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!

Briar Rose Winery Celebrates World of Wine with New and Old Friends

Thanks to everyone who came out for the 21st annual World of Wine (WOW) Barrel Tasting held on March 3-4.  It was a great success.  We, along with many of our winery friends in Temecula’s Wine Country, offered preview tastings of our future vintages in addition to sampling our current wines.  Well-chosen food pairings enhanced the experience for the eyes as well as the taste buds. The southern California weather for the weekend was perfect…of course!

We were delighted to see many old friends during the two day event.  We had fun catching up on stories with everyone and sharing some of our favorites also.  We also got to meet many people who were visiting Briar Rose Winery and the Temecula Valley Wine Country for the first time. Our Snow White inspired cottage was a popular stop on the tour of our winery.  Our new wines were a hit and we are looking forward to introducing them to the public soon. 

What a great occasion to share a glass of wine or two with some terrific people!  The numbers for the World of Wine event grew again this year.  Our beautiful valley is really gaining in popularity as a destination for great wine!  Everyone promised to come back again soon and visit us at Briar Rose.  We know next year’s event will be even better!  But don’t wait till next year to visit us – we are taking reservations for tastings Tuesday through Sunday and we would love to see everyone again soon! 

Briar Rose Winery - The Winery To The Celebrities

When worldwide Celebrities and Dignitaries make the decision to enjoy the irresistible charm of Temecula wineries, there is a reason why they choose to visit Briar Rose Winery first, the premiere boutique Winery of Southern California...

As well as Briar Rose being the hidden jewel of the Temecula wineries, one of the additional reasons these people of notoriety make the wise choice of Briar Rose, is because of the winery's willingness to give completely private and total confidential tastings to these high profile individuals. It is Briar Rose's strict policy of the utmost confidentiality that brings these luminaries here for the ability to enjoy the Briar Rose wine tasting experience with their personal friends and family in an enchanting and what most call "magical setting."

On many occasions, Briar Rose Winery closes its doors for the day to accommodate public figures to relax in total privacy with their own guests. While here they cherish hours of extraordinary award winning wine tasting, unwind and just simply being themselves. Here at Briar Rose Winery these household named figures leave the pressures of fame and their high profile demands behind them for a few precious hours. A recent star-studded personality said as they were leaving, "This has been one of my best days in a long time. Thank you so much Dorian and Les (The owners of Briar Rose Winery)."

One of the greatest accolades of Briar Rose Winery is that whoever you are, celebrity or not, you will be treated as though you are. You will taste, discover and savor a wide array of varietals, including world class Cabernet Sauvignons, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Francs, a Super Tuscan Blend, Sangiovese, Viognier, and Fume Blanc. As well as their recently released deliciously sweet and bubbly wine lager called "Talking Frog". You will also take pleasure in Briar Rose’s Proprietary Red Wine “We Remember”, which a portion of the proceeds benefits The Veterans Research Corporation, whose mission is to remember and honor the sacrifices of those who serve.

Briar Rose Winery is the Hidden Jewel of Temecula Wine Country

Briar Rose Winery is the Hidden Jewel of Temecula Wine Country. Nestled back on a hillside off the main gateway, Briar Rose Winery offers beautiful views of the Temecula Valley from the front porch of their award winning winery.  The Temecula Valley is known for fertile growing grounds and our grapes flourish in the perfect climate year round. Our owners, Les and Dorian Linkogle, employ the best methods to coax the fullest flavor from each grape to create an assortment of delicious wines.

We are proud to be Temecula Valley Wine Country's premier boutique winery. We keep our quantities low and our quality high by consistently producing handcrafted, small lot, premium, artisan wines loved by oenophiles and novices alike. We produce delicious red and white wines from our vineyard in the Temecula Wine Country and ship selections both locally and internationally to our growing number of fans and wine club members. Our vineyards include varieties of grapes including Viognier, Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling to create our ultra premium estate , premium  and standard wines. We are also proud of our unique wine lager, “Talking Frog” and our proprietary blend red wine, “We Remember”. 10% of the proceeds from "We Remember" wine is donated to the Veterans Research Corporation.

Our Briar Rose Winery got its name from the beautiful cottages built as replicas of Snow White’s forest home by Disney artist, Beldon Fields, as a gift for his wife. The attention to detail is seen throughout the beautiful winery and in the quality of each glass of wine poured. Briar Rose Winery is the Hidden Jewel of the Temecula Wine Country but when you discover its beauty and award winning wines, the “Hidden Jewel” shines brightly!

Briar Rose Winery proud to be part of 2012 World of Wine Weekend

World of  Wine 2012

We are excited to be part of Temecula Valley Wine Country’s 2012 World of Wine weekend March 3 and 4!  This event is a great way to experience the best of Temecula’s Wine Country and Briar Rose Winery .
Stop by and taste our new releases, barrel and tank samples and wines not typically available to the public.

We have chosen some of our favorite wines and have paired them with delicious food items to share with World of Wine ticketholders.  Find out why we are called the “Hidden Jewel of the Temecula Wineries” and visit our replica of Snow White’s cottage created by one of Disney’s artisans.  Stop and chat awhile, we love sharing our story with our guests. Dorian and I look forward to seeing many old friends and making lots of new ones too.  Try out our popular “Talking Frog” wine lager and our California Proprietary red wine, “We Remember”. 10% of the proceeds from "We Remember" wine are donated to the Veterans Research Corporation.
Here’s a map to our location. Get your ticket here 

The rain or shine event is held from 10am to 4:30pm on Saturday March 3rd and Sunday March 4th. 2 day tickets are $99 per person. Special discounted tickets are available for locals and designated drivers!

Briar Rose Winery Proudly All American Grown and Made

Wine has been made in America with American grown grapes for over 300 years. Les Linkogle, owner and winemaker of Briar Rose Winery prides himself on upholding that tradition. All of Briar Rose wines use 100% American grown grapes.Even some of the great winemakers of France, have been, and are coming over to America to make their wines here with American grown grapes.

When John Hawkins arrived in America in 1565, just a year after the settlers, he found them in need of food, yet they were successfully cultivating wine from abundant wild grapes. The early pioneers touted the lavish vine growth as “a symbol of the promise of America as a sort of Eden.” This phrase was interpreted by the settlers as, “wine would be one of the products to bring prosperity to those who settled here.”

Les proudly states that, “All my wines will only be made from American grown grapes.” Briar Rose Winery meticulously strives to produce handcrafted, small lot, premium artisan wines made from the most intensely flavored grapes from their opulent vineyards.

Even outside of America, from Russia to Hong Kong, there are waiting lists of people insisting for wine made from American grown grapes. In fact, stories of America's early accidental hybrid varietals and the success of native grapes built the foundation of modern American winemaking.

In addition to their wines only being made from American grown grapes, Briar Rose Winery’s roots are as American as one can get. This winery was originally built by one of the creative artisans of Disneyland’s Fantasyland, as a tribute to his wife. To further enhance the American feeling of the winery, sprinkled around the property are whimsical tributes to Disney, including original artwork memorabilia, fairytale statues and secret hidden messages on the walls of the cottage (tasting room) only visible at sunset.

Briar Rose Winery Appreciates Reviews

Dorian and I are proud of the wines we produce here at Briar Rose Winery.We pay careful attention to detail to give our guests delicious wines and excellent service.  It warms our hearts to read the kind comments on our Facebook, Google.Our favorite remarks are from our first time visitors.

Michelle D. from Fallbrook posted, “One of the best wine tasting experiences. The best wine by far in Temecula and even better are the servers.  Tom, Steve, Stacey and April are just as good as the wine and always make our wine tasting excursions top notch.  I highly recommend to anyone who loves good wine and great service.”

“I can't recommend Briar Rose more highly.Would give it 6 stars if I could!  Les and Dorian, keep doing it your way and you will continue to prosper as Temecula's best”, writes Timothy C. from San Diego

Ashleigh B from Solano Beach called us an “Adorable hidden gem!”  She continued to say, “Briar Rose is such a hidden treasure, and I would definitely recommend trying it”.

We hope you will make a reservation to stop by and try our newest wines, and then leave your observations on our Facebook, Google or Yelp pages about your experience at Briar Rose Winery. We look forward to seeing you soon and reading your Reviews!  

Gary Sinise "Lt. Dan Benefit Concert" March 1 in Temecula CA

WE REMEMBER WINE TO BE SHOWCASED 

AT GARY SINISE “LT. DAN BENEFIT CONCERT” MARCH 1

Monies Raised Will Go To Help Construct a “Smart Home” In Temecula for Cpl. 

Juan Dominguez, Who’s a Triple-Amputee From Injuries Endured In Afghanistan

January 12, 2012. Temecula, California. Les Linkogle, owner and winemaker of Briar Rose Winery crafted the recently released proprietary red wine “We Remember” specifically to give back to the men and woman who stand ready twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year to defend our country. Les being a Vietnam Veteran himself knows firsthand the huge sacrifices these courageous and selfless individuals make.

10% of the proceeds from We Remember wine sales go directly to the Veterans Research Corporation. Their mission is to remember and honor the sacrifices of those who serve. These proceeds support world class medical research for veterans of all generations.Medical research is vital in addressing the wounds of war, seen and unseen.

The "Lt. Dan Benefit Concert" will take place on Thursday, March 1 at the Town Square Park in Old Town. Tickets are available at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater box office, 42051 Main St., Old Town Temecula. They are also available at www.TemeculaTheater.org, by calling the theater at (866)653-8696 or www.TemeculaNightOut.com . Ticket prices are between $35 and range up to $150 for VIP seating. We Remember wine will be served in the VIP room during this exceptional benefit concert.

Money raised from ticket purchases will go to building a "Smart Home" for 27-year-old Cpl. Juan Dominguez, who became a triple amputee as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan. After a visit to Temecula is when chose it as the city where he wants to live with his 9-year-old daughter Victoria. Juan’s state of the art "Smart Home" will be specifically designed to allow him to live independently.