We are extremely excited and honored to announce our awards for the 2012:

• Sparkling Brut: Double Gold
• Blanc de Noir: Double Gold

• Blanc de Blanc: Silver
• Sparkling Rose: Silver

Pick up your award winning bottle today!

Come join us at Saint Mary's:
7th Annual Summer Wine Festival
August 14, 2011
2-5 p.m.
Soda Center
Saint Mary's College Campus, Moraga

Click here to view our:
Tour & Tasting Magazine Article!

Click on the link to find out more about Rack & Riddle, our products & the facility capabilities!

Thank you to all that participated & visited us for Hopland Passport last weekend! Visit our Facebook page for pictures!

Fall Passport 2012: October 20-21st  Save the Date!

Click here for pictures from the Spring 2012 Passport event!

Thank you for sharing this great events with us! The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed pouring Sparkling Wine with all of you! Click here to view pictures from the event.

Here is a link to view a News article we recently sent out to our subscribers:
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Rack---Riddle-s-Wine-Awards.html?soid=1102238943221&aid=QOiVTDrYOYM

Included in the newsletter:

• Rack & Riddle received award for our 2007 Syrah! The award was from a Dallas Wine Competition we entered at the beginning of the year. The Competition was hosted by Dallas Morning News.

• Secondly, our Cabernet Sauvignon was listed as a Best Buy in the March 2011 issue of the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine!

• Lastly, one of our dear clients, Amorosa Bella, was published in an article with North Bay Biz. The March 2011 article includes information about Rack & Riddle, the sparkling winemaking process, and our facility.

Cheers to a Happy New Year! Thank you all for your support and loyalty along the way! We enjoy having you as part of our team.

Recently, Rack & Riddle was published in multiple newsletters. We also received a couple of outstanding wine reviews, including an award and best buy! Click here for more details.

We are very excited to launch the Rack & Riddle Wine Club!
Club Members will receive shipments of our favorite still and sparkling wines, along with exclusive discounts and promotions throughout the year!

Click here for additional details!

The dates are set for Hopland Passport Spring 2011! Join us the weekend of April 30th & May 1st for an unforgetable event! For more information, visit the website for Hopland Passport. To puchase your tickets now, click here. Looking forward to seeing you at R&R!

We will be attending the Family Winemakers of California tradeshow in March. We will have a booth at both events. Visit us in San Diego on March 13th and Pasadena on March 15th. Click here for additional details.  Before you puchase your tickets, contact us for a special R&R discount code!

Thank you for joining Rack & Riddle's wine club! We are so excited to have you part of our team. I hope you enjoyed your wines, Valentine's Day, and the special enclosed gift! Look for your next shipment in early Summer 2011.

Here is an article about the traditional sparkling wine making process known as Methode Champenoise that we use here at Rack & Riddle. Click on the link to learn more about the exceptional process behind our amazing sparkling wines.

Making sparkling wine may be accomplished by using several different processes.  However, the traditional and highly regarded process we use at Rack & Riddle is known as Methode Champenoise. 

The early days of sparkling wine production was done by Dominican Monks in the Champagne Region of France in the early 1600s.  Here, monk Dom Perignon is said to have exclaimed, "I am drinking the stars," as he watched tiny bubbles rise from his wine glass.

The Methode Champenoise process of creating those wonderful 'stars' is a highly specialized process that takes years in the making.  The first fermentation begins as the fruit is pressed and fermented, as the natural sugar in the juice is pressed and converted into alcohol, and while the resulting carbon dioxide is allowed to escape.

The wine is then put into bottle and a second fermentation takes place, by adding yeast and rock sugar.  At this point, the bottle is sealed with what is called a 'crown cap,' which looks similar to a soda cap.  As the second fermentation is under way, the carbon dioxide is trapped in the bottle under intense pressure, which explains the reason the bottles for sparkling wines are so much thicker than a regular wine bottle.

The wine is then stored and aged on the sediment created from the second fermentation for an extended period of time, the French term for this stage is en tirage.  This is when the wine develops its true complexity and character.  The longer the wine is aged, en tirage, the finer the bubble and the more complex and refined the wine becomes.

After aging, the process begins to remove the lees from the bottle.  The lees refer to the residual yeast and other particles from the second fermentation, en tirage.  To eliminate the lees, the bottle undergoes a process known as riddling... explaining the origin: Rack & Riddle.  In this stage, the bottles are placed with the corks down at a 45 degree angle.  Every few days, over the course of several months, the bottles are slightly rotated.  Gradually, the lees sediment settles into the neck of the bottle and seeped into the crown cap.  At this time, the lees are now ready to be removed.

Removing the sediment from the bottle is accomplished by freezing the liquid at the neck of the bottle.  When the crown cap is removed, the frozen sediment is pushed up and out of the bottle.  The displaced wine is replaced (dosage) during the final bottling process, known as disgorging.  The bottle is then sealed with its permanent cork and metal wire hood, which is used to keep the cork from being pushed out by the pressure inside the bottle.

In the end, we have created a fabulous and traditional sparkling wine.  We have captured the stars inside each and every bottle!

We were published in the Redwood Empire Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.  The article was written as an explanation of our facility, by our architect, Kevin O'Malley. Rack & Riddle was also submitted for an award in the People's Choice Awards for this organization. Click here for the full article and results!

Rack & Riddle has equipment and expertise for would-be sparkling wine producers...

Read the article on the Wines & Vines web site

We've just completed our 50,000 square foot expansion project. The 17,000 sq. ft. canopied crush pad includes new presses and grape receiving.

Press Democrat Article
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