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.
Our first commitment is to ensure your wine arrives in peak condition. While our goal is to ship soon after you order, weather can delay this process. During summer months, in many cases, we can ship your wine overnight with cold packs to protect it from heat in transit. However, in periods of extreme heat your shipment will need to be held in order to avoid damage.
Please call or email the winery with any questions or concerns about your wine shipment. 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,” 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.
Please call or email the winery with any questions or concerns about your wine shipment. We are happy to work with you to achieve the best results.
Why did Shafer switch to Diam corks?
We don’t want a single bottle of Shafer wine to be corked. Ever. Over the past 30+ years we went to extraordinary lengths to eliminate the presence of TCA in the natural corks we used and have been 98% to 99% successful. That wasn’t good enough. We want to be 100% TCA-free and using Diam corks will get us there.
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
What do you like about Diam corks?
We have tested Diam corks in trials for more than 10 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.
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 more than 10 years and would not use them it we did not fully believe they are what’s best for the wine.