And why do you think Santa wears red? So if he spills his red wine it doesn't show. Now for those of you who didn't know, Santa is a great fan of good wine. Oh yes, Santa knows that to be jolly and healthy too a few glasses of wine each day will due.

So surprise Santa with a bottle of our zippy Zin, or classic Grenache or his most coveted Tir na nOG and put out some fine Irish blue cheese and a little Norwiegen flat bread and a fresh pear or grapes. Or if he usually comes late to your house and you think he's already had his supper then put out a selection of our Ruby ports like Wilde's Soul of Man, Z3 or Morrissey's Journey and a plate of dark chocolate. But don't you dare forget about Mrs. Claus. Have a good selection of whites, like our new Chardonnay, Eire Ban, the richer Queen's Gold or as dessert , our Joyce's Preocupations, so Santa can choose. Who should know better what Mrs. Claus likes than Old Saint Nick.

Remember to have a good selection on hand for Santa to choose from; he won't take more than he deserves and what's left over you can enjoy Christmas day. And Santa will be impressed with your your good taste in wines. And who knows what Santa might leave for you.

I know you wouldn't think of showing up to a dinner at friends or a holiday party without bringing some wine to share and maybe a special bottle as a gift for the host. And there will be numerous parties and dinners (sometimes on the same day and too many to attend) to enjoy with your friends and colleagues where wine will be the universal gift to bring. Your choice of wine makes a little statement, not only the variety, but the maker, the region and your support of a healthier world, like organically grown, solar powered, etc. The perceived value will always be much higher with Fitzpatrick quality and our long-standing committment to sutainability than our actual price to you. Honest wine, Real Value makes impressive gifts. As a matter of fact you should ready yourself right now with a stash of wines for the holidays at fantastic prices. Click below to see our list of Santa's Holiday specials. You can come to the tasting room, shop online, call us direct 800-245-9166 or make arraingements to pick up at the Sacramento Farmers' Market on Sunday mornings.

Giving a gift that will last all year is always a great gift. And with the gift of Gold Membership in Fitzpatrick's Wine Fellowship there will be one bottle of each of our new wines to enjoy as we release them. Members will be invited to come join us for a little Pick-Up party where we'll have complimentary food to pair with each new wine. And if you can't make the Pick-Up, we'll ship your new releases to you but we hope you'll come as often as you can to enjoy the fun.

Another year around benefit is your 25% discount everyday on all our current wines regardless of how much you buy - starting with even one bottle. And then there's the extra 10% discount which kicks to make sure you get 10% greater discount than our non- member customers on our specials. Yes occasionally to manage our inventories and cash flow it may seem we're giving our wines away. That's for your benefit so don't be bashful to take advantage. Other benefits include reserved seating for Friday Wood-Fired Oven Pizza Nights, automatic room upgrade when available, bottle of wine with each stay at our Lodge, etc.

Santa just can't say enough and highly recommends you become a member yourself and give as a grand gift to someone very special on your list.

Finally the labels have arrived and that means we'll release three new wines just in time for your holidays. And we'll present tapas (little plates) designed to pair with each of the new wines to enjoy. Saturday and Sunday, December 15 &16 from noon until 5pm we'll kick off our new 2008 Wine Fellowship cycle with our first Pick- Up party. Wine Fellowship members are invited to pick up three new wines: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Cabernet Franc and 2006 Sangiovese. This would be a great time to join our Wine Fellowship so we encourage our members to bring friends to sponsor as new members.

All I can say is you will be thrilled with these new wines. My only regret is the 2005 vintage only gave us 68 some odd cases of Cabernet Franc so take what you want right away. Our first ever 100% Sangiovese exhibits the elegance of a fine Pinot Noir. I dubbed it 'Sangiovese in the buff'. And the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon should become a frequent visitor to youe dinner table because it has balance. Lots of fruit, firm structure, modest alcohol level, ample tannins, good complement of toasty oak and a lingering finish makes a perfect $25+ dinner wine. Your price $18. Come check them out.