Join us at Curds and Wine to celebrate our One Year Anniversary!  It has been quite an exciting year for us, with lots of new and veteran winemakers and cheesemakers coming in for supplies and advice.  Our classes have been incredibly popular, and have inspired some customers to become professional cheesemakers!  One of our proudest moments was a customer winning Best of Show at the San Diego County fair with his very first wine kit.  We are looking forward to having a big group of new winemakers winning their first medals at the 2012 Fair -- and hopefully cheesemakers too!  We are working on getting a homemade cheese contest added to the Fair for 2012.

We have several fun activities planned for our anniversary weekend from November 11th (our officialy one-year anniversary date) to November 13th.  Come in to sample cheeses from Venissimo and get inspired to make your own cheeses at home.  Then come to our winemaking demonstration, check out the wine room and pick out which wines you want to start!

From November 9th through 13th, take advantage of our anniversary specials:

• Vinting fees 50% off -- only $50 to start one wine, $75 to start two wines!
• Curds and Wine brand Mozzarella and Ricotta kits on sale for $19.95, 20% off!
• All winemaking and cheesemaking books 10% off

We would like to thank all of our customers for your support through our first year.  Cheers for many more to come!

Vote for your favorite label on the Big Board!

To celebrate our first year of bringing new winemakers into the world, cast your vote for your favorite wine label on the Big Board. Come in to cast your vote, one vote per customer please! Votes can be cast until Sunday November 6th, so we can tally up the votes to announce the winner on our anniversary, Friday November 11th. We will have some special prizes for the winner and the runner-up, to be announced on our Facebook page and in the December newsletter. Good luck to everyone!

Winemaking Demonstration Saturday November 12th at 1 pm

Join us on our anniversary weekend for our FREE winemaking demonstration on Saturday November 12th at 1 pm.  We'll show you just how easy it is to make your own wine, at home or on site at Curds and Wine!  We will go through all of the basic steps of making wine from kits, from start to bottle. This will be an interactive demonstration, you will have an opportunity to take part in winemaking steps hands-on. This demonstration will take about 2 hours, and then you can start your own wine!

There is no charge for this event, and this weekend vintning fees are half price -- only $50 plus the cost of the wine kit for one wine or $75 plus the cost of the wine kits to make 2 or 3 wines on site at Curds and Wine from November 11th through November 13th. Discover how easy and rewarding it is to make your very own wines!

RSVP for this event here

Anniversary Weekend Special Wine Demonstration:  Disgorging Sparkling Wine, Sunday November 13th at 1 pm

Have you ever wondered how those bubbles get in your sparkling wine? Join us at Curds and Wine to celebrate our One-Year Anniversary with a very special winemaking demonstration. We will talk about how sparkling wines are made, then show you one of the most dramatic processes in this winemaking -- disgorging the sediment from the riddled wine.

This is a free demonstration! Please RSVP for this event here.

 

Cheesemaking Fundamentals Classes Sunday November 13th 6 - 8:30 pm and Tuesday November 15th 1 - 3 pm, $50/person

Join us at Curds and Wine to learn how easy and rewarding it is to make your own cheeses at home!  At this class you will learn the fundamental processes behind fresh cheesemaking as well as the techniques for making pressed cheeses and aged cheeses such as cheddar, gouda, and camembert. We will make fromage blanc, ricotta, and queso fresco, and demonstrate the processes involved in making feta, swiss-style cheeses and mold-ripened cheeses such as camembert/brie-style and blue cheeses.. We will have samples of the various styles of cheeses you can make at home from Venissimo, as well as other refreshments. Finally, you will receive a packet with a recipe booklet to make the cheeses from the class as well as basic supplies to get you started with your cheesemaking. You will also receive a 10% discount on any purchase in the shop following the class.

The fee for this class is $50 per person, and class size is limited to 12 participants.

Sign up and purchase tickets for these classes here:
Sunday November 13th, 6 - 8:30 pm
Tuesday November 15th, 1 - 3:30 pm

These classes sell out fast! If you would like to check for an opening or to be put on the waiting list for this class, call the shop or email us.

2012 Limited Edition Wine Kits from Winexpert and Cellar Craft

It's that time again for the Limited Edition Wine Kit releases from Winexpert and Cellar Craft!  Every year these companies release a special limited edition set of wine kits from specially selected grapes from distinct vineyards around the world. This year one of our customers won Best of Show at the San Diego County Fair with a Limited Edition wine kit!

There are a limited number of kits available and they must be pre-ordered in December in order to get these kits; pre-orders are for in-store pick up only.  The kits are released monthly January through April of the following year. We have more information about each wine here, or click on any wine below to find out more.

This year Winexpert has five Select Limited Edition kits available, three reds and two whites: Washington Meritage (January), South African Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon (January), California Petite Sirah/Zinfandel(February), German Traminer Spaetlese (March), and Spanish Matador Trio Red (April).


Cellar Craft has four special selections for their Limited Editions: Bella Sonoma Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast, CA -- January), Erickson Farm Nebbiolo (Madera, CA -- February), Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon / Chardonnay (Lake County, CA and Yakima Valley, WA -- March), Sunset Ridge Vineyard Red Mountain Trio (Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot -- April).  All of the red wine kits come with 2 liter virgin, crushed grape packs., which adds additional complexity and mouthfeel to the finished wine.


Pre-orders will be taken for Winexpert kits until Sunday, December 5th, and for Cellar Craft kits until Sunday, December 11th. Pre-orders are for in-store pick up only.  You do not pay for your kit until you pick it up when it is released for sale, but you do need to sign up if you want any of these kits, as there will not be many extras. If you would like to sign up for any of these kits, you can sign up online.

Please Note NEW Regular Business Hours

Starting November 1st, our new regular business hours will be as follows:

• Wednesday through Friday 11 am to 7 pm
• Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm

Appointments outside of regular business hours are also available, contact us if you need us to meet you!

Curds and Wine will be CLOSED Wednesday November 23rd and Thursday November 24th in observance of Thanksgiving.  Gobble Gobble!