Open every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5pm for Wine Tasting.
For the wine enthusiast we provide a place to enjoy wine tasting and learn about wine while sampling the wares of three very different winemakers, varietals, and styles. Stop by soon and meet our winemakers – Jeff Fadness of La Vie Dansante Wines, Ted Medeiros of Medeiros Family Wines, and Ron Mosley of TASS Vineyards and Winery.
Blended, a Winemaker’s Studio is dedicated to supporting and growing wine and winemakers in the Santa Clara Valley. We provide the infrastructure, production space, equipment, education, and a retail outlet for up-and-coming winemakers who have the talent and ability to be successful but who may be lacking the resources necessary to enter this highly competitive and regulated industry on their own.
News
January
And so we start another year. This is the beginning of our third full year open and we think we’ve got the pattern pretty much nailed. The winemakers are busy in the winery working on the 2016’s and 2017’s. The 2018 wines are all snuggly put away for the next several months. January is the time all of the bookkeeping get’s done in preparation for paying all of those Excise and Usage taxes. Not our favorite time of the year but satisfying in it’s own way.
The Tasting Room is coming along, the walls are done and progress is being made on completing the chair rail – anybody want to help install several thousand corks? The ceiling is still open but should be finished fairly soon. We were promised some free insulation that hasn’t yet shown up. No hard feelings, but it means a bit of a delay while we set aside the money we need to purchase it.
We’re working on the events calendar for the coming year. Each of the wineries will have four release parties, together we’ll do a spring and fall party. We’re planning on another Holiday party in December and of course there’s the La Vie Dansante Wine Symposiums each month. All of these should be on this page (look over to the right) and will be updated as things firm up.
Thanks for all of your support last year and we’re looking forward to rewarding you with lots of fun and excitement – and great wine – in the coming year.
December
And then December just disappeared…
I hope everybody had a fantastic holiday season. Ours here at Blended was so busy we didn’t even get a chance to update the website!
November
Harvest should be over… but it’s not this year. There’s still lots to do before we close that last tank or barrel and take some time off. The Tasting Room is undergoing some changes with the seaso; the swamp cooler which provided a cool breeze all summer has been replaced by the patio heater, the halls are being decked with holiday decorations, and candles provide a gentle glow. Also it’s time for new wines – be sure to try Medeiros Family’s new Cabernet Sauvignon (and watch for the release of the new Saudade) and La Vie Dansante’s new Syrah.
Holiday hours for each of the winemakers have been announced – check their websites for up-to-the-minute news and changes. La Vie Dansante Wines will be open Thursday through Monday in November, including the Friday after Thanksgiving. All three winemakers plan to be open every Saturday and Sunday. La Vie Dansante will be closed December 24th through the 28th but other than that December is business as usual.
October
It’s October and Harvest 2018 is still going strong. In fact we’re all only about half-way through when in a normal year we’d be talking about wrapping things up and taking a little vacation time. This was such a cool summer that all of the fruit seems to be coming in about three weeks late which will drive harvest all the way to Thanksgiving. The other impact of a cool season is to drive the fruit quantities down. In order to get the clusters to ripen in a cool year we drop a lot of fruit – fewer clusters mean the plants have a greater share of resources for each cluster. Where this all comes together is that even though this is a particularly long harvest, it’s not a very big one so all of the winemakers are spending a lot of time standing around looking at each other. A very strange season indeed.
Since everybody is busy with harvest there hasn’t been a lot of work put into the grounds or events. Next up on the schedule is our Annual Holiday Party on the evening of December 21st. This year we’re bringing in live music in Jason Cade, a fantastic singer/songwriter from the Fresno area. We’ll also have holiday goodies to enjoy and special wine deals to celebrate the season. Watch this website, our member wineries websites, and Facebook for more information as we get closer to the date.
Winemaker Happenings
Tasting Room:
Stop by and sample the wines of three distinctly different winemakers every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5pm. We have a $10 tasting fee (refunded with the purchase of a bottle).
On Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays the Tasting Room is open for La Vie Dansante Wines only. Come in and try a full list of their wines and meet Jeff the winemaker
January:
1/01 – Tuesday, New Year’s Day – We’ll be closed.
1/24 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – How to Get the Most Out of Your Wine Tasting. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
1/26 – Saturday, 1pm to 4pm – Blended, a Winemaker’s Studio – Barrel Tasting. All three winemakers will be presenting wines from the barrel along with small bites pairings. Admission is free for members of all three wine clubs and only $20 for the public and guests.
February
2/09 – Medeiros Family Wine Club Release Social
2/21 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – From Vineyard to Glass, A Grapes Journey. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
March
3/01 – 3/31 – Wineries of Santa Clara Valley 2019 Spring Passport.
3/16 – Saturday, 6pm to 9pm – La Vie Dansante Wines Spring Wine Club Release. Watch for more details as we get closer to the event.
3/21 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – A Concise History of Wine – 7,500 years in 90 Minutes. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
April
4/18 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – Building the Perfect GSM, a Blending Seminar. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
May
5/11 – Medeiros Family Wine Club Release Social
5/23 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – Wines of the Rhone Valley. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
June
6/08 – Saturday, 6pm to 9pm – La Vie Dansante Wines Spring Wine Club Release. Watch for more details as we get closer to the event.
6/20 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – A History of Wine in the Santa Clara Valley. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
July
7/18 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – Old World vs New World, a Study of Two Styles. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
August
8/10 – Medeiros Family Wine Club Release Social
8/22 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – One Grape, 5 Styles – Syrah Around the World. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
September
9/06 – 9/30 – Wineries of Santa Clara Valley 2019 Fall Passport.
9/14 – Saturday, 6pm to 9pm – La Vie Dansante Wines Spring Wine Club Release. Watch for more details as we get closer to the event.
9/19 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – Boutique Winemaking – How We Make Wine at La Vie Dansante Wines. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
October
10/18 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – Boutique Winemaking – How We Make Wine at La Vie Dansante Wines. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
November
11/09 – Medeiros Family Wine Club Release Social
11/15 – Thursday, 7:00 to 9:00 – La Vie Dansante Wine Symposia – Wine Faults and Flaws – Is it the Wine, or is it Me?. Tickets are $45 each ($36 for Wine Club Members) and include a fun lecture, Q&A time, and two glasses of wine!
December
12/07 – Saturday, 6pm to 9pm – La Vie Dansante Wines Spring Wine Club Release. Watch for more details as we get closer to the event.
12/20 – Blended’s Fourth Annual Holiday Party