific, and everything from our 2022 harvest is tasting wonderful so far despite our cellar team using no oxen. 

As with many areas of superstition, quite a bit of wine lore deals with death. In some Romanian traditions, it’s customary to pour out some wine onto the floor when indulging, sharing friends and loved ones who have passed away. In some German stories, when someone passes away all of the wine in their cellar must be shaken immediately or it will go bad. 

Of course, superstitions aren’t just for the days of the past. Winemakers today still have their hangups and good-luck routines, such as having a shot of tequila when the first grapes of a new lot come in, writing instructions to the cellar team with a certain pencil, or wearing a lucky hat during harvest. Our winemaker knew of one cellar that had a pink tutu that would be worn by whoever made the most recent mistake, and they’d wear it until someone else made a mistake and the tutu was passed on. As lovely as our team might look in tutus, we don’t feel the need for luck around here, we’re just delighted to invest our effort and care from stem to bottle. 

Good luck this Friday the 13th! Cheers from Ruby Hill Winery.

5 Healthy Recipes for Winter Weather

If you are focusing on health and wellness this January, you’re not alone! Still, with the winter weather hitting us full force, it’s easy to want to curl up with your favorite comfort foods. The good news is this: we don’t believe those things have to be separate. This week, we are sharing 5 different recipes for dishes that are easy to make and will make you feel cozy and comforted, all while providing the nutrition you need. Of course, we’ve included wine pairing suggestions too. After all, who says you can’t have both?

“Lasagna” White Bean Soup
Enjoy with our Sangiovese

Soup is one of the most versatile comfort foods out there, and this version takes full advantage of that. With flavors and ingredients inspired by lasagna, this soup offers familiar taste along with protein, fiber, and more. Perfect for a rainy day! 

Photo and Recipe by Nadine Brown via Olive Magazine

 

Lightened Up Chicken Pot Pie
Enjoy with Reserve Chardonnay 

We love this recipe with all its savory coziness, the aroma it fills the kitchen with, and that golden brown top that just can’t be beat. It’s lighter on the calories than most recipes for this classic, but you’d never know. Dig in! 

Photo and recipe by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding

 

Vegetable & Coconut Dhal
Enjoy with Grapeful Red

Warm your soul with this delicious dhal, full of nutritional powerhouses and seasoned to perfection. A satisfying combination of red cabbage, cauliflower, this recipe is also great for anyone starting their year off with “Veganuary.”

Photo and recipe by Esther Clark via BBC Good Food

 

Vegetarian Black Bean Pasta
Enjoy with Grapeful Rosé

This tasty meal is simple enough for a weeknight. Ingredients like beans, spinach, and whole wheat pasta pump up the nutrition; tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic make sure the flavor isn’t lacking either! Add your favorite protein for an extra boost. 

Photo and recipe from Taste of Home

 

Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Curry Stir Fry
Enjoy with Jewel Zinfandel

Serve up yet another set of warm, comforting flavors in the form of this deliciously spiced dish. Enjoy the sweetness of butternut squash alongside balanced creaminess and heat, and this vegetarian beauty might become a regular on your home menu. 

Photo and recipe by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding

Happy cooking! Don't forget to stay cozy & healthy this month.