Did you wake up early (or not go to sleep?!) to wrestle the masses on Black Friday? If you’ve knocked out your holiday shopping you can sit back and relax, but for the rest of us, here are a few tips to help you be a successful shopper.

1.  Make a list…and stick to it. This might be the hardest rule, but if you can manage not to break it, your wallet will thank you later!

2.  Look for coupons. You don’t have to go coupon crazy, but we always feel a sense of accomplishment after buying a present at a great deal.

3.  Shop online. Hey, it is Super Monday! Plus, it’s super easy, you save a lot of time, and you get to stay out of the cold! Don’t forget to check out the sites beforehand too, because many of them offer free shipping during the holidays.

4.  A bottle of wine always makes a great gift! Not only do our mini bottles fit snuggly in a stocking, but a bottle of Sutter Home is the perfect thing to have at any party.

1. We want to give a Big Congratulations to Nicole P. for being out Sweet Escape Sweeps Winner!

2. We know you’re all probably busy in the kitchen, but we thought we’d throw out one more Thanksgiving recipe for you to enjoy, and yes bacon is involved!

Green Beans and Bacon

8 strips of bacon

2 cans of green beans

1 cup chopped onion

Garlic, salt, pepper (to taste)

1) Cook bacon and onion in a large skillet until bacon is crisp and onion is caramelized.  Remove grease.

2) Stir in green beans, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Cook until green beans are tender yet crunchy.

Stressed over what wine to pair with what food? No need to fret, we’ve got you covered!

Thanksgiving is a celebration and no wine represents that better than Bubbly Moscato! Pop it open and sip throughout dinner or wait for dessert where it will compliment your sweet treats perfectly.

Now when it comes to the main attraction you have a few options. If you or your turkey eating guests prefer red wine make sure to have Zinfandel on hand; if you’re a bigger white wine fan we recommend either Gewurztraminer or Sauvignon Blanc.

Tired of turkey already?  Some people like to have options and we think this roasted chicken is the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table.  Pair it with Cabernet Sauvignon,  for the perfect Non-traditional addition.

Next, those creamy casseroles you encounter every year, like this delicious green bean one, are best paired with Chardonnay.

At the end of the day though, Thanksgiving isn’t about pairing courses, it’s about cramming as much food as possible on your plate and digging in, and any of our wines pair nicely with that!

We know Thanksgiving is right around the corner and while preparing a feast is stressful, knowing what to do with your month’s worth of leftovers can be too. So we found a quick and easy recipe that will help you get rid of all that extra turkey!

Turkey Dip

• 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 ½ cups cubed cooked turkey
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 scoop of sour cream
• Tortilla chips

Combine soup and salsa in a saucepan. Stir in turkey; cook until heated. Top with cheese and sour cream. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Could it get any easier?  Pair with Sutter Home Gewürztraminer for the perfect leftover holiday snack!

Now that you’ve seen our new in-store Gewurztraminer case card we want to know what you think!?  Do you like the color?  Would you change the tagline?  Can you come up with your own?  Leave your comments and let us know!

Are you ready for a change? We are too, which is why we are happy to announce our new (and blue!) packaging for Gewurztraminer!

A little confused on how to say it? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Here’s the breakdown:

Guh – verts – tra – mee – ner

Doesn’t seem so scary like that does it! Good, now that you can show off your perfect pronunciation skills to your friends let’s focus on the wine:

This off-dry wine displays lush, fragrant flavors and aromas of white peaches, lichee fruit, and rose petals, with a complex hint of rich allspice. This wine will pair well with many foods, especially those prepared with sweet or hot flavors, Southwestern and Caribbean cuisines, turkey, chicken, pork roast, or ham.

If you like sweet wine and you haven’t tried this yet, you’re missing out. Now that you know its fun to say, it’s time to find out why it’s so sweet to sip. Cheers!

Top 10 reasons to REALLY love Fall!

Scarves! Nothing complements an outfit better during fall than a scarf. Versatile enough that you can wear them for a crisp walk in the park or a dressy night out with friends!

Under the covers! The weather gives us a reason to justify laying in bed an extra 15 minutes every morning right?! It’s just too cold to get out!

The Reds are back (not that they ever left)! We don’t think anything complements chilly weather better than a wine glass full of Sutter Home Merlot or Cab!

Tons of comfort food! You need those extra calories, right?! How else will you say warm?

Enjoying crisp apples! There’s healthy food to enjoy too, and apples never taste better than in the fall. Plus you can make apple cider, apple crisp, apple pie…

Ready for some football? We know football’s been on for awhile, but it just doesn’t feel right unless you’re bundled up in blankets and sweatshirts tailgating with Sutter Home 187ml mini bottles (we told you they’re perfect for any occasion!)

Holiday movies! We’ve all been itching to watch our favorite ones and now that Novembers here it’s totally acceptable (even though we may sometimes cheat and sneak them in July!)

Oversize sweaters! There’s nothing we look forward to more that pulling on a big comfy sweater, pouring a tall glass of Sutter Home wine, and curling up next to a fire!

More boots please! We can’t talk about fun sweaters without talking about our favorite fall footwear. Tall, short, black, brown we’ll take ten of each!

Extra crunchy leaves! It’s fun to watch the leaves change color, but there’s nothing better than hearing that perfect crunch as you walk all over them!

Did we miss anything? Leave a comment and let us know what you love most about fall!

You can never go wrong with an original, and that is definitely true when it come to our White Zinfandel!

A delicate blush pink color introduces this fresh, lively wine. On your palate, light creaminess surrenders to a refreshing crisp finish of strawberries and melon. Enjoy chilled as an aperitif, or partnered with all types of foods, particularly those with a slight spiciness, such as Asian or Latin cuisine.

For more information, visit the wine page, or order it online at One Stop Wine Shop (where legal.)

Sutter Home mini bottles are the perfect Halloween treat!

What are you being for Halloween?

Just because Octobers almost over doesn’t mean breast cancer awareness becomes any less significant! Use our Sutter Home for Hope Checklists any time to plan a fun get together to keep collecting those capsules and receipts. We continue to accept them through December 31, with $1.00 going towards the fight against breast cancer for each one sent in!

Want to see your face featured in our Ribbon of Life next year? Click here to upload a photo! You can upload as many photo’s as you want, but please remember that everyone in the picture must be 21 or older.

We also placed pink ribbons on all of our Sutter Home bottles throughout October! Have you seen them? Take a picture and send it to us!