Shafer FAQs
Shafer maintains two direct mail lists: one for Hillside Select and one called our “Napa Valley List,” which offers the other wines in our portfolio.
The “Napa Valley List,” which makes available Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, TD-9, One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon and Relentless, is currently open. The “Hillside Select List” is closed, however, you can sign up for the Waiting List to be added as spots become available. To sign up for one or both of these lists, please click here.
Yes, to those whose names are active on one or both of our mailing lists or who purchase wine at the winery and live in states to which such shipments are legal. That list currently includes: Alaska (wet counties only), California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The direct shipping issue continues to change as more and more states pass related legislation. Up-to-date information is available at www.freethegrapes.org.
Our first commitment is to ensure your wine arrives in peak condition. As such while we work toward shipping soon after you order, weather can delay this process. During summer months if it’s possible to package your wine with cold packs to protect it from heat during shipping, we will do so. However, in periods of extreme heat scheduling your shipment for the cooler months of late autumn/early winter can be the best option.
In specific situations we are able to ship via FedEx Cold Chain. This is a seasonal refrigerated transport solution that our fulfillment house has used with success. The wines are picked up at their facility in a temperature controlled truck, sorted, and consolidated at a temperature-controlled facility and then loaded onto temperature controlled line haul vehicles.
The truck, though, that delivers the wine from your local FedEx hub is not temperature controlled. Given that,we only ship via FedEx Cold Chain in areas where delivery is guaranteed by 10:30 AM (some areas cannot guarantee delivery until much later in the day).
For this method of delivery to be successful, there MUST be an adult available to receive and sign for the delivery on the specified day. Shipping to a business address is preferable.
Also note, using the Cold Chain system takes some time, in most cases at least 10 days from the time your order is placed. The order must be in our fulfillment company’s system by Friday before noon for pick up by FedEx the following Friday. Delivery is made on either Tuesday or Wednesday following the FedEx Friday pickup.
We are happy to work with you to achieve the best results.
Approximate number of years from vintage date Shafer considers optimum:
Optimum drinking Length of Aging
Red Shoulder Ranch® Chardonnay Release - 5 years
TD-9® Release - 8 years
One Point Five® Cabernet Sauvignon Release - 10 years
Relentless® Release - 15 to 20 years
Hillside Select® Cabernet Sauvignon Release - 20 years
Click here for the complete Hillside Select tasting notes.
Wines in larger format bottles age more slowly. Remember, all of Shafer's wines are made to be immediately drinkable upon release.
*The Napa Valley List offers the following Shafer wines each year: Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, T-9, One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon, and Relentless.
The “Napa Valley List,” which makes available Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, TD-9, One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon and Relentless, is currently open. The “Hillside Select List” is closed, however, you can sign up for the Waiting List to be added as spots become available. To sign up for one or both of these lists, please click here.
What is a Diam cork?
A Diam cork is made from 100% real cork that is ground and run through a process that, at the molecular level, eliminates TCA (the chemical compound that causes wines to be “corked”) and other microbial contaminants that produce off flavors. Wine corks are produced in France from this clean ground cork using an FDA-approved, food-grade binding agent. For more details on the process visit this URL: http://www.diam-closures.com/Process-en
Why is Shafer using Diam corks?
We don’t want a single bottle of Shafer wine to be corked. Ever. Over the past 30 years we have gone to extraordinary lengths to eliminate the presence of TCA in the natural corks we used and have been 98% to 99% successful. That’s not good enough. We want to be 100% TCA-free and using this cork will get us there.
What do you like about Diam corks?
We have tested Diam corks in trials for seven years and have come to believe the company’s guarantee that its corks are 100 percent free of TCA. In addition, these corks offer something else that natural corks cannot – a guarantee of the amount of oxygen the cork allows into the bottle. This is referred to as Oxygen Transfer Rate (OTR). Natural corks, by contrast, have inconsistent density and permeability, which means a variable amount of oxygen is allowed into the bottle. Using a Diam cork ensures that your wine won’t be “over the hill” before its time.
Why are Diam corks used in your TD-9 and Chardonnay but not the other wines?
We have tested these corks for seven years and we like the results. Our TD-9 and Chardonnay are wines that we know most consumers enjoy within two to three years of release. We continue to test these corks to see how they perform in terms of long-term aging. We won’t know those results for a few more years but given what we’ve seen so far, we expect to be using Diam corks in our red wines in the future.
How are Diam different from other composite corks?
Unlike other composite corks, Diam uses a safe, clean process to eliminate TCA from ground natural cork – it’s the same process used to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Also, Diam engineers its corks to guarantee a consistent rate at which oxygen is allowed into the bottle over time. This ensures that every bottle will age in your cellar at a similar rate.
Can Diam corks be recycled like natural corks?
Yes. Most corks collected in recycling bins are re-purposed to make cork flooring, as such, Diam is perfectly useful.
Can I trust the Diam corks in your wines?
Yes. We have tested these corks for seven years and would not use them it we did not fully believe they are what’s best for the wine.