Castello di Amorosa, Author at Castello di Amorosa

Wine Grape Juice Mocktail Recipes | Mocktails with Grape Juice

Castello di Amorosa

May 2nd, 2024

Castello di Amorosa Explores the Versatility of Wine Grape Juice in Mocktails

When we think of white wine grape juice, our minds often drift to thoughts of rich reds or crisp whites enjoyed in a glass. However, beyond its role as a standalone beverage, wine grape juice holds immense potential in the realm of mocktails, offering a flavorful and sophisticated base for non-alcoholic creations.

There’s a mocktail just for you. Check out all of our recipes here

The Essence of Wine Grape Juice

Wine grape juice captures the essence of the grape varietals from which it is derived, carrying the same distinct flavors, aromas, and complexities found in wines. Whether it’s the boldness of Cabernet Sauvignon, the fruity notes of Chardonnay, or the floral hints of Riesling, each grape variety contributes its unique characteristics to the juice.

Brooks Painter, Director of Winemaking has been making wine grape juice with no alcohol for many years. “I have a passion for making grape juices that use the same grapes used to make our wines,” said Painter. “The making of quality grape juice that truly expresses the fruit and flavor of the grape is a challenge, and now we’ve mastered how to make these juices true to their varietal aromas and flavors,” he adds.

Peter Velleno adds that “our grape juice is made in much the same way as our wine. We harvest a few days early to provide a base of acidity. The clusters are hand-harvested and delivered to the crush pad where they are destemmed, pressed and then the juice is chilled to about 32 degrees. The big difference is that we don’t add yeast to convert the grape sugars to alcohol. We skip that step, and the result is a great alternative to wine which has surprising ageability, of up to 4 years.”

Crafting Mocktails with Wine Grape Juice

Mocktails, or non-alcoholic cocktails, have gained popularity for their ability to provide a refreshing and enjoyable drinking experience without the presence of alcohol. The Castello’s wine grape juice serves as an excellent base for mocktails due to its depth of flavor and natural sweetness. Here are a few delicious recipes created by Castello di Amorosa staff that incorporate wine grape juice into delightful mocktails: Mocktail Recipes

The Art of Mocktail Mixology

Creating mocktails with wine grape juice is not just about mixing ingredients but also about balancing flavors and textures. Consider incorporating herbs, spices, and other fruit juices to enhance the complexity of your mocktails.

Cheers to mocktails. Castello’s non-alcoholic beverages made from wine grapes.

Additionally, the presentation plays a significant role in elevating the drinking experience, so don’t hesitate to garnish with fresh herbs, citrus twists, or edible flowers.

Wine grape juice opens up a world of possibilities for crafting delicious and sophisticated mocktails. Whether you’re hosting a gathering, enjoying a relaxing evening, or simply seeking a flavorful non-alcoholic option, experimenting with wine grape juice in mocktails is sure to delight your taste buds and elevate your beverage repertoire. Cheers to the art of mocktail mixology!

The Castello di Amorosa Grape Juice

Imagine picking a grape cluster from the vineyard, pressing the juice, and putting it in a bottle to drink; no fermentation so there is no alcohol. The result is the delicious flavors and aromas of the individual grape varietals:

Gewurztraminer white wine grape juice:

With aromas of rose pedals and lychee nut, this stunning white wine grape juice is bursting with exotic flavors of passion fruit, pear ginger and honeysuckle. Just add some crushed mint leaves and fresh lime and you’ll think you’re drinking a Mojito! It’s a super delicious grape juice mocktail recipe…. With no alcohol.

Castello’s VGM or Virgin Gewurztraminer Mojito. A vibrant and refreshing white grape juice drink.

Sparkling Red wine grape juice:

This red wine grape juice is a wonderful expression of fruit-driven aromatics and luscious flavors of ripe watermelon and red berries. With a pleasing interplay of enticing acidity, balanced sweetness and a touch of effervescence, this grape juice can be combined with a touch of lemon juice and fresh herbs, like thyme to create an evocative red wine grape juice mocktail.

Known as the sparkler, this red grape juice mocktail has the added twist of thyme to pair with the sweetness of the grape juice. Perfectly balanced.

Muscat Canelli white wine grape juice:

Sourced from vineyards in Santa Barbara County and Solano County, this Muscat grape juice is beautifully aromatic with characteristics of exotic spices and orange blossoms. Light and refreshing on the palate, it’s bursting with stone fruit flavors like pear and nectarine.

Try this honey-laced Muscat Mingle grape juice mocktail. It’s on another level.

See all the Castello grape juice based mocktails here.

by Castello di Amorosa

Gewurz Mock Colada

Recipe Date: April 6th, 2024
Difficulty: Easy
Measurements: Imperial (US)

Gewurz Piña Colada Mocktail recipe:

For each Mocktail

4 oz of Gewurztraminer Grape Juice
2 oz coconut water
4 or 5 chunks of fresh pineapple
half of a lime squeezed and
one slice for garnish
ice to fill glass

VGM (Virgin Gewürztraminer Mojito)

Virgin Gewürztraminer Mojito Mocktail Recipe:

Crafted with care, this mocktail layers crushed mint leaves and fresh lime with the vibrant notes of Gewurztraminer Grape Juice, crowned with a lime quarter for a zesty finish.

Fill a tall glass with crushed ice
Add three crushed mint leaves
Add two squeezed lime quarters
Add 6 oz. Gewurztraminer Grape Juice
Finish with a lime quarter on the lip of the glass

Grapefruit Muscat Mule

A refreshing blend of muscat juice and spicy ginger beer, with a zesty grapefruit twist, served over ice and garnished with a fragrant sprig of rosemary.

Grapefruit Muscat Mule Mocktail recipe:

2 OZ of Castello di Amorosa Muscat Grape Juice
2 OZ of fresh squeezed Grapefruit.
2 OZ of Ginger Beer
Tajin (optional)

Instructions:

Fill glass you are using with ice
Dump ice into a shaker with Muscat juice and Grapefruit juice , shake for 10-15 seconds
If using Tajin, rim glass with grapefruit and dip in Tajin
Pour back into glass and top with Ginger Beer
Finish with a Grapfruit wedge and sprig of fresh rosemary

Sparkling Sangria

An effervescent blend of Castello Sparkling Red Grape Juice, kombucha, and citrus juices.

Sparkling Red Grape Juice Sangria Mocktail Recipe:

For Each Mocktail:

3 OZ Castello Sparkling Red Grape Juice
2 OZ Kombucha
2 OZ Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
1 OZ Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
Simple Syrup or Honey (To Taste)
Ice Cubes
Garnish with Fruit Soaked in Kombucha for 24 hrs

The Sparkler

This sparkling red grape juice mocktail offers a refreshing blend of tartness from the lemon juice, sweetness from the grape juices, and herbal notes from the thyme, which complements the flavors of grape juice beautifully.

For each Mocktail

Ingredients:

4 OZ sparkling grape juice
1 OZ freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 OZ simple syrup
Ice cubes
Lemon slices or twists for garnish
Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Instructions:

Fill a shaker with ice cubes.
Add the sparkling grape juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain the mixture into a glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a lemon slice or twist and a sprig of fresh thyme.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Muscat Mingle

This honey-laced, light-and lemony Muscat cocktail recipe is the perfect refreshing summer sipper.

Ingredients

For each Mocktail

1 Tsp. honey

1/2 Tsp hot water

2 tsp. lemon juice,

2 OZ Muscat juice

3 OZ of sparkling

Ice to fill glass

1 Lemon slice

1 Mint sprig

Directions:

Place 1 Tsp. honey and 1/2 Tsp hot water into a glass: stir until blended and dissolved.
Add 2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 OZ Muscat juice and 3 OZ of sparkling water stir.
Fill glass with ice. Stir again.
Garnish with lemon slice and mint sprig. Drizzle top with additional honey, if desired.

Audrie Walsh, Assistant Winemaker

Meet Audrie Walsh, Castello di Amorosa’s Assistant Winemaker. Born and raised in California’s Mojave Desert. At a young age, she developed an innate fascination with the natural world. It was not uncommon for her to scour the countryside looking for and photographing interesting flora and fauna to study. This sense of adventure and creative mindset laid the groundwork for her role as Assistant Winemaker.

Ms. Walsh earned a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine and started working in the lab and cellar at Estancia Estates, where her interest in the art and science of winemaking emerged. She decided to pursue it further, traveling halfway across the world to the University of Adelaide in South Australia, where she earned a Masters in Oenology.

She returned to the U.S. and started urban winemaking in San Francisco’s Dogpatch and on Treasure Island before landing in Napa in 2015. Working harvests at Robert Mondavi Winery and Louis M. Martini was followed by several years at Treasury Wine Estates, where she made wines for Chateau St. Jean, Beaulieu Vineyards, Provenance, and Beringer Vineyards. In 2021, she joined Bundschu Company, where she worked on Gundlach Bundschu, Abbot’s Passage, and various custom crush wineries.

But wine isn’t her only passion. As a mother to 2 small children (daughter Aoife and son Ronan, names courtesy of her Irish husband, Richard), her free time is filled with park visits, mother/daughter brunches, dance classes, and the occasional moonlight pottery throwing or music recording session. She loves spending time in her husband’s homeland, especially Dublin, saying, “Too bad you can’t grow grapes there!”

If you asked her colleagues to describe her, they might say “creative,” “analytical,” and “a calming force,” particularly during the rush of harvest!

by Castello di Amorosa

Fall in the Vineyard

Castello di Amorosa

January 25th, 2024

Fall in the Vineyard

Fall is here. It’s an especially significant time in the wine world—the time of grapes reaching maturity and being harvested and starting their cycle of becoming wine. Leaves are changing color, there’s a coolness in the air, we start to crave heartier foods. It’s also the time when our wine palate evolves into seeking out the best fall wines.

Overlooking the Castello’s Cabernet Vineyard and the Napa Valley beyond.

What’s a fall wine? It’s probably red: one great example is our Il Barone. This reserve wine is typically a blend of approximately 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. The majority of the grapes were sourced from the Rutherford AVA, known for the complexity in its terroir. Our winemakers aged this vintage for 22 months in French oak barrels. The name is a nod to our Italian heritage and the nobility, if you will, of the wines we craft. In this case, Il Barone suggests refinement and elegance as well as power and nuanced strength, all great attributes for a big, bold and delicious Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard before the harvest

Fall in the Napa Valley is one of the most magical times of the year. Here at the Castello we welcome visitors who come intentionally to enjoy the aromas of fermenting grapes and glimpses of grapes being processed on the crush pad of the castle with state-of-the-art equipment and French Oak wine barrels sourced from the center of France.

The autumn is a time when all of us look forward to sitting down to lots of food and deeply flavored foods, like roasts and rich cheeses and long-simmered stews. We offer a number of ‘fall wines’ to pair with those choices.

The Castello’s pruned Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard

Because of the crispness in the air during the fall in the Napa Valley, visitors often enjoy longer visits at the Castle, making sure they’ve climbed all the stairs, surveyed the countryside beyond our moat, maybe even peeked into the torture chamber or the chapel.

All of that exertion does open up your taste buds to a range of great fall wines which are primarily our small production single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, such as Morisoli-Borges Cabernet Sauvignon as well as traditional Italian varietals such as Sangiovese, Pinot Bianco, Vermentino and Pinot Grigio.

Fabulous fall! Come visit us during this great time of year or re-create our romantic setting at your home—light some candles, settle in by the fireplace or around an outdoor fire, open some wonderful autumn wines along with hearty food and enjoy!

Night harvest in the fall at the Castello

by Castello di Amorosa

Italians Come To Castle To Install Doors And Windows

Jim Sullivan

Jim Sullivan, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing spearheads Castello di Amorosa’s publicity and marketing initiatives.

With over 20 years of marketing, public relations and business development experience with professional motorsports teams and in a variety of healthcare organizations in Southern California, Jim first joined Castello di Amorosa in 2008 as Public Relations and Marketing Manager.

An avid cyclist, Jim fell in love with wine and wineries while exploring the Washington State countryside. His love of wine was reinforced during subsequent trips to the Napa Valley to visit family.

Jim holds an MBA from the University of Redlands and a Bachelor of Science from Central Washington University. He resides in Calistoga, Calif.

September 5th, 2023

Italians Come To Castle To Install Doors And Windows

It has been a whirlwind couple of years since Dario Sattui started the process of sourcing the materials to rebuild the Castello di Amorosa Farmhouse. Situated on the crush pad and overlooking Castello’s Diamond Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, the Farmhouse needed lots of love. And who better to bring the love than designer and builder himself, Dario Sattui.

“The September 2020 Glass fire destroyed our 9,000 square foot farmhouse which we are rebuilding,” said Dario Sattui, Creator of Castello di Amorosa, a 14th century authentically built Tuscan-style castle and winery located in Calistoga, Napa Valley. “The fire destroyed over 100,000 bottles of the castle’s wine, almost all our offices, a wine laboratory, a bottling line, a truck, fermenting wine, and a forklift,” he added.

Following several trips to Italy to source the same old-world material used to build the Castello, Sattui saw the fruits of his search arrive on the Napa Castle loading dock – Doors, beautiful hand-crafted doors.

Dario and Italian craftsmen working on farmhouse doors

Giorgio Mariani, a master blacksmith, his son Mircu and Luca, all blacksmiths came to the castle from Assisi, Italy in August to install the new Italian doors and windows they made along with a carpenter in Italy. The three Italian craftsmen hand-made every nail and all the iron decorative pieces over the open fire, the traditional way it used to be done.

Italian craftsmen installing the tasting room doors

The work is beautifully done, of which Giorgio is very proud. Giorgio and a carpenter made all the original doors, windows, iron lamps and gates almost twenty years ago, before the castle opened. We have since become good friends.