Wine Outlook

That’s right, Zin lovers, it’s almost here. Rosenblum’s Open House is next weekend: November 15 & 16 (Saturday & Sunday). Where else in Alameda can you get tasty snacks, Zinfandel ice cream, hear live music, and try some delicious wines? Actually, where else can you find that anywhere???

Details

When: Nov. 15 & 16; 1 to 5pm (12 to 1 is reserved for wine club members and their guests)
Where: Rosenblum Cellars…2900 Main St. Alameda, CA
What: wine, food, and good times
How much:
Online: $25 for club members, $40 other customers
At the door: $35 club members, $50 general admission

Other info: We are right by the ferry building, so if you’re coming from Oakland or San Francisco, that would be a great way to travel.

Angela’s Restaurant, currently closed while the new location gets prepped, will be catering with snacks such as meatballs, sausages, cheese, grapes, hangar steak, foccacia pizza, etc

So don’t wait, get your tickets today by visiting our website to make the most of the discounted rates. They have sold out in the past…

Rosenblum’s Open House, Angela’s Restaurant, wine events in East Bay, wine party, wine tasting in East Bay, things to do in Alameda

If you want to taste some fantastic wines, old favorites and brand new releases, while you eat good food, listen to live music, and relax among some of the coolest people in the East Bay… head to Alameda, by bridge, tube, or ferry. (We recommend ferry or BART & bus/ cab, just to be safe).

When: this weekend! Saturday July 26 & Sunday July 27
What time: 12-5 (although first hour is only for club members and their guests)
Where: 2900 Main St, Alameda
How much fun: more than most people can handle
How much wine: more than most people should drink
How much to get in: cheaper online ($40, $25 wine club members)
though you can still get them at the door if not sold out ($50, $35 club)

What else you need to know: Come ready for a good time, but please enjoy our wines responsibly. Wear dark clothes and comfy shoes. Eat a big breakfast. There’s lots of good food, but with so many folks around, not enough to make a meal.

Call if you have any questions or trouble ordering tickets online. 510-995-4100

March Madness is upon us….at Rosenblum Cellars, anyway. It’s Open House this weekend: the best party on the island.

When: March 8 & 9—this Saturday & Sunday–noon to 5 pm

What: dozens of wines will be poured including new releases
2006 Rhodes Grenache**
2006 Richard Sauret Zinfandel
2006 Kontrabecki Zinfandel**
2006 Rominger Syrah
2006 Monte Rosso Zinfandel
2006 Abba Syrah
2006 Pickett Road Petite Sirah
2006 Pato Petite Sirah**
2005 Holbrook Mitchell Trio
2006 Rosie Rabbit Late-harvest Zinfandel

**wines that are making their Rosenblum debut

What else: great food from Angela’s Restaurant, Zinfandel ice cream, live music

Added bonus: chance to taste barrel samples and buy futures of 2007 Maggie’s Reserve Zinfandel and 2007 Holbrook Mitchell Reserve Syrah

Where: the Alameda winery
2900 Main Street, right before the ferry building

How: tickets online will run you less–$30, $20 for club members, with a nominal processing fee from the ticket company
tickets also available at the door–$40, $25 for club members and ZAPpers or Rhone Rangers with membership cards

to buy tickets online or get more information, visit our website.

Cheers and hope to see you there! It’ll be a blast.

If this weekend finds you in or near Healdsburg, you should stop by Rosenblum Cellars…

Where? located downtown, next to Oakville Grocery on the Square.

Why? It’s the February Fun House and Release Party

When? Saturday & Sunday, February 23 & 24, from 12-5pm both days

What? new releases, good food, music (my friend Trisha is playing!)

How much? $15 per person
Rosenblum Cellars Wine Club members get a $7 discount off admission
ZAP members and Rhône Ranger sidekicks receive a $5 discount with membership cards
Sonoma County residents will also receive a $5 discount (with ID).

Call (707) 431-1169 for advance reservations or more information.

wine events, things to do in Healdsburg, Rosenblum Open House

Get those calendars out. Rosenblum Cellars Open House is just around the corner.

While I’ll give more details later, I wanted to go ahead and share the dates, especially since they changed from the last newsletter. And since that’s what we were using to inform customers in the tasting room, I’d like to make certain the right info is out there as soon as possible.

Healdsburg–February 23 & 24
Alameda–March 8 & 9

Rosenblum Cellars Open House

Last Saturday and Sunday we had our quarterly Rosenblum Cellars Open House. Even though I was working, I could see how much fun everyone was having. How could they not?? With about 50 wines to taste, good music, and tasty treats from Angela’s Restaurant, including a carving station with peppered tri-tip (a great companion to Zinfandel)….My favorite new release, though I didn’t taste them all, was the 2005 Holbrook Mitchell Syrah.

Another great thing is that in addition to new wines, we usually have 2 or 3 barrel samples available for tasting, which can be purchased as futures, at a discount. Then when the wine is bottled and released, those customers can pick them up. You only have to be a little imaginative, thinking ahead to what the wine will taste like. This time we sampled the 2006 Lyons Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel from Napa Valley and the 2006 Pato Vineyard Petite Sirah from Contra Costa County. Both growers–Cap Lyons and Richard Pato–have been into the tasting room in the past couple weeks to taste and buy wines, which is always fun. (more…)

Rosenblum Cellars Open House, Angela’s Restaurant

Today is the second day of our Open House. While I’ll give a full report soon, I just wanted to remind you, readers and drinkers, in case you’re looking for something to do today. And to tell you that while we were thinking of going with another company for the Zinfandel ice cream, nobody does it better than Tucker’s…. So don’t worry. It’s the same good stuff you’re used to! Much fun was had yesterday, but there’s plenty left for today.

Tucker’s Ice Cream, Rosenblum Open House

Greetings, readers and drinkers! This is just a quick reminder to say that Rosenblum Cellars Open House is this weekend, November 17 & 18 from 12 to 5. Tickets are available online even up to the day of the event, with better rates for wine club members.

I also wanted to let you know which wines will be highlighted as new releases:
2005 Cullinane Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel (we’ve been making this one from the very beginning, and it got started running when it won a gold medal the first year)
2005 Kick Ranch Reserve Syrah
2006 Heritage Clones Petite Sirah (good thing because the highly-rated 2005 just sold out this weekend)
2006 Contra Costa County Zinfandel (part of the Appellation Series, formerly known as San Francisco Bay)
2005 Anthony’s Merlot (Anthony is Holbrook Mitchell’s son and also a grower)
2005 St. Peter’s Church Reserve Zinfandel (which people are always asking about and Premier club members got a sneak preview of in Septmeber)
2005 Holbrook Mitchell Syrah (quite possibly my favorite of the bunch)
Cuvee XXX Zinfandel (just in time for the winery’s 30th anniversary)

I may be leaving out one or two, but there’s going to be so many more, anyway, with what’s available currently. And there will also be barrel samples. I’ll be working the registers again, but I plan to thoroughly enjoy my break both days. You know it’s a good place to be when everyone working is having almost as much–if not more–fun as/than everyone attending the party….

Rosenblum Cellars Open House, wine fun, East Bay wine events

Remember how much fun the last one was? This time I’ve giving you plenty of notice, so mark your calendars, no debate. That’s right, Rosenblum Cellars Open House is a little over a month away, and you don’t want to miss it!

Actually, this time you have two options, as the one in Healdsburg is the weekend before Alameda’s. Therefore, no excuses, people. Unless of course, you live too far away. And even then, there are some people who plan their vacations around Open House. It’s that fun.

Details:

What: Holiday Hoopla + Open House
When: November 17 - 18 (Saturday & Sunday), 12-5
Where: Rosenblum Cellars 2900 Main St. Alameda, CA
How much: $40 at door– general admission…$25 at door–wine club members and ZAP and Rhone Ranger members with cards
How to save: Buy tickets online! $30 general public….$20 club members

For more information or to buy tickets, go here.

What else you need to know: (more…)

Rosenblum Cellars Open House

The morning started off correctly when Aura brought in baskets of homemade scones (courtesy of the ever-thoughtful Anne Marie): currant, hibiscus flower & ginger, or the savory ham & cheese. All was right with the world to get the day going with some coffee and nourishment and, of course, a few bottles of bubbly during our staff meeting before the madness began.

Though this is the smallest turnout of the four open houses we have, the crowds were sizable all weekend (somewhere over 2000 people flowed through the doors). Things seemed to go more smoothly on Sunday, and from what I hear, that’s always the case. Maybe practice does make perfect. Don’t get me wrong—people were having a grand time both days. Plus, BK and my Irish friend accepted my invitation to come visit, and they definitely enjoyed themselves. I even got to walk around at the start of each day, tasting just a handful (mainly new releases) of the 51 wines on hand. I know for a fact the food was good stuff because co-workers kindly made sure those of us chained to the registers got a sampling of meat balls, sausage, gnocchi, cheeses, and more.

This particular table of reserve Zinfandels was definitely one of the most popular and a must-stop on my list. It had the ever-favorite Monte Rosso, the brand new Lyons, and the last-ever vintage of Hendry (and my top pick) to be made by Rosenblum. Many wines were poured by eager volunteers,such as Dee there on the right, although some of the growers travel to pour the wine made from their own grapes. Overall, I think there were seventeen tables, with about sixty volunteers a day.

And of course, the day would not be complete without a taste of ice cream made from Zinfandel and chocolate chunks. Last time they used the Rockpile Zin, but the man serving up scoops didn’t know which wine went into this batch. I tried to figure it out from the taste, but then I was a little too busy saving precious drops from sliding down the cone and onto the pavement….

Later I’ll post tasting notes for the new releases, some of which are being poured in the tasting room as we read.

Rosenblum Cellars Open House, Zinfandel ice cream

Good news! It’s that time of year again. Rosenblum is having its Open House this weekend. This will be my first one, but I’ve heard many stories: from the tasting room staff, from wine club members, from friends who’ve gone before. Apparently, they’re infamous around these parts. The wine will be flowing, and people rave about the food (including Zinfandel ice cream). A reggae band that will be playing outside, as well.

Details:
Saturday & Sunday (August 11 & 12): 12-5pm each day
fifty or so wines being poured, including a dozen new releases
chance to buy futures
price includes a souvenir Riedel glass

More good news is that tickets are available online for the first time. Check out this website to get reduced rates on tickets.

Cost bracket
General admission: $40 at door (or $30 online)
Rosenblum wine club members: $25 at door ($20 online)
ZAP Members, Rhone Ranger Sidekicks: $25 at door only, with membership card

Visit our website for more details or call 510-995-4100 if you have questions.

p.s. Be prepared to have purple teeth when you leave! Also, we are right next to the ferry building in Alameda and not too far from BART (then you’d need to cab it) if you don’t want to drive.

Hope to see you there. If I’m not behind the register, I’ll be doing a little tasting myself.