Tank Garage Winery

Tank ❤️s Goatlandia

At Tank we (obviously) love all things wine…and sex, drugs and rock n’ roll of course. But recently we’ve discovered our newest obsession.

Goats.

That’s right. We recently did a field trip to Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary in Sebastopol. We cuddled baby goats, the serotonin was flowing, and now we are hooked. With Earth Day on the very near horizon, we thought it was the perfect time to highlight this amazing non-profit, whose mission is to “have fun, while helping animals, people and the planet.”

Deborah Blum, aka the “Goddess of Goats”, started Goatlandia after moving to Santa Rosa from San Francisco 22 years ago, and beginning to acquire some farm animals for her newly acquired acreage. After learning more about the agriculture and dairy industries and feeling shocked and saddened, she became a vegan overnight and began rescuing farm animals. On the gorgeous sunny day that we visited, surrounded by beautiful farmland and good vibes, we were told by Deb and Goatlandia’s Volunteer Coordinator, Lauren Kelly, about the dark side of the dairy industry. They explained that life on dairy farms is cruel and unforgiving, and on top of that, when a male baby goat is born, they are often killed shortly after, as they are not able to milk or give birth. For this reason, they focus on rescuing a large number of male babies from these farms. They also save animals that have been abused, abandoned, injured, or those that have special needs.

One of the coolest parts of Goatlandia is the vegan kitchen they operate. The food we eat is one of the most powerful tools we have in fighting climate change and focusing on vegan and plant-based options is one of the main ways we can make a change. Goatlandia Kitchen offers catering for private events and public affairs. They also do pop-up events with other vegan chefs and bakers, cooking classes, work parties, and lunchtime takeovers, where they provide free, plant-based lunches to local businesses! We were lucky enough to get a magically curated vegan snack plate put together by Deb, which we paired with our newest Tank releases. It was amazing, and literally the perfect way to end a couple of hours playing with adorable goats.  

On our visit, we learned so much, had an incredible time, and felt like we were a part of a progressive and environmentally focused community aiming for positive long-term change. Want to give back and be a part of this beautiful community? Check out their volunteer opportunities, which involve being a regular team volunteer (once a week for at least 6 months), or on a lower commitment basis by dropping in on their group volunteer days. Goatlandia also provides group tours to the public! We guarantee you'll leave feeling ovejoyed.

Not near Sonoma County? DONATE HERE! Spread the word about Goatlandia, check out any local non-profits rescuing farm animals, promote environmental advocacy, and consider eating plant-based and vegan alternatives.

Apr 18, 2023 at 10:21 AM Permalink

The Tank Guide to Pairing Wine & Chips

It’s a tale as old as time: it’s Friday (or whatever your Friday is), you’re exhausted, but you’re still feeling the weekend vibes. Let’s get real, you don’t wanna cook yet, and you deserve to sit back, relax and unwind from the world’s follies that have been plaguing your work week. This is your time: you deserve a treat (you deserve all the treats). That delicious bottle of wine is calling, but it feels incomplete without that indulgent and salty snack. In come; the chips. Wine and chips are a match made in Heaven, and a perfect simplicity that’s right up our alley. The right combination can really blow those flavor profiles outta this world, and that’s why we’re here to give you our favorite, tried and true pairings. So stock up your snack cupboard, order these Tank wines, and get ready to try ‘em all.

Classic Lays and Wild Child Rosé

Salty, satiating, delicious. You can’t go wrong with the ole classic potato chip. The perfect Yin to that salty Yang? A crisp, bright rosé that’s quite frankly, refreshing AF. Pick up a bottle of our Provençal-style Wild Child blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault & Counoise. You truly can’t go wrong as flavors of wild strawberries, bing cherry and herbaceous tea provide the perfect “aaaaah!” to that crispy potato that we all love.

Alternatively: A classic potato chip is also awesome accompanied by bubbles. Think sparkling Chenin, Chardonnay, Blanc de Blancs or Rosé champagne.
 

Shop Wild Child

Sour Cream & Onion with Lonely Hearts Club

This one really threw us for a loop. Strawberry pop-tart and rosewater notes with sour cream…and onion? Trust us. It works. The earthiness of Grenache, and the bright fruitiness coming from Mourvèdre get down and dirty with those umami flavors and take us to an underground disco where we’re busting moves we didn’t even know we had in our wheelhouse. An unlikely combo that truly brings out the best in one another.

Alternatively: A tangy and citrus forward white wine : think, La Loba.

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Shop La Loba

Salt & Vinegar & Occhiali da Sole

Picture yourself here: the rain’s finally stopped, the sun is out, you’re lounging poolside late afternoon with a delectable bottle of our Trousseau Gris: Occhiali da Sole. Who knew that the only thing missing was the tangy crunch of Salt n’ Vinegar chips. For real. The subtle zesty citrus and slightly textural tannin structure of this skin-contact white stands up perfectly to that delightful zing you get with salt n’ vinegar chips. Warning on this one: keeping quantities to a minimum may be quite challenging. Not that we’re speaking from experience…

Alternatively: Riesling or Gewurtzaminer. These aromatic wines are excellent to balance out the acidity of those intense flavors.

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Cheetos & Heavy Metal Life

We have first-hand experience and can officially deliver this information: Cheetos are the perfect pairing chip for red wines! Because, wine and cheese right? …not quite the same thing. But hey, fancy cheese is expensive, sometimes you don’t want to slice it all and make it look nice on the cheeseboard, and heck, Cheetos are effing delicious. We paired this with our Heavy Metal Life red wine: a blend of 71% Valdiguié, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Zinfandel, 5% Sagrantino, and it turns out it’s silky smooth bright cherry notes are the perfect accompaniment to that fake (but incredible) cheesy goodness.

Alternatively: Ok, so this was pretty much a tie because our Italian blend, Checkered Past (Barbera, Nero d’Avola, Bianchetta Trevigiana and Montepuliano) was also *chef’s kiss*. When the Cheetos are out, and you’re in doubt: go Italian.

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Shop Checkered Past

Spicy Nacho Doritos & Honky Tonk Girl

Proclaimed by our tasting room staff, “An explosion of flavor” (shout out Max Bidasha) and a “flavor bomb” *hands intertwined alongside self-made explosion sounds* (shout out Kate Kalinowski), this is thee shit. The dark berry and back palette spice that you get from this blend of Malbec, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Valdiguié and Alicante Bouschet brings out equal parts cheesy goodness and peppercorn spice that you get from Spicy Nacho Doritos. Who said wine and chips can’t be a Michelin Star tasting experience?

Alternatively: Syrah. With similar qualities, the subtle heat and deep black raspberry notes would hold up nicely to the weighted, big flavors that come with Doritos. Try Love is Louder than Bombs.

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Shop Love is Louder than Bombs

Mar 20, 2023 at 12:00 PM Permalink

Vinyl & Wine

We’re not sure about you, but around here we’re under the belief that the only thing better than wine and food is wine and the perfect vinyl. Music gets us all up in our feels, and we want to help you set the ideal vibe while sipping on your favorite Tank wine.  Admit it…you’ve pictured yourself as the star of your own movie; conjuring up the right cinematic lighting and the accompanying soundtrack in your head…

Consider us the curators of your score. All you’ve gotta do is drop the needle, pop the cork, sit back, sip and let those dreams run wild.

Softcore & Cocteau Twins' Heaven or Las Vegas

Soft, silky tannins accompanied by soft, silky riffs and vocals. Your tastebuds and your vibes will dance together in other worldliness, and we encourage melting into a lover’s arms the same way these guitar chords melt fantastically into one another. Get lost in a “Cherry-Colored Funk” with delicate ruby hues and spice. Make a fort with bedsheets. Grab a flashlight and play with shadows on the wall. Map the constellations and dream.

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Don’t Forget Me & Beach House's Devotion

Open your Heart of Chambers to a world of luscious flavors and make some memories that won’t fade. Profound chords, emotional lyrics, deep tannins dancing on your palette, delicate crescendos dancing on your heart. These musical notes hit right at the top of that doleful pit in your stomach, and the only antidote might be this espresso and vanilla-bean laced Cabernet from Sonoma County. Close your eyes, surrender to your senses and let those emotions carry you away.

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Love Saves the Day & Frank Ocean's Blonde

Let’s get real. The journey of self-love and discovery is the most important one of all. We think that Frank Ocean’s masterpiece of entangled emotions and introspection is perfectly accompanied by a sensual and juicy orange wine with an apt message: “Love Saves the Day.” Sip on this mellow and fruit-punchy goodness as you cozy up on your couch after sunset and contemplate what it means to love. We think this wine and this album are one and the same: simple and effortless on the surface, with deeper layers and notes that keep your curiosity alive.

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Lost Dreams & Joni Mitchell's Blue

The deep well of yearning and desire in Joni Mitchell’s tonality can only be accompanied by a wine that stays mercurial, and has that rare ability to transport us to another state of mind. This Napa Valley Cabernet is weighty, and you can feel it tingling the depths of your soul as well as it soothes right into your palette. If this were a scene in your movie: you’re braving a cold winter, skies are heavy with clouds, you’ve got a wood-fired stove and a stained-glass windows where the raindrops make mosaic patterns you can stare at for hours.

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Flowershop & Karen Dalton's In my Own Time

There’s something about this pairing that feels like floating on a cloud. Picture yourself here: you drop the needle, let the music swell, open your shutters to a sun-drenched meadow of newly blooming flowers, and you pour yourself a botanical, zesty and delectable blend of Northern Rhone varietals. Get ready for a sensory overload, in the best way. This is the perfect duo for a return to longer, brighter, botanical days.

Shop Flowershop

Feb 19, 2023 at 12:01 AM Permalink

We love hippies.

Hop in the VW bus, because we're going on a quick road trip through the 1960s to explore the impact of the hippie movement in California.
 

Born from the San Francisco Renaissance of the 1950s, which saw beatniks create a more free-thinking counter culture, the hippie movement evolved these ideals into a lifestyle filled with free love, long hair, psychedelics, and progressive music.
 

1967 became the "summer of love" after nearly 100,000 hippies congregated in San Francisco, establishing the Haight-Ashbury district as the epicenter of hippie culture. Musical talents like the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane, created a harmony for this generation that preached love, acceptance, and peace.
 

But it wasn't all concerts and communes, hippies served a vital role in advances in civil and human rights during the 1960s. Largely attributed to the young thinkers that emerged from UC Berkeley during this time, hippies represented a loud anti-war voice during the US's involvement in Vietnam.

Which, honestly, pissed quite a few people off. While some loved the hippie ethos of relaxation and reefer, others raged against them, banning "dirty" hippies from their business and demanding them to cut their hair or get jobs.

But the hippie, man, they just marched to a different beat. While much of the movement fizzled nationwide as people became older and took on responsibilities, much of the hippie movement consolidated to places in Northern California like Alameda County, Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino. In fact, our very own consulting winemaker Tim Milos was born and raised in a hippie kibbutz in Marin.
 

This brings us to the question. Why does Tank loves hippies? Well, aside from promoting a message of peace, kindness, and diversity, we believe the hippie molecule is interwoven into California's DNA. And being a winery of California, we like to trip to the groovy vibes and play in the mud like hippies do. Which is how we approach winemaking. Keep an open mind, experiment, and work to bring people together.
 

And that's what we've done with our latest limited release, Hippies Welcome. This "solera" blend combines five successive vintages of California Nebbiolo into a festival of flavor and love. Check it out yourself.
 

Get Hippies Welcome

Take Hippie Quiz

Jan 24, 2023 at 12:00 AM Permalink

Occhiali da Sole X Crunchwrap Supreme

If your guilty pleasure is a midnight run to Taco Bell, we've got a pairing for you, dreamer. Loaded with seasoned ground beef, nacho cheese, a crunchy tostada shell, sour cream and satisfying veggies, this Crunchwrap Supreme is what dreams are made of.

Serve it up with a glass of Occhiali da Sole and you've got your next obession.

Crunchwrap Supreme

[time: 30 min] serves 4

based on a recipe by Delish.

Jan 16, 2023 at 12:00 AM Permalink

How To Taste Wine Like A Pro

We firmly believe that wine is meant for everyone to enjoy – and with a few tricks up your sleeve, you can start tasting wine and developing your palate like the pro's do! It all starts with the 5 S's of wine tasting...

See

It all starts with the wine in the glass. In the first step of wine tasting, we evaluate the color and opacity of the wine using sight. To evaluate the color of the wine, hold the glass at a slight angle against a white or neutral surface and notice the color range from the core of the glass to the rim. Certain colors, like deep purple, may indicate full-bodied varietals like Syrah or Malbec, while a lighter red core with a pale to clear rim may indicate a lighter variety, such as Pinot Noir or Grenache. 

In addition to color, we also look at the opacity of the wine. Traditionally, clear and brilliant wine in the glass can be indicative of a quality wine, however Natural and unfiltered wines do appear cloudy in the glass. Another reason for a cloudy wine is the appearance of sediment that can come from a wine being shaken up too much prior to serving.

Swirl

Before we smell the wine, we should first swirl the wine in the glass. Swirling wine helps introduce oxygen and release aromatic compounds in the wine. If you've never swirled wine, here's a tip: keep the bottom of the wine glass on a hard surface, and gently grip the glass and move your hand in a small circle. After you've practiced this for a while, you'll be able to start swirling your glass in the air freestyle like a champ. 

It is in this step that we are able to evaluate the viscosity or legs of the wine. A wine with higher sugar content typically has slower-moving legs, while higher alcohol wines typically yield more droplets or number of legs.  

Smell

After swirling the wine to release all the beautiful aromatics, it's time to smell the wine. No, you don't need to stick your nose all the way into the glass, but if that's you're style, do you boo. We find it best to take a series of short sniffs from different angles to allow our brain time to evaluate the information coming in.  It's okay if all you smell is grapes – keep trying and the more you practice, the more you'll be able to identify different smells. Keep it simple and think about these three categories:

Primary Aromas: These are derived from the grapes themselves and include, fruit, herbal and floral notes. 

Secondary Aromas: These smells come from the winemaking process (from things like yeast) and can smell like bread, nuts or cheese rind.

Tertiary Aromas: These aromas come from the aging process and can include things like baking spices, vanilla, cedar and tobacco.

Don't worry about identifying each and every aromatic. There are no wrong answers – have fun with it!

Sip & Savor!

Now, the part you've been waiting for – it's time to taste the wine! Notice how the wine tastes similar or different to the aromatics you smelled in the previous step, and how the wine changes as it moves across your tongue. Does it taste sharp and acidic like lemons, or do you notice your mouth feeling drier than before you took a sip, indicating tannin structure? All of these clues can tell you the type of variety you may be tasting or how the wine was made. While no two wines will taste exactly the same, what you are looking for in this step is balance. If the wine taste like alcohol, if it's too sweet, too sour, etc., then it's not considered a well-balanced wine and will not age well. 

Most importantly, what matters is whether or not YOU like the wine. Wine tasting is meant to be fun, and the more you practice, the better you'll get at identifying various tastes and smells. Eventually, as you learn to recognize individual characteristics of grape varieties, you may even begin to be able to identify specific varieties in a blind tasting!

Taste at Tank

Our goal is to make wines that add to the collective conversation. Wines with soul and purpose. By sourcing fruit from California’s most important vineyards, we’re able to create delicious wines that are unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. 

During our fun wine-tasting experience, you’ll taste a variety of unique, one-off wines inside our vintage gas station and garage. Each wine is a limited-edition blend created from unique varieties picked from California’s most interesting and important vineyard locations and partners. Blends include red wine, white wine, sparkling pét-nat, orange wine, rosé, and natural wine. Regardless of the occasion, we have a bunch of unique experiences for you and your whole squad. Can't make it to Napa Valley? We have Virtual Tasting options too!

Book A Tasting Experience

Dec 20, 2022 at 10:00 AM Permalink

Let's Get Cozy with Mulled Wine

There's just something about sipping a warm drink in front of the fire that brings out all the holiday cheer. Our libation of choice? Mulled wine – a red wine concoction packed with warming spices and seasonal fruit that is oh-so delicious and easy to make.

Known by many names across cultures and dating back to Roman times, Mulled wine is an amazing holiday sipper and is perfect for serving a crowd. This delectable drink comes together within minutes and can be customized with your favorite spices and liqueurs.

Mulled Wine Ingredients

for this recipe you'll need:

Wine: We used Softcore for our version, but you can use any bottle of dry red wine. We recommend something that is fruit-forward and medium to full-bodied. Think varieties like Zinfandel, Grenache, Merlot or Syrah. 

Liqueur: Traditionally, Brandy is used to spike your mulled wine. If that's not your style, try an orange or raspberry liqueur or even a tawny port. 

Fresh citrus: Oranges add an amazing amount of flavor to mulled wine and make a beautiful garnish. Since it's peak citrus season, we included a mix of blood oranges, Valencia, and Cara Cara oranges. Note – oranges that are simmered with the wine should have the peel and pith removed to avoid bitterness.

Mulling spices: Mulling spices can vary depending on location, but we love a mixture of cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, cardamom, peppercorns and allspice. While you can find store-bought mulling mixes, we highly recommend making your own mix. These spices can also be simmered with apple cider for another spectacular holiday drink.

Sweetener: Sweetened to taste, mulled wine can be made with sugar, honey, maple syrup, or your preferred sweetener.

How To Make Mulled Wine:

Making this seasonal sipper is as easy as…

Combine ingredients: Combine all ingredients in a large pot (for a hands-off version, try using a crockpot!)

Simmer: Over medium heat, bring wine to a simmer (about 170°F), and do not boil. Reduce heat to low, cover completely, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes and up to several hours. Avoid over-cooking your batch, as it will create a raisin-like flavor and syrupy consistency.

Strain and season: Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the liquid to remove any citrus and mulling spices. Give the mulled wine a taste, and sweeten as needed.

Serve: Serve warm and top with sliced orange peel, cinnamon sticks or your favorite seasonal garnish!

Mulled Wine

Serves 4 

Dec 14, 2022 at 12:00 AM Permalink

Holiday Wine Gifts...Now in Stereo

You know what's cooler than a wine gift this holiday season? A wine gift that comes in a boombox! You heard that right. No longer must wine be gently wrapped in tissue paper and tucked away between bits of crinkly paper (it's called "sizzle," by the way) and bows. You can now give a wine gift that rocks.

Like all good things, the boombox was born out of the 1970s. The advent of the cassette format and batteries inspired a new concept for portable music players that could be brought to the beach or basketball courts to jam out with on the go. By the 1980s, the popularity of the boombox had exploded, proliferating hip-hop culture and finding its way into every teen's bedroom. Hoisted upon the shoulders of The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and The Clash, the boombox became an American icon.
 

Over time the size and weight of boomboxes exploded to accommodate bigger, booming bass and features like equalizers, dual cassette decks, and tricked-out sound meters. While the 1990s would introduce CD trays, remotes, and plastic gimmicks, our hearts will forever recognize the classic Panasonic stereos as the most iconic boombox of the early '80s.
 

Which, of course, is why we chose it as the successor to our beloved Hi-Fi gift boxes that recreated a portable record player from the '60s. We needed to get bigger, we needed to get louder, and we were hellbent on realizing this dream.
 

Modeled after the legendary Panasonic RX-5500, we painstakingly transplanted our favorite elements of this boombox to our cardboard box design. The tape went in the middle, some big speakers for both channels and some knobs here and there. It slowly took shape. But there was one thing we needed to make this thing legit: a handle. And we'll have you know we went to the far reaches of the pandemic world to find one that fits the bill.
 

After nearly a year of waiting, our boomboxes finally arrived, and we must say, they are fucking sick. Not only do they look like the real deal, but once you load them up with delicious Tank wines, it feels like the real deal too. The only thing we couldn't pull off was getting it to play music, but we gotta leave something for the next revision, right?
 

Starting this holiday season, we will have curated gift options pre-packaged in our vintage boombox gift boxes. Your friends, family, side piece, and work colleagues will all be blown away when they open up this cool gift box to discover California's coolest wines inside. To explore the 2022 options, just follow the button below.

Explore Boombox Gifts

Nov 18, 2022 at 1:00 AM Permalink

Even Fckboys Gotta Eat

If you've never had Enfrijoladas before, get ready for an orgasmic party in your mouth. A tasty enchilada smothered in yummy bean sauce and stuffed with your favorite filling, this recipe packs a whole lot of flavor and won't break the bank. We made ours with chorizo and potatoes, and HOT DAMN was it delicious. Scroll below for the recipe.

Chorizo and Potato Enfrijoladas

Serves 4

Based on a recipe by Maggie Unzueta

Nov 10, 2022 at 12:00 AM Permalink

Harvest 2022 Update

Our first harvest of 2022 began in early August with 10 tons of Gewürztraminer from the McCormack Ranch vineyard outside Rio Vista in Solano County. Since then, Bertus, Matteo, and the rest of the cellar team have been working day and night trucking grapes, pressing fruit and tending to our fermentation tanks barrels. Harvest is hard work, and our boys have been busy.

The Stats

290 Tons Harvested
36 Varieties
40 Vineyard Sources

Foot-Stompin'

If there's one guarantee for our cellar interns, it's that they'll be stomping A LOT of grapes. While many winemaking cellars solely utilize mechanical presses for their fruit, our philosophy is that foot-stomping provides a more delicate approach than a mechanical press and allows for stem inclusion, which results in more complexity in the wine. We love utilizing this method for our skin-fermented white wines, light red wines, and sometimes even Cabernet Sauvignon! More than a third of the grapes that pass through our cellar are foot-stomped.

Punch-downs and Pump-overs

Every day (and sometimes twice a day), each of our fermentation tanks and bins goes through a punch-down or pump-over process. Throughout fermentation, the grape skins and stems float to the top of the vessel as a large cap and we need to make sure our fermenting juice is properly mixed up. 

We're trying out appassimento!

Italian wines have always been near and dear to our hearts, and this year, our assistant winemaker Matteo is taking the lead on a very special project. Appassimento wines, like the Italian Amarone, are made from partially dried grapes, which results in more concentrated colors, aromas and flavors in the wine. In the photo above, Matteo is carefully laying out each cluster onto screens for the drying process. We can't wait to taste the resulting wine!

Follow Along

If you're into all things vintage, adventures, cool wines, and good vibes, you'll love our Instagram. Stay connected for behind-the-scenes looks at cellar antics, new bottle releases, deals, giveaways, and more! Tap the Instagram logo below to give us a follow.

Oct 19, 2022 at 12:18 PM Permalink