The Wine Society of Heritage Oaks

Tastings & materials

Every tasting we've held, with the presentation from the night, what we poured, and what it was paired with. Newest first.

September 29, 2026

Becker Vineyards

Our sixth tasting 6:00 PM $18 per person

An evening with one of Texas's best-known wineries. Becker has been growing wine at Stonewall in the Hill Country since 1992, and has been poured at the White House seven times. Six of their wines, each with a food pairing, working from a High Plains Sauvignon Blanc through to the Iconoclast Cabernet.

Presentation PDF, 748 KB

What we poured · 6 wines
Wines poured at Becker Vineyards, September 29, 2026
#WineTasting notePaired withPrice
1 2025 Sauvignon Blanc Peach, ripe passionfruit and honeysuckle. Crisp acidity, creamy texture. Texas High Plains, 15% ABV. Cowboy Crack with Tostitos $11.98
2 Springtime Meyer lemon, apricot and honeysuckle; apple and ripe stone fruit, slightly sweet. A Rhône-style white blend. Gulf shrimp cocktail $11.98
3 2023 Saignée Bright floral nose, citrus and watermelon. Fermented cold and slow, like a white wine. Chicken fajita skewer $11.98
4 2022 GSM Raspberry and black pepper, then dark toast, vanilla and lively red fruit. Crispy beef street taco $16.98
5 2021 Prairie Rotie Raspberry, fresh fennel and red currant. Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Pulled pork slider $19.98
6 2023 Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon Violets, leather, toasted vanilla and dried cherry; well-developed tannins with a hint of dark coffee. Swedish sticky chocolate cake $14.98

August 27, 2026

One Grape, Two Very Different Wines

Our fifth tasting 6:00 – 7:30 PM 30 seats Sold out

Three pairs of wines, poured side by side. Each pair is the same grape grown in two different countries — Chardonnay, then Syrah and Shiraz, then Primitivo and Zinfandel — with a food pairing for every glass. The question all night: if it's one grape, where does the difference come from?

Presentation PDF, 157 KB

What we poured · 6 wines
Wines poured at One Grape, Two Very Different Wines, August 27, 2026
#WineTasting notePaired withPrice
1 Gabrielle Chablis 2024Burgundy, France Bone dry and unoaked. Green apple and citrus over a chalky, almost saline finish. Brie and apple tart $27.99
2 Bread & Butter Chardonnay 2024California The same grape, opposite cellar. Vanilla, butterscotch and toasted oak, full and creamy. Shrimp bisque $12.57
3 Halos de Júpiter Syrah 2023Costières de Nîmes, France Violets and red berries turning savory — black pepper, smoked bacon, dried herbs. Marinated pork skewer $16.19
4 Victoria Park Shiraz 2022Barossa, Australia Same grape, hotter sun. Ripe plum and blackberry with dark chocolate and mocha. Chicken mole taco $17.09
5 12 e Mezzo Primitivo 2023Salento, Italy Built deliberately light at 12.5%. Soft and rounded, plum and cherry, a touch off-dry. Stuffed shells $14.98
6 ED “Edmundo” Zinfandel 2023Lodi, California DNA-identical to the Primitivo, picked far later. Brambly, jammy and warming at 14.3%. Brisket $8.99

June 26, 2026

Celebrate Summer

Our fourth tasting 6:00 – 7:30 PM 27 attended Sold out

Six whites for a summer evening, poured in order from bright and zesty through to soft and off-dry, each with a salad or small plate alongside.

Presentation PDF, 392 KB

What we poured · 6 wines
Wines poured at Celebrate Summer, June 26, 2026
#WineTasting notePaired withPrice
1 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2025Marlborough Lime, passion fruit, a hint of green pepper. A high-acid opener to wake up the palate. Spinach, strawberry and heart of palm salad —
2 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2023 Peach, apricot and citrus zest — a rounder, aromatic bridge from the opener. Turkish chickpea salad —
3 Italo Cescon Pinot Grigio Vendemmia 2025 Green apple, pear and honeysuckle. Light, crisp, refreshing. Gazpacho —
4 Whispering Angel Rosé 202420th vintage limited edition Pale pink. Strawberry and raspberry with a mineral finish. Shrimp and avocado tzatziki flatbread —
5 Clean Slate Riesling 2024 The off-dry turn. Honeysuckle on the nose, sour green apple and peach on the palate. Oriental noodles —
6 Casa Garcia Vinho Verde Melon, peach and grapefruit with a slight spritz. A light, easygoing close. Watermelon and feta salad —

May 19, 2026

A Taste of Italy

Our third tasting

Five wines from the heel of the boot up to the fog-covered hills of Piedmont — a Salento rosé, an Alto Adige Pinot Grigio, an old-vine Montepulciano, a Barolo, and a sixteen-year-old Brunello to close. Each came with the story behind the grape and the region.

Presentation PDF, 675 KB

What we poured · 5 wines
Wines poured at A Taste of Italy, May 19, 2026
#WineTasting notePaired withPrice
1 Pazzia Primitivo Rosé 2025Salento Cherry and raspberry, light-bodied and well balanced. Rated 94 by Luca Maroni. Focaccia with prosciutto and black olives $15
2 Conte Fini Pinot Grigio 2024Alto Adige Bright citrus over a mineral edge, full-bodied with a long finish. Tortellini with pesto $25
3 Barba i Vasari Old Vines Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2023 Cherry, plum, cocoa and toasted walnut. Chalky tannins, creamy finish. Rated 91 by James Suckling. Meat lovers pizza $22
4 Rocca Felice Barolo Riserva 2018Piedmont 100% Nebbiolo, eight years aged. Dried roses, cherry, smoke and licorice. Chuck roast cooked in wine $55
5 Vittorio Toscarelli Brunello di Montalcino 2010Tuscany Sixteen years on. Forest floor at first, then plum and dried flowers with air. Rated 92 by James Suckling. Gnocchi with bolognese $60

March 18, 2026

Cabernet Sauvignon Around the World

Our second tasting Held again March 25 24 seats

One grape, five regions — Coonawarra, the Texas High Plains, Chile's Maipo Valley, Napa, and finally Bordeaux, where the grape started. The night opened with the Five S's of tasting, then asked the same question at each pour: is this one bigger, smoother, or more earthy than the last?

Presentation PDF, 359 KB Tasting placemat PDF, 278 KB

What we poured · 5 wines
Wines poured at Cabernet Sauvignon Around the World, March 18, 2026
#WineTasting notePaired withPrice
1 Coonawarra, Australia Blackcurrant, dark chocolate, a hint of mint. Firm tannins from the red terra rossa soil. Bacon-wrapped date with smoked gouda —
2 Canada Family Vineyard Reserve 2023Texas High Plains Riper, fuller, warmer-climate fruit. Bigger than the opener. Smoked brisket —
3 Maipo Valley, Chile Ripe cassis, black cherry, dusty herbs. Smoother tannins than the Texas bottle. Mushroom cap with lamb risotto —
4 Napa Valley, California Lush black fruit, vanilla from oak, full body and a long finish — the richest of the night. Eggplant parmesan —
5 Bordeaux, France Tobacco, cedar, restrained fruit. Earthier and more structured — classic Old World. Dark chocolate truffle —

January 23, 2026

Champagne & Sparkling

Our first tasting 6:00 PM 27 attended

A walk through how Champagne is actually made — the traditional method, riddling, dosage — then five sparklers side by side, from a classic Moët non-vintage down to a Cava and a Prosecco rosé, each with its own food pairing.

Presentation PDF, 575 KB Food pairing handout PDF, 292 KB

What we poured · 5 wines
Wines poured at Champagne & Sparkling, January 23, 2026
#WineTasting notePaired withPrice
1 Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut Green apple, citrus zest, toasted almond. Brie on crostini $38.79
2 Masottina Collezione 96 Brut Rosé Prosecco Wild strawberry and raspberry. Cajun-spiced grilled shrimp —
3 Chandon California Brut Pear, citrus, soft almond and toast. Mini lox and bagel chip $17.98
4 Gran Castillo Rocio Brut Cava Fresh bread, lemon, melon, peppery finish. Olive tapenade on baguette $17.88
5 Colligny Père & Fils Brut Rosé Strawberry and cherry, fruit-sweet finish. Spicy fried chicken $36.99