Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best way to store my Crane Family wine?

Place your wine in a cool, dark place (cool closets and basements are great) and don't drink it for a few weeks after you receive it, to permit it to settle down from its travel to you from our winery. Lay the bottles down or turn the case with necks facing down to be sure the wine is touching the cork inside the bottle. Refrigeration at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended, but not absolutely necessary. (Home refrigerators are generally too cold for red wine storage.)

Should I open my Crane Family wine before I'm ready to serve it to allow it to breathe?

Yes. It's important to let your wine breathe before drinking. Either pour the wine out of the bottle into a decanter or simply leave the cork out of the bottle. Wait twenty minutes before serving. When drinking the wine, swirling it in a glass also helps the wine to absorb air and release its aromas and flavors. Serve your red wine at 65 degrees or as close to that as you can.

When is my Crane Family wine sufficiently aged to drink?

Your wine can be drunk and enjoyed right away, but some further bottle age is recommended in addition to the two and a half years we have given it before release. The Estate Merlot will be well aged first, perhaps within another year, with Alison's Cuvee' requiring about 15 months and the Estate Cabernet further developing over 18 months to two years. Our Bordeaux-style red wines (Cabernet and Merlot) can be aged for many years when stored under satisfactory conditions (see question 1 above). Our oldest vintages are still very much "alive and well."

What should I do about sediment appearing in my Crane Family wine?

Wines sometimes accumulate sediment in the bottle or at the cork, depending on how the bottle is angled during storage. Occasionally, the sediment will appear as a granular substance around the cork or as small flakes in the bottle. Sediment does not alter the quality of the wine, and can easily be screened out, using an ordinary kitchen strainer.

Who is Crane Lake and are they affiliated with Crane Family?

We are not Crane Lake winery and have no affiliation with the brand. Crane Lake is a "starter" brand that belongs to the Bronco wine company, a mass producer of wine made from grapes grown in the interior of California. The grapes (or bulk wines) are brought to Napa for processing so that the "produced and bottled in Napa" claim can be placed on the back label. It is not a Napa appellation wine, nor is it hand crafted.