October 2025 Newsletter

2025 HARVEST CONTINUES!

Here is a look at our 2025 Malbec that has just been harvested! This is for a new wine to be released in 2026. We will age it 16 months in oak barrel to ensure a rich, well-rounded wine.

DID YOU KNOW … we age our wines in both stainless steel and oak barrels?

Think of it like this: Oak barrels are like seasoning your wine, while stainless steel is like keeping it pure and untouched. Neither is better – they’re just tools for different goals!

BENEFITS OF STAINLESS STEEL

• Preserves the Wine’s Flavor

  • Maintains wine’s natural characteristics
  • Especially great for crisp white wines
  • No additional flavors added

  • Built to Last 

  • More durable than oak barrels
  • Can be reused indefinitely
  • Cost-effective long-term

  • Better Control 

  • Airtight environment
  • Precise oxidation management
  • Consistent results

BENEFITS OF OAK

Flavor Enhancement

• Adds vanilla, nuts, spice notes
• Creates complexity

Natural Breathing 

• Controlled oxygen exposure
• Smooths and softens wine

Structure Building 

• Adds tannins
• Improves texture
• Creates creamier feel
•  

FALL WINE PAIRINGS

Red Wine Beef Stew

Beef Preparation

• 2 lbs beef stew meat – cut into 1-inch cubes

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 3 tablespoon olive oil – divided

Stew Assembly

• 1 yellow onion – chopped

• 4 garlic cloves – chopped

• 750 ml bottle Gusher Grenache – divided

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon beef base – i.e. Better Than Bouillon brand

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 cups beef broth

• 2 ½ cups carrots – 1 inch chunks

• 1 ½ cups celery – 1 inch chunks

• 3 cups russet potatoes, peeled – 1 inch chunks

Thickening slurry

• 3 tablespoon cornstarch  

Instructions:

1. Mix together ¾ cup flour with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss the 2lbs. beef chunks in the flour until it is completely coated. Set aside.
2. In a Dutch oven, cast iron pot, or sturdy pot with a tight-fitting lid, warm 2 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Brown all the beef, working in batches to not over crowd the pot. Set the browned pieces on a plate to the side.
3. In the now empty pot, sauté the yellow onion and garlic cloves for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly so they don’t burn.
4. Deglaze the pot with 3 cups of Gusher Grenache  (don’t use the whole bottle yet, you will need the remaining red wine to thicken the stew at the end), scraping up all the browned bits at the bottom of the pot.
5. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, beef base, sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, 1 bay leaf, and the browned beef with juices. Let that simmer together for 5 minutes.
6. Add the beef broth, carrots, celery, and potatoes.
7. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat to low and pop the lid on. Cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
8. At the end of 2 hours the broth will still be pretty thin.  Mix together a cornstarch slurry by stirring the remaining Gusher Grenache and 3 tablespoon of cornstarch together.
9. Stir it into the stew and bring it to a simmer over medium heat until it is thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
10. Let the stew cool and then serve! It goes great with warm crusty bread.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

The Gusher Grenache flavor will concentrate in the stew as it cooks down. This is the best flavored stew because it features the flavors of the wine in a dramatic way.  Enjoy!

FOUNDER’S CLUB – JOIN WHILE YOU CAN!

Our Founder’s Club is for the first 100 people that sign up for our Wine Club Membership.  Any choice of membership will be counted toward the membership.  As a member, you will have:

1. Invitation to an Exclusive Pre-Opening Event

2. Founding Member Gift

3. Special Founders-Only Offers 

4. Lifetime Founders Recognition

We want to let those first 100 know that we highly value that they are here with us at the very beginning! 

Please see our website to sign up now.

HAVE A SNEAK PEAK AT HILL & BACH CELLARS