Dry Creek Vineyard President Don Wallace Selected for a 2011 Leadership in Sustainability Award

Saturday, November 5, 2011, at Mary Agatha Furth Center in Windsor, CA, Don Wallace, President of Dry Creek Vineyard, will be presented with a Leadership in Sustainability Award through the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy.  Don will be recognized for his role in sustainable agriculture as the head of his family’s winery in the Dry Creek Valley.  Read story...

2011 Harvest Begins

Dry Creek Vineyard's Staff Toasts the 40th Harvest

September 13, 2011 - Harvest is here!  Once again, this summer’s weather pattern proved to be unpredictable.   Early rains in June severely affected the critical flowering season.  By July, we had very mild days with virtually no heat spikes or days with temps in the 90s.   Most of us agree that July was a cooler than average month for wine country.  August brought more of the same cool mornings followed by 80 degree days.     Read story...

2011 Wine Blog Awards Voting is Now Open!

Wilma's Wine World is a Finalist for Best Winery Blog

June 21, 2011 - For the past three years, Wilma has toiled away at her keyboard working to share her thoughts and insights from behind the scenes as a wine country insider.  It’s an awesome accomplishment to be recognized as a finalist for Best Winery blog.  Let’s not let the good feelings end!  To get the prize, we need you to vote and help us spread the word..  Read story...

Release of 2010 Fumé Blanc with QR Code Technology

Winery blends history with modern touches in a newly designed package

June 7, 2011 - It’s not often we get to reintroduce our flagship wine.  Since 1972, we have produced Fumé Blanc.  As the first winery in Sonoma County to do so under this moniker, we were also the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the Dry Creek Valley.  For almost 40 years, we have touted the virtues of our delicious, unoaked Fumé Blanc.  Dave Stare even founded the Society of Blancs (SOB’s) to help promote and educate new world wine drinkers on the incredible versatility of the Sauvignon Blanc variety.      Read story...

2011 American Wine Blog Awards

Nominations are now open for the 2011 American Wine Blog Awards

May 23, 2011 – Help us spread the word about Wilma’s Wine World by nominating Kim Stare Wallace’s blog, Wilma’s Wine World, for a wine blog award!  Please consider nominating Wilma for one of the following awards:.    Read story...

A Fresh New Look

Tasting Room Remodel

April 26, 2011 – Spring is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts and that’s exactly what has happened in our tasting room. It has been more than 20 years since we have made any significant changes to the design and layout.  Added in 1989, our tasting room has always been a convivial spot – an area we have gathered countless times for meetings, events and tastings (lots of tastings!).    Read story...

New Smart Links

Dry Creek Vineyard Launches QR Codes

March 13, 2011 – We are excited to launch QR codes as part of our marketing efforts. QR Code stands for “Quick Response Code” and is a 2 dimensional code similar to a bar code.These handy, easy to use codes are readily accessible via any smart phone technology.  The big advantage here is when you scan the code, you are taken to a link that speaks more in-depth about our wines, our family and our history.    Read story...

Vineyard & Cellar Update

March 1, 2011

March 1, 2011 – Weather, it seems, is always a hot topic among winemakers and those of us in the wine industry.  Primarily because weather plays such an instrumental role, winemakers are always having to think ahead and anticipate that new vintage and it literally begins the moment the grapes are harvested.    Read story...

2011 - Screen Actors Guild Awards

Dry Creek Vineyard - Official Wines of the SAG Awards

January 15, 2011 – The 2011 Screen Actors’ Guild Awards show is fast approaching.   Held on Sunday, January 30, 2011, the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards can be viewed on TNT and TBS at 8 pm ET/PT, 7 pm CT, 6 pm MT from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles. It’s an exciting evening as our small family winery takes center stage for one of Hollywood’s most important awards evenings – the only show during the awards season where actors vote for actors.  We encourage you to tune in and enjoy the show with a glass of your favorite Dry Creek Vineyard wine!   Read story...

2010 - Year End Recap

Reflections from 2010

December 2010 – Maybe it’s the time of year.  Maybe we’re just a tad nostalgic.  Whatever the case, we always like to spend some time in reflection on the year that was.  In the case of 2010, it has certainly been eventful!    Read story...

Harvest Time in Dry Creek Valley

Video of Harvest 2010

October 2010 – This is by far our favorite time of year in wine country.  Vineyards and wineries are abuzz with activity (seemingly around the clock) as a new vintage comes to fruition.  The other morning at sunrise, we took a ride out to Lewis Vineyard about 3 miles north of Dry Creek Vineyard.    Read story...

Premier Release:  Foggy Oaks Chardonnay

From Our Estate Russian River Valley Vineyard

September 2010 – We are proud to introduce the Foggy Oaks Chardonnay.  This incredible new wine has been more than 10 years in the making.  The 2008 Foggy Oaks Chardonnay is a family dream turned into reality.  In 1999, we found a bare piece of land, framed by incredible old oak trees, and envisioned a vineyard that would allow us to produce a world-class Chardonnay.  Read story...

Dry Creek Vineyard's "The Mariner" Wins Best of Class

at Critics Challenge International Wine Competition

June 2010 – Dry Creek Vineyard’s Bordeaux-style blend, “The Mariner” vintage 2006, took home Best of Class honors at the 2010 Critics Challenge International Wine Competition.  Results were formally announced last week.  Produced by Robert Whitley, one of California’s best known commercial wine competition directors, the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition attracts top wine writers and media for two days of swirling, sipping and evaluating.  Judges were assigned in two person panels and the wines were tasted blind with only the class of wine provided.  “The Mariner” was selected Best of Class from 28 red Bordeaux blends submitted.  Read story...

In its third vintage, proprietary blend is leaving a lasting impression with consumers and wine trade

April 22, 2010 – Introducing a new wine to an already flooded wine marketplace can be difficult to say the least.  In the fall of 2007, that was exactly the challenge facing the family at Dry Creek Vineyard.  In the previous three decades in business, founder David Stare had built the winery into one of the most well respected wineries in California.  However, when Dave officially retired in 2006, handing responsibility to his daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, and son-in law, Don Wallace, it became readily apparent that a “statement” wine was needed to establish a new legacy for the second generation.  This statement became the Mariner.  

Read story...

The Wine News Magazine

January 2010 – Recently, we were proud to learn that not one but TWO of our wines were recognized by Wine News Magazine in their Top 125 wines of 2009.  This is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to our winemaking staff who continue to produce outstanding wines.   Read story...

January 23, 2010

January 2010 – For the past decade, we have proudly sponsored the Screen Actors Guild Awards®, an exclusive A-list Hollywood event that brings together the finest actors in film and television.  During the show, our wines are served at each dinner table along with several tasting bars situated around the Shrine Auditorium.   Read story...

December, 2009

December 2009 – With the harvest season officially behind us, we now have time to give the vineyard our full and undivided attention.  Winter is a very important time for us in the vineyard.  Much of what we do now will ultimately affect the quality of fruit we receive during harvest.   One area of vital importance is pruning. Pruning is the process of cutting back the long shoots from the vine, leaving the bud that will ultimately produce next year’s crop.   

Read story...

Saturday, November 28, 2009

November 2009 – Our 2009 annual Holiday Open House was truly our best yet.  Over 400 guests from as far away as North Carolina joined us for a memorable afternoon of wine tasting, food, shopping and camaraderie in our cellar and tasting room.  This year, the theme was “Wine Country Rustic.”  In the cellar, guests tasted several terrific age-worthy wines including our estate Fumé Blanc DCV3 and premier blend, The Mariner.   Read story...

New You Tube Video

October 2009 – Harvest 2009 has been a whirlwind!  Following a long and moderate growing season, this year's harvest was anything but predictable.   Read story...

September 12 - 13, 2009

September 2009 – For the fourth year in a row, Dry Creek Vineyard was the Official Wine Sponsor of the MS Waves to Wine bike race, where more than 2,000 riders took to the highways in support of finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.  The 2009 Waves to Wine bike race, was held on September 12 and 13, estimated to raise $1.5 million for critical Multiple Sclerosis research and vital programs and services in Northern California.   Read story...

Exciting New Direction

May 2009 – Sauvignon Blanc is the heart and soul of our family winery.  For nearly 40 years we have been wholeheartedly committed to this delicious varietal.  Join us on our exciting new journey. We have released an exciting new Sauvignon Blanc from the Dry Creek Valley appellation. For those people familiar with our wines, since 1972 we have made Sauvignon Blanc, choosing instead to call the wine Fumé Blanc.  Read story...

Preservation of Old Vine Vineyards

March 2009 – Rising up from the dirt like gnarled old tree stumps, old vine vineyard’s dot the valley’s landscape.  These plantings pay homage to a rich history, weaving a 150-year-old story of a place first settled by Italian immigrants.   This history, coupled with our passion for Zinfandel, played a central role in our decision to continue the tradition of old vine, head prune vineyards with the replanting of part of our original 55-acre property - an old school Zinfandel vineyard.  Read story...

Hollywood’s A-List will enjoy some of our finest wines

January 2009 – We are proud to announce that, for the ninth consecutive year, our wines were chosen as the official wines of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®. The 2009 SAG Awards will air Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 8 p.m. EST/PST, 7 p.m. CST, 6 p.m. MST, and will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. Read story...

2006 Heritage Zinfandel

November 2008 – On Monday, November 24, The Today Show featured our 2006 Heritage Zinfandel as a perfect accompaniment to your Thanksgiving table. Click to view the video!.  Wine pairing and Thanksgiving supper is traditionally perceived as a tricky match.  However, it doesn’t have to be.  Here are some quick tips to help make your  Thanksgiving wine plans less stressful:  Read story...

White Wine Sweepstakes Award Winner!

October 2008 – After three days of swirling, sniffing and sipping, 25 judges at this year’s Sonoma County Harvest Fair awarded our 2007 Fumé Blanc the Sweepstakes Award as the best white wine of the competition.   Needless to say, all of us are on cloud nine! For some perspective, overall there were 1,051 Sonoma County wines submitted into this year’s competition, which was a record number of entries.    Read story...

Lisa Bishop-Forbes Promoted to Winemaker

September 2008 – On September 5, 2008, after four years as Associate Winemaker, Dry Creek Vineyard announced the appointment of Lisa Bishop-Forbes to Winemaker.  Bill Knuttel, who joined Dry Creek Vineyard in 2003, will continue in a new role as Executive Winemaker.  In another restructuring move, the winery is also pleased to announce that Nova Perrill has joined the team as Assistant Winemaker.     Read story...

Family to donate $1 per bottle of Fumé Blanc sold at the winery and online

August, 2008 – The Dry Creek Vineyard family announced today that it will donate $1 to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for every bottle of 2006 Fumé Blanc sold either in the winery tasting room or online store.   The promotion will run from August 15th through September 14thin support of the Northern California Chapter’s largest annual fundraising event – Bike MS: Waves to Wine Ride 2008, which will be held September 13th and 14th.  Dry Creek Vineyard is the official wine sponsor of the ride.  Read story...

Kim Wallace elected chairman of the Meritage Association

July 29, 2008 – The Meritage Association, a wine industry organization dedicated to promoting wines blended in the tradition of Bordeaux, announced today the election of a new slate of officers. Assuming the role of Chairman through April 2009 is Kim Stare Wallace, Vice President of Dry Creek Vineyard.  Read story...

Is Fumé Blanc Age-Worthy?

July 2008 – To help answer the question, a panel was assembled that included some of the wine industry’s most respected writers, authors, and educators.  On hand were Dan Berger, Vintage Experiences, Leslie Sbrocco, internationally acclaimed author, consultant and speaker, Sara Schneider, Wine Editor at Sunset Magazine, Linda Murphy, Decanter Magazine, Virginie Boone, wine writer at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and Ziggy “The Wine Gal” Eschliman, wine radio personality and consultant.    Read story...

Winemaker's art form reaches a new milestone

January 2008 – Since our founding in 1972, blending varietals to achieve depth and richness in our red wines has been at the heart of our winery.  Starting in the 1980s, winery founder David Stare joined together with a group of American vintners in an effort to give definition to these “New World” Bordeaux style blends. From this initial concept, the term Meritage was born.  Since the 1985 vintage, we have used the phrase Meritage to describe our premier Bordeaux style blends, incorporating the noble Bordeaux varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.  Read story...

Hollywood’s A-List enjoys some of Sonoma County’s finest wines

January 2008 – For the eighth consecutive year, Dry Creek Vineyard wines were chosen as the official wines of the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®   The 2008 SAG Awards show was simulcast live on TNT and TBS from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center on Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 8 p.m. EST/PST, 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain.  In addition, this was the 75th Anniversary of the Screen Actors Guild, the nation’s largest union representing working actors.   Read story...

A great time was had by all

December 2007 – On Saturday, November 24, 2007, we held our annual Holiday Open House. What a turnout! Over 650 people joined us for delicious wines, fabulous food and artisan cheeses by local "cheesemonger," John Raymond. Our tasting room and cellar was beautifully decorated for the holiday season and a live jazz trio contributed to the cheerful nature of the day.    Read story...

A fast start leads to a long finish

October 2007 – A fast and furious start – that was the beginning to the 2007 Harvest season. As winemaker Bill Knuttel put it, "by the time Labor Day weekend had ended, our entire crop of Chenin Blanc along with 2/3 of our Sauvignon Blanc was already in the barn!"   Read story...

Introducing our new proprietary blend

September 2007 – It’s an exciting time at Dry Creek Vineyard. For 35 years, we have dedicated ourselves to producing high quality wines that define their varietal category.  Five years ago, Dry Creek Vineyard reached a crossroad. Competition in the wine industry had exploded with new brands, from all parts of the globe, entering the American market almost daily. It was evident that we needed to restructure our business to meet this new reality.  Fortunately, we were able to recruit a highly skilled winemaking team that would allow us to produce the kind of wines we wanted to make.  Read story...

Growing in Harmony with Nature

July 2007 – These days, "sustainability" is a common buzzword in Dry Creek Valley, and beyond.  For growers and consumers alike, this is a good thing. By adopting more environmentally responsible farming and business practices, we up the odds of survival for our irreplaceable Planet Earth.   Read more

Dry Creek Vineyard tops the "bliss factor" list

May 2, 2007 – For the 6th year in a row, and now 8 out of 13 competitions, Dry Creek Vineyard’s Dry Chenin Blanc (2006 vintage) has once again tickled the fancy of 37 oyster-loving food and wine writers, restaurateurs, oyster growers, and oyster lovers at large, at the 2007 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition.    Read story...

Dry Creek Vineyard Featured at the
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards®

Seventh year as the official wine of the SAG Awards®

January, 2007 –  For the seventh year in a row, Dry Creek Vineyard wines were chosen as the official wines of the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® which aired on TNT and TBS from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center on Sunday, January 28, 2007.   Read story...

Dry Creek Vineyard Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Family owned winery bucks industry trend of consolidation

January, 2007 – Thirty-five years ago the doors of Dry Creek Vineyard officially opened, launching a whole new era of winemaking in the Dry Creek Valley.  Before newcomer David Stare arrived, the Dry Creek Valley had yet to recover from the effects of Prohibition.  In fact, only three wineries were in existence - Pedroncelli, Frei Brothers (now Gallo-Sonoma), and Fredson, which is no longer in business.    Read story...

2003 Old Vine Zinfandel is #17 in Top 100 Wines of 2006

Wine Enthusiast Magazine "Editors' Selections of the Best of the Best"

December, 2006 – Wine Enthusiast selected our 2003 Zinfandel as one of its Top 100 Wines of 2006, with a 93 point rating and a ranking of #17.   Our Old Vine Zinfandel is made from vines averaging 80-100 years in age, giving it rich, concentrated flavors of blackberry and black cherry undertones. Read story...

Dry Creek Vineyard Scores Big in Wine Enthusiast!

Old Vine Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon

November, 2006 –   In the November 15, 2006 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Dry Creek Vineyard’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2003 Old Vine Zinfandel received glowing reviews.  California wine editor, Steve Heimoff, had this to say about these wines.  Read story...

Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle Panels Select
Best West Coast Wines for Oysters

April, 2006 – After four tiers of judging the 154 wines entered in the 2006 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition, Dry Creek Vineyard's Dry Chenin Blanc (2005) is again one of the 10 wines selected for the 2006 "Oyster Award." Our Dry Chenin Blanc has won this award 7 out of 12 times, and  currently  five years in a row.     Read story...

Second generation to take helm of family winery founded in 1972

April, 2006 – Wine industry pioneer, David S. Stare, who founded Dry Creek Vineyard in 1972, announced that, effective April 10, 2006, he will officially step down from his role as President of the winery and hand full responsibility to his son-in-law and daughter, Don and Kim Wallace.  Read story..