Stellies Wines

Tonight is the night!

Rosso Wine Shop! We are so excited!
5pm-8pm!

Delectable wine, delicious sandwiches and delightful company!

Wine tasting is so much fun, but we understand how it can sometimes be intimidating.

Don’t worry, we don’t judge. 😃🍷

We all enjoy our wine journeys, learning and growing at different speeds.

Hopefully some of these tips can make you feel more confident in any wine tasting situation- with friends at home or an event.

See you tomorrow between 5-8pm!

Albariño is noted for its botanical aromas and citrus undertones. There are only two places in South Africa where Albariño is currently grown.

Come try it and have some fun on Friday night!

Fun fact about the flavors of Sauvignon Blanc change - they are different depending on the climate. In cooler climates, the result is “greener,” with flavors like bell peppers, grass and citrus fruit dominating. Warmer regions, on the other hand, produce Sauvignon Blancs that have intense flavors of stone and tropical fruit.

See you at on the 19th Jan!

With more than 600,000 acres worldwide, Merlot is the world's 2nd most planted wine grape. Most South African Merlot is grown in the Stellenbosch coastal region, which is the second oldest region in South Africa.

See you at on the 19th Jan!

Join us Jan 19th at in Glendale. We will be doing a wine tasting of 5 of our South African Wines.

Rosso Wine Shop
3459 N. Verdugo Rd
Glendale CA

We hope you are having a Thanksgiving filled with the warmth of family, the richness of good wine and food, and the happiness of treasured moments!

We are grateful to everyone who is apart of Stellies Wines. From suppliers, customers and friends and family supporters.

Cheers to another happy year!

October’s Monthly Special is here with a Spooky Set of Syrah’s (Shiraz’s) $70 for three bottles. 👻 🎃 🍷🍷🍷

Syrah Rosè-2020 🍉
Syrah-2016 🫐
Shiraz-2015 ☕️ 🍫

www.stellieswines.com/product-page/monthly-special-spooky-syrah

Shipping & local drop off in Los Angeles available 🛻 📦

HAPPY CHENIN BLANC DAY!
To celebrate we are offering both styles of Chenin Blanc for $35 so you can experience the difference in styles!

The estate Chenin is unoaked, with a pale yellow color, the wine shows some white flower, apple and peach notes as well as some subtle mineral notes and a hint of citrus. The palate opens with a bright but well-balanced acidity and a sibtle lingering sweetness. this medium bodied wine is quite more-ish with fruit driven flavours of peach and apple.

The reserve is a golden coloured wine has rich fig and peach notes and a hint of oak spice on the nose. On a delectably fruit- forward palate, it's sweetness balances out the fresh acidity. A full-bodied and rounded wine with well- integrated oak flavours and a lingering tropical fruit aftertaste. 30% Matured in New French Oak barrels and 70% aged in older French Oak barrels.

Order online now at stellieswines.com

Chenin Blancs pair well with many foods but especially those with a sweet and sour zest to them.

Try pairing your Chenin blanc with these foods:

Meats-
Veal, Trout, Chicken, Turkey, Pork Chop, Smoked Salmon and or Pâte

Nuts and Seeds- Macadamia Nut, Peanut, Cashew or Sesame Seeds

Herbs and Spices- Cinnamon, Dill, Turmeric, Ginger, Fennel, Clove, Marjoram, Allspice, Red Pepper Flakes, Cilantro, Cumin or Coriander

Cheeses- Soft to semi-firm cow’s milk cheeses, gruyere, cream cheese or herb-crusted goat cheeses.

Vegetables and Fruits-
Apples, Guavas, Quince, Squash, Shallot, Chives, Savoy Cabbage, Yam, Carrot, Cauliflower, Oyster Mushroom, Corn or Red Bell Pepper.

Chenin Blanc, also referred to as Steen, is one of South Africa’s signature grapes, where over 50% of the worlds Chenin blanc is grown!

The color can vary due to the style the winemaker chooses. As a white wine, Chenin Blanc has a wide range of flavors. Part of the reason for this has a lot to do with the winemaking style.

From Niel Joubert we have an unoaked and an oaked varietal. Both exhibit different and beautiful expressions of the style!

A variety not unlike Alsatian Pinot Gris and Viognier; you could easily substitute your usual Pinot Gris for a bottle of South African Chenin Blanc.

Chenin blanc day is on the 20th of June! Stay tuned for more interesting facts (and more 😉) as we lead up to this special day!

Here are some handy tips to how to best serve and store your rosé wines.

Best Temperature to Serve Rosé is between 45-55°F (7-13°C)
-Try not to serve them too cold or too warm.
-If you serve them too warm it may taste astringent and of too much alcohol.
-Serving too cold may mask some of the fruity floral aromas.

Maintain this temperature by using a wine cooler between servings.

Storing Rosé should be done in a refrigerator between 51-59°F (11-15°C).
-If using a domesticc refrigerator, were the temperatures can get colder, simply remove the wine 5 minutes before serving so it warms up a little.

(Oh, and Sparkling Rose can be served at a slightly colder temperature!)

I think it’s time for a glass! Cheers 🍷

In celebration of Rosé day coming up, the next few posts are dedicated to this delicious pink wine!

HOW IS ROSÉ MADE?
There are 4 common techniques depending on the style of rosé the winemaker is aiming for. All techniques involve red grapes to make the wine.

MACERATION
The most common method of production which involves crushing the red grapes to release their juices.
The crushed grapes are then soaked (a.k.a. macerated) for a limited period of time to allowing the grape skins to influence the juice.
This soak can be a few hours to 48 hours, depending on the style of rosé being produced.

Since a wine’s color is extracted from the grape skins, the longer the maceration,the darker the wine.

Once the skins have macerated to the winemaker’s liking, the juice is drained from the skins and fermented to make rosé. 

SAIGNÉE (“san-yay”)
Directly translating to “bleeding”, the saignée method involves bleeding off some juice from a vat that will be used to make red wine.
The color and structure resulting from the limited skin contact at the start of the red wine production. The rest of the juice will continue on to make red wine.

DIRECT PRESS
This is another common method the grapes are also pressed to extract the juices from the skins but unlike the maceration technique, the juice is drained off the skins almost immediately.
This quick separation of skin and juice results in just enough color to make pink wine.

BLENDING
As the name implies, this method involves adding a very small amount of red wine to white wine, resulting in...pink wine.
This practice is commonly used to make rosé champagne.
Blending might also be involved at the end of one of the other production methods described above.

Our Syrah Rosé from Over the Mountain is crisp with bright watermelon notes. Perfect for any day! Try it now from stellieswines.com

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL SAUVIGNON BLANC DAY!

South Africa enjoys rich soils and coastal winds that keep the climate cool. SA Sauvignon Blanc shares many of the characteristics of those found in New Zealand however some also have beautiful minerality reminiscent of the Loire Valley.

In summary, they are zesty, grassy, with tropical fruit. Light bodied with racy acidity and moderate alcohol.

If you’re curious to try a South African wine similar to the style of the NZ, we will sugges the Deux Freres Sauv Blanc.
If you’d like to try a more mineral rich, such as those from the Loire Valley, we suggest the Life From Stone by Springfield Estate.
OR have some fun and try both! Compare the flavour profiles and structures and let your palate taste and experience the differences!

Fun Facts:
Sauvignon Blanc likely derived its moniker from the french word “Sauvage,” meaning wild, as the vines are reminiscent of wild grapevines.

Did you know the “green” aromatics in Sauvignon Blanc come from compounds called Methoxypyrazines. Cabernet Sauvignon also has these same flavors because it runs in the same family.

Get your taste buds ready for these new delicious wines we now have in stock.

We met the two brothers of Deux Freres on a trip to Stellenbosch. They had reached out to us the year before but with our crazy work schedules and prices of shipping we sadly didn’t get the samples in when we had desired. So on our trip, when we drove past the farms sign, we decided to make an impromptu stop! It was one of our favorite decisions we’ve ever made. Their wines blew our minds. For all red blend lovers, you gotta try these!

We were introduced to Niel Joubert by a friend of Lorna’s who went to school with Niel Jnr. A farm with a rich family history going back 9 generations. We met with Charles, their export manager and hit it off right away. The wines were delicious and filled a gap in the market we were searching for- pinotage and Chenin blanc. But we of course fell in love with many more!

We didn’t want to just settle for any pinotage or Chenin, because that’s not what we stand for.

We started Stellies to share top quality wines with the world, from hard working and dedicated farmers who share our principles and values of family, ethics and quality.

Take a look at our full catalogue online. And more stories to come.

They’re back!!

Albariño 2021 and Life From Stone 2022 are now available online.

Try these latest vintages- just as vibrant and brilliant as you’d expect!

who make the Over Mountain collection we love, shared with us these photos in connection to our last post about Pinotage.

On the left is Izaak’s great grandson, of the same name. In the middle is assistant winemaker Renico, and to the right is Izaak’s great, great grandson Lewis. Visting the vineyard before Christmas last year. The other grandson, not pictured, is still in the wine industry, which is quite inspiring.

Our deepest respect and condolences to the Perold family for Izaak’s passing.

——

https://www.stellieswines.com/post/the-history-of-pinotage
Pinotage is a red grape variety that is uniquely South African.
Its complex aroma and flavor profile, high tannins, moderate to high acidity, full body, and age-ability make it a wine that is worth trying. If you're interested in exploring the world of South African wine, Pinotage is a great place to start.

Read more about this delicious grape and it's origins from 1920 in our latest blog post.

THE HISTORY OF PINOTAGE Its complex aroma and flavor profile, high tannins, moderate to high acidity, full body, and age-ability make it a wine that is worth trying. If you're interested in exploring the world of South African wine, Pinotage is a great place to start.

We know this is a favorite so don’t miss out on the few 2020 Life From Stone bottles that are still available!

Order online now at stellieswines.com

This sauvignon blanc is redolent and full bodied with apricot, nectarine, and floral aromas, yet with a saline minerality and bright acidity. Named after the rocky, quartz soil it is grown in, which is displayed in its mineral, flinty character. The grapes are from 17-23 years old vines and has had 21 days of alcoholic fermentations and 100 days on lees.

South African Wine Regions- One of the most significant advantages of South African wine is its diversity. The country's wine regions span various climatic and geological regions, from the hot and dry regions of the Western Cape to the cooler, maritime influenced vineyards of the Cape South Coast.
This diversity allows South African winemakers to produce a wide range of varietals, including some lesser-known grapes, such as Pinotage, Chenin Blanc, and Cinsault.

Read more about the history and importance of South African wines on our latest blog post on the website.

Blind tastings are so much fun so why not make it a date night!?

For $50 you get:
Two mystery wines
Two blind-tasting note sheets
Two pens
Instructions

What is a blind tasting? Well, it is the act of determining the variety, vintage, region, and subregion of a wine using only the senses: the appearance of the wine, its nose, and its effect on the palate.

Now, we don't expect everyone to be a wine connoisseur and this is all for fun, so, we are keeping it simple and you just have to guess the varietal and year. There may even be a few helping notes in the instructions.

So dim those lights, get out two glasses and let the guessing begin!

We were so nervous as it was our first interview but they made it so much fun! We are excited to announce our episode is online with the lovely ladies (and gentleman) from Wines to Find Podcast.

Stay tuned for more about it soon!

Posted • 💫New EPISODE 💫Wine to Find, Ep 157: South African Wines with Stellies Wine Importers
Wines: 2020 Springfield Estate Albarino, 2020 a Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc, Over the Mountain Syrah Rosé, and 2018 Dieu Donné Merlot.

Kicking the year of fabulous guests off with TWO great ones and FOUR wines!! 

Our guests today are Patrick Dupree and Lorna Daniel-Dupree. Patrick is a cinematographer, photographer, and WSET Certified. Lorna is also a photographer and cinematographer. Both have a passion and love for wine and South Africa and established Stellies Wines in order to share both with the world. 

Lorna grew up in S.A. and met her husband, Patrick on-set of a well-known reality show filming there. Both enjoy visiting South African wineries in their downtime. They found it difficult to find the wines they loved when they moved to their California home, so they solved that problem by establishing Stellies Wines.

Listen to hear more of their story and how we enjoyed these FOUR wines!

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🥂 Wishing everyone a prosperous 2023!

May the year be full of happiness and adventure for all.
May you be fortunate to do what you love and spend time with whom you love.
Cheers to 2023! 🥂

We would also like to thank everyone for your support and enthusiasm about our dream -Stellies Wines. We hope to continue to bring you delicious wines and fun times!

On this day one year ago, we were exploring some beautiful vineyards in Stellenbosch which is where and when we decided to start Stellies Wines.

The latest Wine Spectator magazine has a great article on South African wines with an awesome table and explanation of the vintages from 2014-2018.

If you are not a subscriber it’s definitely worth looking into! :)
This magazine is a wonderful read for anyone interested in wines!

Check out their list and rankings of currently available South African wines here:
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/alphabetical-guide-to-south-africa-113020?utm_campaign=Nov302020&utm_medium=qrcode&utm_source=magazine