VBJ February 19

February 2019
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com
31
Vintage Wilson Creek
is Maturing Well, Connecting
People and Enhancing Lives
through Wine
ilson Creek Winery is coming of age and like all good wine endeavors, it’s getting better with
time. On the cusp of nearly two decades in business, Wilson Creek continues to break new
Wground in defining what has become known as Temecula Wine Country.
Wilson Creek Winery is coming
of age and like all good wine endeavors,
it’s getting better with time. On
the cusp of nearly two decades in
business, Wilson Creek continues to
break new ground in defining what
has become known as Temecula Wine
Country.
From its humble beginnings in
2000 with one tasting room, one tent
and one wine that seemed to take
everyone by surprise, Wilson Creek
is now a hub of wine country activity
with no less than 12 tasting-room
bars, five corporate meeting rooms,
five wedding venues, an event center,
restaurant, private wine club venue,
a 12-suite exclusive-accommodation
estate and more.
“We’ve come a long way since
our opening in 2000,” says Bill Wilson,
founder and co-owner of Wilson
Creek Winery. “And, while much has
changed here at the winery and in the
valley, our focus, our mission is exactly
the same as when we first started
and that is to connect people and
enhance their lives through wine.”
Part of the Wilson Creek legacy
started on New Years Eve of 2000.
It was an unofficial opening of sorts
and a “Y2K” party to celebrate a new
century. The Wilson family invited
friends and family to the party and even
blended a special wine for the occasion.
The party was a success. Y2K didn’t
blow up any computers, and the blended
wine they made for the event became an
instant best seller.
“Our Almond Sparkling Wine was
almost an accident,” recalls Wilson.
“My wife wanted to make a special wine
for the party and at first things didn’t
go so well. After several versions were
created and abandoned for one reason or
another, she came up with an “Almond
Champagne.”
Wilson Creek now sells more than
125,000 cases of wine a year and their
Almond Sparkling Wine continues to
serve as an “introductory wine” that
opens the door to their more complex
offerings. “There are a lot of people
who say our Almond Sparkling Wine
put us on the map, and it did in a way,”
says Wilson. “It certainly helped us
grow, but the from the time we started
we were more focused on our varietals
and traditional offerings.”
That focus has paid off with Wilson
Creek Wines winning prestigious
awards—numerous gold medals at the
California State Fair—every year since
2002. In a 2015 blind tasting, Wilson
Creek’s Petite Sarah won “Best Red
in the Valley,” at the annual Temecula
Valley Winegrowers’ Association
Awards. Wilson Creek is one of only
a few wineries in Southern California
to receive a 90+ ratings for its wines
from Wine Enthusiast Magazine (2018).
Wilson Creek wines are served around
the world and are the “unofficial” wines
for numerous U.S. Navy ships including
eight aircraft carriers.
“Having our wines receive a 90+
ratings by Wine Enthusiast is truly
special,” says Wilson. “It solidifies our
reputation as a winery capable of producing
world-class wines; and it puts
on in a category with a select number
of wineries in the State of California.”
Wilson Creek Winery has also
been active in the community since its
inception. The winery has won Temecula
Valley’s “Business of the Year”
four times. The winery is involved with
numerous charitable events each year
raising thousands of dollars for charities
throughout the valley. Bill Wilson serves
as a board member for the 20/20 Vision
Committee, Temecula Valley Visitors
Bureau, Temecula Valley Winegrowers
Association and the Temecula Valley
Water Board.
In 2018, Wilson Creek Winery added
The Upper Room, a private dining
and meeting area for wine club members,
a new wedding site, “Cabernet
Hill,” a private “In Vine Dining” area,
several additional wine bars, and a
totally revamped main tasting room.
“We’re almost done,” says Bill
Wilson with a smile and his fingers
crossed. “We’ve nearly tripled our
wine tasting capacity this past year,
we’ve increased our wine production
and added several new wines. We
have a great new wedding venue at
Cabernet Hill. The Manor is flourishing
with corporate and wedding
activities. Everything is moving forward
at an incredible pace.”
One thing that won’t change at
Wilson Creek it the commitment to
family. Almost the entire Wilson family
has been involved with the winery
since the beginning. On any given
day, you will find Matriarch Rosie
Wilson with her dog perusing the
grounds, or any number of Wilsons at
work behind the scenes. “We started
the business as a family project, and
everyone pitched in from day one,”
says Wilson. “Through the years it
has become a tradition to treat our
guests as our extended family and
make family a big part of the Wilson
Creek experience.”
Like the fine wines it serves,
Wilson Creek Winery keeps getting
better with age.
“And, while much has changed here at
the winery and in the valley, our focus, our
mission is exactly the same as when we
first started and that is to connect people
and enhance their lives through wine.”