New in June

Tank Cares     You guys are f*cking incredible, did you know that? In May, we released a special-edition Tank Cares wine with proceeds going to the GlobalGiving Coronavirus Relief Fund and it sold out in less than ten minutes. We're so incredibly proud to give back to charities and organizations near and dear to us through Tank Cares. To check out the full line-up of our Tank Cares labels, click the button below.  Learn More Sunshine In A Glass     From the moment you pop the crown cap on Super Geisha, you'll be swept away with perfumed floral notes of jasmine and orange blossom, with some hints of spice and fresh herbs. The tiny bubbles give way to juicy tropical fruit on the palate that is refreshing yet delicate, with incredibly well-balanced acidity. This Pét-Nat should definitely not be missed. Order Now Meet Jacey What Tank Garage Wine are you obsessed with? Fast & Loose. The reason is very simple - SNACK FOOD! Who isn't indulging themselves in deliciously salty snacks these days? Don't lie to yourself...it's ok to embrace the guilty pleasures. I suggest fried pickles.   Favorite varietal? Easy. Petite Sirah. It describes me to a 'T'. Complex, luscious and rich – in my dreams . No, but seriously, it truly goes with anything complex such as: lamb, dark chocolate, truffle mushrooms, honey, cherries or garlic. I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad! What's your dream? My dream is to be a Pin-Up model who becomes the voice of a Disney Princess. I love my unique style and I love to sing. Now that I am a mother, I shall embrace them both and chase my dreams! #NEVERDREAMALONE Favorite band? This one is tough. I change my music with my mood. I'll just leave you a taste of my crazy emotions: Fleetwood Mac, A Day To Remember, Escape The Fate, Stray Cats, Elvis, Elle King, Lana Del Rey, Queen, Elton John, Journey and MANY MORE! Favorite local restaurant? Small World in Napa is my go to right now. Their Mediterranean dishes are filling and oh so satisfying! Mmmmm... Just thought about their Traditional Lamb Gyro and Greek Fries. Top 3 songs to listen to right now? In Too Deep - Sum 41 Collapse - Saosin Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die - Four Year Strong What are you doing when you're not at the Garage? I have a little one at home. She is 2 years old, her name is Pollie and she is BRILLIANT! I just adore her. Jacey's Favorite Reds Contains three bottles each: 2019 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised 2017 Wild Eyes 2018 Fast & Loose 2018 Somewhere Out On That Horizon Normally priced at $642, this case is now on sale for $475* (and you get $1 shipping!). *additional promotions DO NOT apply. limited quantities available. Order Now     Shake Ridge Ranch Tucked into the Sierra Foothills lies one of California's most treasured vineyards. Breathtaking views of rolling hills, buzzing bees, and some of the most meticulously tended vines we've ever seen find their home at Shake Ridge Ranch. Ann Kraemer is the owner and vineyard manager of Shake Ridge Ranch, and if you don't know about her, you should. This incredible woman spent 25 years developing and managing vineyards in Napa Valley, Oregon and Chile prior to finding her own slice of heaven in the Sierra Foothills. She divided the organically-farmed 46-acre property into 40 seperate blocks, paying close attention to soil structure, drainage patterns, sun exposure and airflow to ensure that every single vine planted had the most-optimal growing environment. To put it plainly, you simply don't find vineyards like Shake Ridge...ever. With ten different varietals to choose from, some of the best fruit we source each year comes from this legendary vineyard. Some of your favorite blends like Cool Confusion, Thundercloud and Art of Surfing highlight Shake Ridge Ranch's outstanding fruit. ⁠  Follow Along

Jun 25, 2020 at 9:26 AM Permalink

Let's Get Cooking

Did someone say tacos?

Not going to lie, there are very few things in life that we love more than good ol' tacos.  

Take your dinner to the next level with this Chile Verde recipe and a bottle of Super Geisha, our latest Pét-Nat and current obsession.

We promise you won't regret it. 

Makes 1 Gal

May 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM Permalink

What's New in May

Six Years In The Making Six years, my friends. That's how long we've been kickin' it up here in Calistoga with all you dreamers. It's for damn sure that we've missed your smiling faces while the Garage has been closed for tastings. You best bet we'll be back in full force to celebrate this milestone soon. To help you celebrate from home, we're including $1 shipping on any order over 6 bottles all month long with the code: TANKSBIRTHDAY. Shop Special Release We've been dreaming of this Pét-Nat since we labeled the bottles last month. Keep an eye out on your inboxes, because this killer release is comin' at you next week. Coming Soon Stay In Special Contains two bottles each: Backstage Pass, Napa Valley, Red Wine 2017 Fight For Her, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir 2018 Fast & Loose, California, Red Wine 2018 Yacht Rock, California, White Wine 2018 Karma Coma Supernova, California, White Wine 2018 Love & Pride, California, White Wine Normally priced at $530, this exclusive case is now on sale for $325*. *additional promotions DO NOT apply. limited quantities available. Order Now     Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard This may just be the coolest vineyard we've ever sourced from. At the very least, it contains some of the rarest grapes found in California – Trousseau Gris. This ten-acre parcel tucked into the Russian River Valley is the only planting of this unique varietal in the United States. You may recognize this grape from our notorious skin-fermented white wine, Skin Flick. Sometimes referred to as "Grey Riesling," Trousseau Gris thrives in the breezy coastal climate of the Russian River Valley AVA. Peter Fanucchi comes from a long line of grape growers. After his father acquired the Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard in 1972, the two traveled to Lucca, Italy to learn the craft of tending to vines from Peter's grandfather. Peter's meticulous attention to detail truly shows in the fruit produced each season. We are honored to source these highly sought after grapes for our wines. We have news for you – we're cranking things up a notch this year with a release of a 100% skin-fermented Trousseau Gris that is going to blow your minds. Be excited, because this is a wine you are going to want to get your hands on. We'll be bottling it at the end of May, so keep your eyes peeled this summer for the official release. Follow Along Meet Heath, The OG in the Garage. What Tank Garage Wine are you obsessed with? Wasted Love is my primer, especially now because it’s starting to get warm. It’s crisp and cold (sip it during shower time) and perfect for selecting vinyl and cooking.  Love Now More Than Ever is my favorite for late night – no decanting necessary. It’s super welcoming and salacious. Pop the cork and it’s ready to go with soft tannins, low acidity, and rich macerated fruit with a long lingering finish of caramelized cherry and cola. Favorite varietal? Ugh! I can’t do it. It’s like asking me to pick my favorite music genre. While I do prefer blends, I often gravitate to Grenache. It’s light-to-medium-bodied. It’s also very food versatile. It’s not a grape that you can over oak, which is my preference. It’s a bit of a chameleon. Depending on its region, it can be so different.  What's your dream? Well, it was to make a living touring and playing music. Now, more practical: buy a mid-century modern home in San Diego near our friends, work less, play more music, and travel. Favorite band? Again, impossible for me to do. Sorry, but it changes often. In constant rotation, everything from Jazz/Blues, The Ramones to Chris Isaak.  Favorite local restaurant? I’ll give you two: Sushi Mambo - order the fungus among us Sam’s Social Club - order the burger Top 3 songs to listen to right now? Desperado – The Cactus Blossoms Rio – Low Cut Connie Crying’s Just A Thing You Do – JD McPherson What are you doing when you're not at the Garage? You’ll find me at my turntable spinning vinyl, chillin' on the patio with the fam or playing music. I have pretty simple needs.

May 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM Permalink

Going Home with Daren Thomas Magee

How would you describe your art style to somebody that's never seen it?

I aim to encapsulate a timelessness in my work in hopes that it can live on past our lifetime. Despite my work being digitally created I try to capture the imperfection of the human hand. Timelessness and imperfection. 

What are your inspirations?

My biggest inspiration is existence. In all it’s mystery and awesomeness. That, to me, is a bottomless well to draw from. 

For the piece we used on the wine Going Home, what were you trying to capture?

I was hoping to capture a sense of homesickness and that feeling of being out of place and knowing there’s a place that’s more suited for you than where you are right now. 

Do you see any similarities between winemaking and illustration?

I think within any form of creation there is a similarity. Humans ability to create something from what we have around us. We are innovative creatures and with enough will we can create some truly beautiful things!

See more at realfunwow.com

My name is Daren Thomas Magee. I am an Ojai, California based freelance illustrator, muralist and designer. My inspiration comes from many sources, natural and supernatural. The aim of my work is to speak to the space between imagination and reality, my hope is to leave you to float off in that liminal space into someplace entirely new. 

About Going Home

Whether it is your hometown or someplace otherwordly, finding a place of familiarity and comfort in your surroundings represents the journey that all of us are going on. Going Home.

This wine, with artwork by Ojai based artist Daren Thomas Mage, represents our journey of finding a sense of home even in the unknown. With an invigorated drive to double-down on the innovative winemaking techniques that our cellar team has become known for, we set out to create something that's probably never been seen before – an unfined, unfiltered native-yeast carbonic white wine.

Sounds like something from another planet, right? Check it. Carbonic Maceration is a process in which we place grape clusters in a covered tank and pump in carbon dioxide, which removes oxygen. Slowly, the grapes release an enzyme that converts the grape sugar into alcohol, bursting the berries without adding additional yeast. This process, combined with gravity, macerates the grapes into juice before we move them to a traditional press. Native yeasts from the grape skins start the fermentation process, which is a technique used in many natural wines. 

But that's not what makes this wine so cool – carbonic maceration is a technique most often seen on red wines, not white wines. Due to volatile phenols linked to aromatics, it is quite difficult to successfully create a white wine using carbonic maceration. That's probably why nobody does it. Well, except for us. 

It all started when we found this crazy white grape, originally from the southwest of France, called Petit Manseng. This grape has incredibly high natural acidity and tiny berries, and since carbonic maceration lowers acidity we figured it would be the perfect guinea pig for this treatment.

We were psyched when we pressed this experiment and realized the incredible tropical fruit purity that the wine had. After spending 5 months in neutral French Oak barrels sur lees, we bottled this masterpiece unfined and unfiltered, preserving every last drop of beauty in the barrel. It smells like a tropical paradise with notes of pineapple, blood orange rind, and toasted nuts. The palate is ripe and juicy with a broad mouthfeel that carries the fruit flavors of guava, lychee and honeydew over to the crisp yet textured finish.

$35 per bottle | 360 cases made

Order Here

Apr 17, 2020 at 11:52 AM Permalink

What's new in April.

Never Dream Alone That's our motto here at Tank, and when times are tough we gotta remember that we're all in this thing together. We have been beyond grateful for the outpouring of support we've seen for the Garage during these unprecedented times. Every time we see another order come in, another shoutout on Instagram, or a message in our inbox, our hearts grow an extra size. We can't wait for the day that we can open our doors and welcome all of your smiling faces back into the Garage. In the meantime, if you would like to help support our team, the best thing you can do is order our wines online. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. We wouldn't be where we are today without people like you. So stay safe, be well, and never dream alone. Shop New Releases The next MADE Club release is here. Going Home 2019 El Dorado County Carbonic White Wine 56% Vermentino, 44% Petit Manseng I Love You, California 2019 California Red Wine 95% Sangiovese, 5% Sagrantino Thundercloud 2019 California Red Wine 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier Join the MADE Club Stay In Specials While the Garage is closed, we're bringing the rad deals straight to your doorstep. Don't forget, orders of 12+ bottles ship for just $1 all day, every day. Shop All Specials

In the Cellar With bottling on the horizon in June and July, we are in the maintenance phase of the winemaking process. That means that we are busy doing a lot of rack and returns. This process moves wine from the barrel to tank and back from the tank to the barrel, with a primary goal of removing excess sediment and introducing more oxygen into the wines. Oxygen helps freshen up reductive qualities as well as smooth out tannin structure, so it's a very important step for our Bordeaux varietals as well as more tannic grapes like Petite Sirah and Tempranillo. There are two tools that we use to complete the racking process – a bulldog or a pump. A bulldog displaces the wine using inert gas to pressurize the barrel, while a pump is a more aggressive type of movement that introduces more oxygen into the wine. We sample each barrel before racking to determine which tool is best for the job. The other important step of the racking process is barrel maintenance. While the wine is being held in the tank, we clean each barrel and rinse with Ozone, which kills any organisms in the barrel and ensures that the vessel is in tip-top condition for the rest of the aging process. After one day in the tank, the wine is placed back into the barrel and left to age. Follow Along Meet Bertus, Winemaker Extraordinaire What Tank Garage Wine Are You Obsessed With? Current Release- Revolution Will Not Be Televised Future Release - Going Home Favorite Varietal? Mourvèdre What's Your Dream? Making wines that will bring people joy Favorite Band? Old School - Bruce Springsteen Current - Yoke Lore Favorite Local Restaurant? La Taberna Top 3 Songs To Listen to Right Now Yoke Lore - Beige Young The Giant - Superposition Rainbow Kitten Surprise - Heart What Are You Doing When You're Not At The Garage? Hiking, trail running, biking or working on our garden that we just established this year

Apr 10, 2020 at 12:46 PM Permalink

Meet Our Winemaker

Bertus van Zyl

The man, the myth, the legend. If you didn't already know, we have the coolest cat in town runnin' our winemaking. This dude cranks out some of the best juice in the Valley and his relentless dedication to his trade continues to inspire us year in and year out. Bertus is truly one-of-a-kind, maintaining relationships with the best growers across California and gaining access to the coolest grapes we didn't even know existed. His blends are a work of art and each year we look forward to tasting his insanely-addictive cool California wines. 

Bertus grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. Both of his parents loved wine tasting and he remembers running around vineyards and wineries from the time he was quite young. He attended a boarding school in Stellenbosch (a.k.a. South African wine country) and it was there that he took his very first wine appreciation course at the age of 14. He went on to study Viticulture and Enology at the University of Stellenbosch before taking the adventurous leap to the Napa Valley.

When he's not spending time tending to our barrels and blends in the cellar, he's on the road to one of the many vineyards we source from. Bertus has spent years tracking down the growers dedicated to maintaining the old vines, the underdogs and the lesser-known varietals across California. His search knows no bounds – we're pickin' clusters from Mendocino down to Santa Barbara, up to the Sierra Foothills and all the way out to the Sonoma Coast.

There's not much we can really say about Bertus that hasn't been said before. He's hands down one of the coolest people we've ever met and we can't wait to see what he's got in store for us next. 

Feb 25, 2020 at 8:32 AM Permalink

Garage Happenings in January

2019 was an incredible year for us at Tank, and we can't wait to see what 2020 will bring. From the fun times at our Garage Sales to releasing our first vinyl record, every day was an adventure. We feel so fortunate to get to spend time hangin' out with people like you. This next year, we promise to keep pushing boundaries, keep releasing cool California wines, and spreading those good vibes. We hope to see you around the Garage soon! Peace Out, -The Crew From Tank MADE Wine Club members received these two cool new blends in their Winter release last month, and both are now available on the website: I SAY LA LALA LA LA2018 Napa Valley Red Wine 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc,1% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec Buy Now Alto BassoCalifornia Red Wine 57% Zinfandel, 15% Petit Sirah, 11% Dolcetto, 10% Barbera, 3% Primitivo, 15% Grenache, 1% Syrah, 1% Charbono, 1% Mourvédre Buy Now   Winter in the Valley – it's one of our favorite times of year. Don't let the gloomy weather fool you, January is the perfect month for a trip up to good 'ol Calistoga. This quiet time of year means less crowds and more space up at the Garage making for a chill hang with our rad staff members and cool California wines. Speaking of, we've released some killer new blends in the last few months. You're gonna wanna give them a try. See you cool cats soon. Book a Tasting     After wrapping up one of the craziest Harvest seasons on record, Bertus and his team are as busy as ever. We’re officially pressed off of all of our lots, and the wines will finish their fermentation and aging process nestled in French and American Oak barrels. After the wines have finished aging in barrels, we'll go through blending trials to determine exactly what will end up in the bottle(s) sitting on your table.  Speaking of which, just before the winter holidays, we finalized some of the latest Tank blends and put them into bottle. Get ready, because these new wines are some of the best that we’ve made. MADE Wine Club Members will be the first to try the wines when they are released early next month!   Curstin, Tasting Room Manager What Tank Garage Wine Are You Obsessed With? Alto Basso Favorite Varietal? Grenache What's Your Dream? To own a '57 Corvette convertible Favorite Band? Sweet Spirit Favorite Local Restaurant? Palisades Saloon in Napa Top 3 Songs To Listen To Right Now "The Power" - Sweet Spirit "Bored & Razed" - The Raconteurs "Cold Hard B!tch" -Jet What Are You Doing When You're Not At The Garage? Hitting up a concert with the boyfriend. 🤘

Jan 27, 2020 at 3:03 PM Permalink

There's no day like Garage Sale day.

THERE'S NO DAY LIKE GARAGE SALE DAY

A few times a year, we get to bust our doors open for one day filled with pinball, rad wines, and even cooler people. This past Sunday marked our last Garage Sale of the year, and damn, did we have a good time. 80º and sunny, it was the cherry on top of our crazy-fun harvest season. Along with our favorite friends over at Pinball Pirate, we had our homies from Das Bus with their vintage VW Photobooth to capturing the festivities and Platinito Pupusas slingin' the foods (p.s. the pupusas were f*&king BOMB).

Naturally, shenanigans ensued:

This is what happens when you cram the team in a photo booth. 

Gibran and Jett always keepin' things chill behind the bar. 😎

Hannah sharin' all the good vibes and soakin' up that sunshine. 

Austin grabbin' that new high score. 

Until next year, homies. 

Nov 22, 2019 at 10:00 AM Permalink

Mario Month!

Tank ❤'s Mario

Mario's been kickin' it with us at Tank for three years now, and it's no secret that we kinda like the dude. So when we were tasked with coming up with our next Instagram challenge, we decided to create Mario Month. We challenged you to snap a picture with him (or his cool life-sized cutout) and share it with us on the good old 'gram. 

What inspired you to get into wine?
One of the main reasons I decided to join the wine industry was my dad. My dad worked for Franciscan Winery as a vineyard worker in the 90s and that was my first exposure to the wine industry. My biggest inspirations are my parents. They are the best. It's because of them that my biggest dream is to start up my own winery and brewery someday.

If you had to pick one blend from Tank to drink for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? Any bottle past or present.
Space Cowboy Cab (nice choice, dude.)

How did you find Tank?
I found Tank 3 years ago when I decided to leave the wine cellar and move into a tasting room job. I always thought that it was a really cool tasting room. 

What is your favorite part of your day at the Garage?
My favorite part of the day would be rolling in the sign and starting up the day.  

What's goin' down when you aren't slinging wine behind the bar? Favorite past times?
When I'm not behind the bar I really enjoy cooking and making my own beer/ hard ciders. I am a huge sports fan so I love watching sports on tv. 

What has been your favorite thing about growing up in the Napa Valley?
The best part of growing up in Napa Valley was enjoying the summer I got to hang out with my friends and be able to go fishing and hiking swimming. The summertime was always the best part.  

Any last words for our Tank Friends?
Finally, to all my Tank people: Stay thirsty and enjoy all the great Tank blends. 

Sep 4, 2019 at 11:00 AM Permalink

Three Days of Peace, Love, and Music

Woodstock

Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most monumental events in music history. Woodstock Music Festival was a three-day festival brought together by peace, love, and music. It represented the height of the counterculture movement and its legacy in pop culture and music history still lives on today. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hedrix–these are just a few of of the many legends that graced the stage on that rainy weekend. Let's take a look back at that famed weekend:

The festival was conceived by four young individuals hoping to make enough money from the event to open a recording studio.  Nobody expected the festival to succeed–in fact, the festival almost didn't happen. It wasn't until April of 1969 when Creedence Clearwater Revival became the first act to sign a contract for the event. According to the Creedence drummer, Doug Clifford, "Once Creedence signed, everyone else jumped in line and all the other big acts came on." After being turned down by several other venues, a dairy farmer named Max Yasgur in Bethel, New York offered his 600-acre parcel of land for the gathering. 

Festival producers only expected around 200,000 people to show up that weekend. Little did they know that nearly half a million people would flock to the festival grounds. It didn't take long before festival-goers abandoned their cars and set out on a 10+ mile journey to the venue. So many people showed up at the gates, in fact, that the festival organizers were forced to allow attendees free entry.

At 5:07 pm on August 15th, the festival began and history was made. It was rainy, it was muddy, but 50 years later, the memories still remain in the hearts of those that were there.

As a special 50-year anniversary celebration, the festival is being streamed in its entirety here. 

Aug 15, 2019 at 3:00 PM Permalink