Briar Rose Winery in Temecula Valley’s Wine Country Knows When to Chill

To get the most flavor from your favorite Briar Rose Winery wine, it is important to know at what temperature it should be served. A white wine served too warm will convey mainly an alcohol taste, while if it is too cold the flavor can fall flat. The same is true for red wines. Many people serve their white wines too cold and their red wines too warm. A simple rule of thumb from former Christie’s wine auctioneer Ursula Hermacinski is, “Twenty minutes before dinner, you take the white wine out of the fridge, and put the red wine in.” 

Our Ultra Premium Estate red wines prefer a cooler temperature of about 65 degrees to enjoy the greatest depth of flavors.

The reds and whites in our Premium Collection follow Hermacinski’s adage with the whites performing best at cooler temperatures and reds at a warmer temperature. Our Brut Champagne and sparkling Talking Frog wine lager prefer an even cooler treatment and it is suggested they are placed in a refrigerator at least an hour and half before serving or in an ice bucket for at least 20 minutes before uncorking. While dessert wines like our Sweet Dorian Port tastes best at cellar temperature or warmer.

Hold your wine glass by the stem not the bowl. Heat from your hand can warm your wine and change the flavor.

If you have any questions, it is always best to ask one of your knowledgeable servers while enjoying a tasting at our Briar Rose Winery tasting room. We love to discuss our wines and how to enjoy them. We can also suggest delicious pairings for any occasion! Make a reservation today for your next visit to our Temecula Valley Wine Country location.

Stop and Smell the Roses at Briar Rose Winery in Temecula’s Wine Country and Let Your Wine Breathe

Sometimes you just can’t be in a hurry. When enjoying a glass of fine wine, patience has its rewards. The wine needs time to breathe and aerate. This means air needs to come in contact with the wine. Just allowing an uncorked bottle of wine to sit a while is not sufficient. The benefit of stopping to smell the roses before enjoying your glass of wine is the additional time and contact with the air will allow for the opening of the aromas and the flavor will soften and the flavor will improve.

Red wines generally benefit most from breathing before serving. However, there are select whites that will also improve with a few minutes of air exposure. Most wines will improve with as little as 15-20 minutes of air time. However, the higher the tannin level, the more aeration is needed. Tannins are found in grape skins, seeds, and stems that are an excellent antioxidant and natural preservative. Tannins give wine a needed structure and texture.

Two options to allow the wine to aerate is to pour the wine into a decanter, if several glasses will be enjoyed, or into a single glass. Wine experts also suggest that wine is poured into the center of the decanter or glass with at least 6 inches of "fall" from bottle to glass allowing additional aeration during the actual pour.

A decanter can be any large liquid container that has a wide opening at the top. The increased surface area is the key to allowing more air to make contact with your wine.
 
For additional information ask one of your knowledgeable servers while enjoying a tasting at our Briar Rose Winery tasting room. We love to discuss our wines and how to enjoy them. Make a reservation today for your next visit to our Temecula Valley Wine Country location.

Briar Rose Winery Featured on NBC’s “Worth the Drive”

“Worth the Drive”, NBC’s travel blog, featured Briar Rose Winery as a place to visit in its April 9, 2012 entry. Briar Rose Winery is a boutique winery in Temecula featuring Snow White-inspired cottage built by Disney Imagineer, Beldon Fields.

NBC’s travel blog “Worth the Drive” featured our Briar Rose Winery in its April 9 entry.  We are excited to be mentioned as a destination for great wine in our fairytale setting of Snow White-inspired cottages.
With Disney’s 75th Anniversary of its first full length animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”  coming up, we are proud to be mentioned in the same breath as this iconic film.  Disney Imagineer Beldon Fields, who built the Briar Rose cottages in our Temecula Valley, would be delighted that his work of love for his wife is still recognized and appreciated by fans around the world.

We love the mention on NBC’s blog and we look forward to making new friends who agree that we are “Worth the Drive”!

Briar Rose Winery Estate Wines is a Taste of Home

Briar Rose Winery must meet specific criteria to call our award winning wine “estate”. The Temecula Valley’s premiere boutique winery painstakingly creates estate wine 100% on  property from start to finish to personally maintain the highest quality at each step of the process.

We proudly serve our estate wines at our Briar Rose Winery in the Temecula Wine Country.  Did you know that in order to call our award winning wines “estate” our wine has to meet several conditions set by the US federal government’s Alcohol, Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau?

The wine must be made completely from grapes either grown on land, owned by the winery, or controlled by the winery in the same viticultural area. The Temecula Valley is considered one of the fastest growing viticultural areas in the country.  If we have bad weather and have to purchase grapes from another vineyard and the wine cannot be considered “estate”.

The wine may not leave the premises at any time during its production.  It’s for this reason that we crush and ferment the grapes, bottle and age the wine right here at Briar Rose Winery, Temecula Valley’s premiere boutique winery under the watchful eye of our winemaker/owner Les Linkogle. We personally ensure the quality of the wine at each step in the process to create the best wines for our customers.  We are proud to put the word “estate” on many of our award-winning wines and consider it a taste of home.
We have an Estate Riesling with hints of orange blossom, peaches and apricots and an Estate Viognier  that boasts of exotic fruits, white peach and a luscious florals.  

To appeal to variety of estate wines among our standard wine options as well as featured estate wines in our ultra-premium selections , make a reservation to try some of our delicious wines today and purchase a bottle or two of our delicious estate wines to take a taste of home where ever you may go!

Briar Rose Winery Gets Celebrated Visit From Southern California Wine Country

As Michael and Karon Cartwright, MUST's editors, entered the enchanting grounds of Briar Rose Winery, their first vision was that of the replica of Snow White's cottage built by Beldon Fields. Mr. Fields was one of the gifted artisans that originally built Disneyland's famed Fantasyland. This replica of Snow White's Cottage is now home to Briar Rose's wine tasting room, where each wine tasting is hosted and seated.

The Cartwrights were then graciously greeted by owner and Winemaker Les Linkogle. They all took contented seats under the glorious olive tree that adorns the property where Les explained the rich and captivating history behind Temecula's premier boutique reservation only winery. Mr. Linkogle explained how Beldon Fields, the Disney Imagineer literally built the house with his own hands, and his finger prints can still be seen in the plaster he molded to become this magical cottage, as well as many other hidden secrets of this gem of a winery.

Les then escorted Michael and Karon to the unseen VIP tasting room, which has been host to countless celebrities and worldwide dignitaries. As they walked by the magnificent outdoor tasting area, Dorian Linkogle, Les's wife and owner was giving a private wine tasting to six adoring guests.

As the Cartwright's entered this extraordinary room, nostalgia was everywhere. From the classic Disney memorabilia in the vintage showcases to the original piece of Disney artwork hanging above the impressive stone fireplace. Then, at that very moment coming through the concealed speakers was the "Anthem" that Les wrote called "We Remember" that pays tribute to the men and woman who defend our country and the sacrifices they make every day. This extremely touching and moving song is eloquently sung by Temecula's legendary Sherry Williams.

As for the Cartwright's experiencing Briar Rose's award winning wines... Michael stated, "I don't know that we've ever tasted that many exceptional wines in one sitting."

Briar Rose Winery's "We Remember" Gets A Voice

Briar Rose Owner and Winemaker, Les Linkogle wanted to give something special, something meaningful, and something significant to honor the great men and woman who defend our country everyday and every minute without rest.

Les, being a Winemaker, crafted the proprietary red wine called "We Remember." Ten percent of the proceeds from "We Remember" wine goes to the Veterans Research Corporation, whose mission is to remember and honor the sacrifices of those who serve.  Proceeds will fund world class medical research for veterans of all generations. Although, Les did not stop there…

To further honor the brave men and woman of our Armed Forces, Mr. Linkogle penned the touching and inspiring words to what is now the "We Remember" anthem, sung by Temecula's celebrated and renowned Sherry Williams.

Sherry co-wrote the music with acclaimed LA musical composer and arranger John Rodby. When asked, if it hard to write the music for "We Remember" based on Mr. Linkogle’s moving words, Ms. Williams replied, "It was challenging, yet very rewarding." Sherry continued, "It was my task to take these powerful words and put them to a melody in such a way, that the listener would be inspired to personalize their memories…to think of their own family members and loved ones who have served and to remember the tremendous sacrifices all of our men and woman of service make every day to keep the rest of us safe and secure."

The first public appearance of Ms. Williams singing "We Remember" will be at the American Hero Wine & Food Benefit honoring triple amputee United States Marine Cpl. Juan Dominguez. This benefit is sponsored by the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Run Organization. It will be held at Monte De Oro Winery in Temecula, California on Friday, May 25th, 2012 at 6pm.

Briar Rose Winery Rewards its Wine Club Members

We love to reward our wine club members with discounts on all your favorite Briar Rose wines. Our members receive a 20% discount on any bottle of wine and a 25% discount on same case or mix wines. The savings add up fast. How would you like invitations to exclusive events at Briar Rose? We have special Members-only events and previews several times a year. Do you have a special event coming up and need a venue? We offer a 10% discount on any member held private event. We love birthdays and want you to celebrate yours with us so we are offering our members a 30% discount on wine during the primary member’s birthday month. Make a reservation and bring along a friend for an afternoon a wine tasting because members get 2 complimentary wine tastings per visit. We have also partnered with the Inn at Churon Winery  to offer our members 20% Monday – Thursday.

So what does it cost to be a wine club member at Briar Rose Winery? NOTHING! There are no annual membership fees!

Wine members receive 2 bottles of wine every other month for a total of 6 shipments per year. The cost averages between $80 and $120. The wines are chosen by our wine maker and they are usually one wine from the Standard Menu and one wine from the Premium Menu. Members can always specify in advance if they want a particular wine instead. February’s selection was 2 Bottles of Pinot Noir, 2009 from our Premium Collection.

Stop by and join the Wine Club today and enjoy some terrific discounts and benefits as well as some delicious wines!