Just as skiing Everest may seem like the impossible, living with MS can seem impossible as well. That’s why we work with Can Do MS, a stellar non-profit that dedicates itself to bringing joy, empowerment and possibilities to those living with MS.  We’d love for you to join us for a private screening of “Skiing Everest”, dessert & wine reception and winemaker dinner at Angela’s Bistro.  Do one or all, there are three base camp levels to select from.

The Mission:
Transform the lives of MS sufferers.

The Journey:
Thursday, March 22
A R&B Cellars Winemaker Dinner at Angela’s Bistro.
A Mezzanine Dessert & Wine Reception at the Alameda Theatre.
A Private Screening of “Skiing Everest”.
A 20 minute Q&A with lead skier and filmmaker Mike Marolt.

The Cause:
Can Do Multiple Sclerosis

Three Base Camp levels to help raise money for Can Do MS:

6:30PM – Base Camp 1 – $120 – includes:
*An R&B Cellars Winemaker Dinner at Angela’s Bistro
*A Mezzanine Dessert and Wine Reception at Alameda Theatre
*A Private Screening of “Skiing Everest” (VIP seating in balcony of the main theater with open wine bar on mezzanine)
*A 20 minute Q&A with skier and filmmaker Mike Marolt
*Click here to buy your tickets.

8:15PM – Base Camp 2 – $50 – includes:
*A Mezzanine Dessert and Wine Reception at Alameda Theatre
*A Private Screening of “Skiing Everest” (VIP seating in balcony with open wine bar on mezzanine)
*A 20 minute Q&A with skier and filmmaker Mike Marolt
*Click here to buy your tickets.

9:00PM – Base Camp 3 – $10 – includes:
*A Private Screening of “Skiing Everest” in the main theater
*A 20 minute Q&A with skier and filmmaker Mike Marolt
*Tickets available at Alameda Theatre, 2317 Central Avenue in Alameda, CA (Map) (510)769-FILM (3456)

About “Skiing Everest”:
THE TOP OF THE WORLD

All proceeds go to Can Do MS
Every year the Can Do Programs empower and transform the lives of MS sufferers and their families.

A 4-Star Charity – 83 cents of every dollar goes directly to the programs that help MS sufferers.  Click here to read more about Can Do MS.

R&B Cellars Wine Raffle
Can’t make it to the event?  Can’t get enough R&B wines??

Here’s your chance to make a difference!!  And maybe…you will be the winner of the $500 case of R&B wine!!
Here’s how it works: For every $5 you donate to Can Do MS a ticket gets added to the hat to win a $500 case of award-winning R&B Cellars wine.  Donate more and up your chances!

It’s easy, just click here.

We have a soft spot for this underdog varietal. Despite Petite Sirah not getting much respect or press, we still think it has great personality and a wealth of complexity. Just you wait, Petite Sirah will have be in the limelight in due time.

Petite Sirah’s distinctly layered blackberry, blueberry, cocoa profile, and gripping tannins can stand up to the Noble varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon any day of the week. And a well-made Petite Sirah can age remarkably over 10-20 years.

Get your Petite Sirah on, we’ll be pouring our 2008 & 2009 show-stopping petites at this years PS I Love You’s Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah Tasting. The Petite Sirah Event of the Year!

When: Friday, February 17th, 6-9pm

Where: Rock Wall Wine Co. in Alameda

Cost: $63/person ($53/person for purchase of 8 or more tickets)

What: 55 amazing Petite Sirah producers all under one roof, pouring their finest “Dark & Delicious”. Also 30 fabulous Napa and Bay Area restaurants & caterers creating succulent pairings.

Introducing the Newest Addition to R&B Cellars Wine Repertoire – The Improviser

im·pro·vise

1. To invent, compose, or perform with little or no preparation.
2. To play or sing (music) extemporaneously, especially by inventing variations on a melody or creating new melodies in accordance with a set progression of chords.

The improviser is a delicious red wine blend that contains a hearty base of Zinfandel. Never the same blend twice, but always with the same varietal profile and invariably delicious.

Juicy dark fruit and a smooth finish are hallmarks of this reliably tasty Zinfandel blend. And at $15 per bottle you don’t have to spend a fortune to satisfy boisterous dinner party guests or casual meals.

We’re just doing our part to make picking out a wine for large gatherings or weekday “spaghetti night” that much simpler and more enjoyable.

Wine Contest Details & Rules

Who do you believe graces the label of our newest wine, The Improviser? To enter the wine contest:

• Comment on this blog with your answer
• Tweet your answer to @rbcellars with #winecontest
• Or post on our Facebook page

All those who correctly identify our ‘Improviser’ featured in our wine contest will enter a drawing for a chance to win a 6 pack of the inaugural vintage of The Improviser. R&B Cellars ‘Improviser’ wine contest ends January 15th.

Only requirements: Must be over 21 and live in a US state in which you can legally receive wine shipments.

Good luck!

You know you have a few “difficult people” to shop for remaining on your holiday gift list. Who doesn’t enjoy the gift of wine? And really good wine at that!

Here at R&B Cellars we’ve put together a few seasonal gift packs to help spread the holiday cheer. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice you save 20% on the retail price of these wine gift packs.

Give us a call (510) 749-8477 or email info@rbcellars.com to order your holiday wine gifts.

Just call us “Santa’s little helpers”.

Mistletoe Madness
A two-bottle gift pack for $50
2008 Pizzicato – Petite Sirah
2008 Zydeco – Zinfandel

Swingin’ Santa (Best Buy!)
A two-bottle gift pack for $20
2007 Swingsville – Zinfandel
2007 Serenade in Blanc – Sauvignon Blanc

Blitzen’s Delight
A three-bottle gift pack for $55
2008 Pizzicato – Petite Sirah
2008 Zydeco – Zinfandel
2010 Serenade in Blanc – Sauvignon Blanc

Rudolph’s Reward
A three bottle gift pack for $85
2008 Pizzicato – Petite Sirah
2008 Zydeco – Zinfandel
2006 Reserve – Cabernet Sauvignon

The holiday season is more than about giving, it’s also about helping those less fortunate and contributing to a stronger community. This holiday season you can give the gift of wine in addition to helping support a well-rounded curriculum at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in San Francisco.

We partnered with the Harvey Milk Academy (HMA) because we agree with their mission that teaching tolerance and non-violence in their programs will lead to a celebration in diversity and a stronger and safer community environment. For each bottle of wine sold, $5 is donated directly back to the school to help fund their art, science and literacy programs.

This year Harvey Milk Academy’s budget was cut drastically. Proceeds from R&B Cellars Harvey Milk Academy label will help pay for essential school services and expenses that have been cut out of the school budget. There are three delicious varietals to select from, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Merlot. And who doesn’t appreciate wine as a holiday gift?

2007 R&B Cellars HMA ‘Science’ Sauvignon Blanc – Retail: $16 Proceeds from this bottle of wine will provide microscope slides for classrooms. A delicious combination of Lake and Mendocino County fruit provides vibrant citrus notes and crisp acidity. Science never tasted so good!

2007 R&B Cellars HMA ‘Detention’ Zinfandel – Retail: $16 An amazing Lodi Zinfandel from a special parcel of 70 year old vines. We added a touch of Petite Sirah to darken and intensify this ‘zinfully’ delicious wine.

2005 R&B Cellars HMA ‘Art’ Merlot – Retail: $16 Proceeds from this bottle of wine provide a set of paintbrushes for a classroom. With a fine Napa Valley pedigree this Merlot is rich and lush with just a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon for additional complexity. Help us raise money for education, one grape at a time.

To purchase contact us at info@rbcellars.com or (510) 749-8477.

Thursday, December 8th

The second holiday wine event is R&B Cellars New Release Party! Celebrate the official release of 8 new fantastic wines. A mere $10 allows you a taste of all eight wines and sample delicious appetizers by our friends at Bistro Zafari. And it wouldn’t be a party with out live jazz!

This event is complimentary to Blue Note Wine Club members and R&B investors. Club members and investors will also be able to pick up their December allocation.

Date: Thursday, December 8th from 6:30 – 8:30pm

Place: The Dome @ Rock Wall Wine Co.

2302 Monarch Street in Alameda (Map)

RSVP: info@rbcellars.com by Tuesday, December 6^th.

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing

Regardless of what you may read, there is no “wrong” way to pair wine with the Thanksgiving feast. We believe in the philosophy that GREAT wine and GREAT food make an EXCELLENT wine pairing.  But for those looking for a bit more guidance, we’ll let you in on our favorite Thanksgiving wine pairing.  A lot of people say Pinot Noir is the wine for Turkey Day, but we prefer a bit more body and spice. Zinfandel is our favorite wine to pair with turkey and the smorgasbord of sides that come with it. Zinfandel’s dark berry fruit and spicy finish (think: Black pepper, cinnamon and hints of anise) pair exceptionally well with a spice-rubbed and BBQ’d bird, cranberry dressing and wild mushroom stuffing.

Zinfandel is also the All American Grape. It’s the one varietal that California has been able to set the standard without looking to France or Italy. The characteristics of a great Zin include ripe berry flavors along with exotic spice such as clove, peppercorn, licorice and chocolate. With a lush and velvety mouth-feel, what’s not to love? Zinfandels are crowd pleasers, the berrylicious flavors are approachable and exuberant; we tend to think of Zinfandel as the life of the party.

Here’s a great smoked turkey recipe to pair with some of R&B Cellars’ Zinfandel. The key to an amazingly moist turkey? Overnight brining!

R&B Cellars 2009 ‘Zydeco’ Bingham Ranch, Napa Valley Zinfandel – Dark, rich, and intense. Blackberries and black cherries flavors accompanied by hints of chocolate and vanilla toast. $28

R&B Cellars 2010 ‘Swingsville’ Rogers Vineyard, Contra Costa Zinfandel – Rich & velvety with bright berry fruit and a touch of black pepper and berry pie spice. Amazing price performer at just $13!

Ingredients

* 6 Large Zucchini, sliced thin long-ways and lightly grilled
* Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
* Ground Pork, Turkey, or Beef (2 lbs)
* Spinach (1 bunch)
* Bag of Frozen Peas and Carrots
* Marinara Sauce (24 ozs)
* Ricotta Cheese (12 ozs)
* Mozzarella Cheese (shredded; about 3 good handfuls)
* Salt & Pepper (to taste)
* 2 Cloves Garlic

Directions

1. Brown the Meat in a large skillet with a little Olive Oil and the cloves of Garlic, chopped.

2. Once meat is browned lower heat to a simmer, add Salt & Pepper, Spinach, Marinara, and frozen Peas and Carrots. Cover and let simmer.

3. On a stovetop grill or a BBQ, lightly grill Zucchini that has been olive oiled, then layer one level of Zucchini on the bottom of a large casserole dish.

4. Once Meat is finished simmering add a layer to the Zucchini. Then add Ricotta. Not necessary but would make it an accurate Lasagna style dish.

5. Add another layer of Zucchini on top. Then add the rest of the meat sauce with a layer of Mozzarella.

6. You could add another layer of Zucchini here, with some Mozzarella on top, depending on your cheese enthusiasm but it’s not necessary.

7. Put dish into a pre-heated 425° oven for 15-20 minutes or until it bubbles. Once finished, let cool and enjoy with a bottle of R&B Cellars 2008 Zydeco Zinfandel.

Mother Nature’s been dealing a rough hand for the 2011 California harvest. A late freeze, combined with early rains have definitely thrown a wrench in maintaining fruit quality. But the mild summer weather did allow grape clusters more time on the vine developing flavor nuances. We see this longer hang time as a positive for the 2011 California harvest, however wines for this vintage will be in shorter supply. Not all grapes made it to peak ripeness and those that did had to battle it out with Botrytis.

Fortunately, at R&B Cellars, we had a lot of help on hand to sort through all the clusters with a fine toothcomb. For the most part we’ve been really happy with what we’ve seen, our Bingham Ranch Zinfandel is uber juicy sure to make for a lush, fruit-driven Zin. Don’t fret about what others are saying about this year’s California harvest, we’ll make good wine this year, but this kind of harvest just makes us work a little harder to get that done!

Thanks to the style we chose for our first vintage of Chardonnay, it was unaffected by the rains. Think of a leaner and crisper Chard, more in the same vein as French Chablis. Fortunately it was brought in before the rains and the purity of the fruit is much to be excited about. We still don’t have a name…so if you have any last minute submissions email: info@rbcellars.com. You

If you’re a Zinfandel lover, our 2008 Zydeco Zinfandel just won a double gold by wine consumers like you! The Tasters Guild brings together consumers and food & wine producers at an annual convention for food and wine judging. This year our 2008 Zydeco Zinfandel, from the acclaimed Bingham Ranch in Napa Valley, brought home a double gold awarded by the hundreds of wine consumers at the convention.

In celebration of this prestigious award, we are offering the ’08 Zydeco Zinfandel for 20% off during the month of October!

Purchase online, at the tasting room, or at the Alameda office.

Another great deal that’s still going on: 2007 ‘Serenade in Blanc’, Sauvignon Blanc. We’re making way for our new vintage and offering a screaming deal on this last of a vintage.

It’s vibrant and crisp, full of delicious minerality and luscious, fragrant citrus tones. With the stelvin closure (screw cap), it is as vibrant as the day it was bottled.

Buy it by the case for $60!! (a $5 bottle price)
Buy it by the bottle for $9
Purchase online, at the tasting room or at the Alameda office.