St. Francis Winery Vineyards

Best Wine Clubs (with video)

Filed under: Wine

The best wine clubs in the U.S. include several award-winning wineries that produce some of the best wine this country has to offer. Luxist examined the benefits of some of the best, most popular ones, including those from Domaine Carneros, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, Duckhorn Vineyards, Far Niente and Cakebread Cellars. There are certain advantages to be had when subscribing to a wine club offered directly from a winery. Here is what we learned:

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards
Located just outside the historic town of Kenwood, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, is known for its intensely flavored and complex award-winning wines. St. Francis grows 100% of its grapes in Sonoma County and was among the first to plant Merlot in the Sonoma Valley, enduring many a raised eyebrow for daring to plant a blending grape on prime soil. In June, the winery was a Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Nominee for Best Domestic Red Wine.

Wine Club:
St. Francis offers three different wine clubs. Called "The Patrons Society", the difference between the three options are selections and shipping schedules. Its "red wine club" ships four, six or eight times per year. The "white wine club" includes six-bottle shipments four times a year (February, May, September and November). The Zinfandel Wine Club ships three bottles per shipment over a six month schedule (February, March, May, June, September and November).

Benefits of Membership:
Members are given the ability to sample small production wines before they are released to the public. Often, the wines are so exclusive, that only wine club members have the opportunity to purchase them, as most never hit store shelves.

Discounts:
Members receive a 20% discount on all Artisan wines and a 25% discount on all Sonoma County tier wines. They also receive a 20% discount on all retail merchandise and on reserve wine & food pairings for two (reservations required).

Freebies:
Complimentary wine tastings at St. Francis' Visitors Center and opportunities for "members only" activities at the winery. Members also receive recipes from the winery's Executive Chef, David Bush, for foods that pair well with the wines. Invitations are extended to members for St. Francis regional events around the country.

Cost:
Price varies, depending on size of shipment and does not include tax and shipping (which costs $14 to $21 for a three bottle shipment by UPS Ground). The white wine club ranges from $80 (for a four bottle shipment) to $91 (for a six bottle shipment). The zinfandel wine club ranges from $96 to $108 (for three bottle shipments). Click here to sign up for the wine club. For more information, call (800) 650-5437.

Gallery: St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

The dining room at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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St. Francis Winery & Vineyards: CEO Chris Silva Talks to Luxist About Wine

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Chris Silva, CEO and president of St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma

Luxist sat down with Christopher W. "Chris" Silva, president of St. Francis Winery & Vineyards to discuss the wine industry and what his Sonoma, Ca.-based winery is doing to beat the competition. St. Francis was a Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice finalist for Best Domestic Red Wine in June. (See Daily Finance's CEO Spotlight interview with Silva).

Luxist: What sets St. Francis apart from its peers?

Silva: Our commitment is to quality and to Sonoma. 100% of our grapes are hand-picked in Sonoma County, a place that we have always seen as one of farmers who make wine. We believe that we can grow and make wines here unlike anywhere else, and that our minimum intervention, maximum extraction approach to winemaking results in the kind of rich, complex, handcrafted wines that could only happen in Sonoma.

Luxist: Can you discuss how St. Francis only uses and buys hand-picked grapes from Sonoma growers? Why so?

Silva: I am a fifth generation native of Sonoma County. We see ourselves as farmers who make wine, and I think we have captured our passion for farming in each of our wines. Though most of our grapes come from our own estate vineyards, we revised our contracts for all purchased grapes to ensure that rigorous viticulture quality measures are adhered to, all at the Winery's direction, in every vineyard from which we buy grapes. For example, "when to pick" the grapes is now the Winemaker's decision and is no longer based exclusively upon degrees Brix (sugar levels), but instead upon several factors, including degrees Brix, but also including grape color, texture, flavor, aroma and sweetness, as well as the grapes being free from any kind of MOG (material other than grape).

Gallery: St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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St. Francis Winery & Vineyards: Sonoma County Wine that is Made with Passion

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards is a Readers' Choice Nominee for Best Domestic Red Wine.

St. Francis Winery was established and christened after St. Francis of Assisi, in recognition of the Saint's role as protector of the natural world and as acknowledgment of the Franciscan order, believed to have been the first first to bring European grape cultivation to the New World.

The winery's roots date back to 1971 when Joe Martin, a San Francisco businessman and his wife, Emma, purchased the 100 acre Behler Ranch Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, Ca., located in the historic town of Kenwood. In 1979, after several years of growing and selling grapes to local wineries, Martin and partner, Lloyd Canton, decided to build their own winery. A few years later, Martin hired Tom Mackey to be his winemaker, and the rest is award-winning history.

Thirty years later, Tom Mackey is still the winemaker. "When people ask me, 'What is the best wine you have ever made? I always reply, 'I haven't made it yet.' But today I think we are getting closer," he says.

Gallery: St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

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