Mark calendars for Rancho de Philo’sAnnual Triple Cream Sherry Sale, Nov. 11 through 19, at the winery from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Proprietors Janine and Alan Tibbetts produce their delicious sweet cream sherry high in the foothills of Rancho Cucamonga. The multigold-medal winning dessert wine is created with the Spanish “solera” barrel aging process.

Rancho de Philo’s Cucamonga Triple Cream Sherry always impresses. It is a rich, smooth and sweet pour with a nutty finish, and is perfect fortified (grape spirits/brandy added) dessert wine for upcoming holiday gatherings.

Produced primarily from Cucamonga Mission variety grapes, first brought to California by the missionary fathers in the 1700s, it has proved its value for over 300 years. In Spain, Pedro Ximénez is the traditional white grape utilized for sweet sherry wines.

The traditional “solera” system of fractional blending from a pyramid of oak barrels results in the finest of aged sherry wine. The bottom series of barrels is where the oldest finished wine is drawn for annual bottling and replaced with wine from above barrels “criaderas,” of the similar (newer vintage) wine.

Price for the 2017 blend is $29.95 per bottle, the 2016 blend is $39.95. Bottle production is limited and sell out is expected. This wine serves as an excellent gift for novice to expert connoisseurs alike.

The 2016 blend earned several awards, including Double Gold at California State Fair and Micro Winery of the Year, Double Gold at Finger Lakes NY, Gold Best of Class at San Francisco Chronicle, Gold – 4 Star at Orange County Wine Competition.

Rancho de Philo is located at 10050 Wilson Ave. in Alta Loma. Call (909) 987-4208 for details or email janinetibbetts@earthlink.net Gino L. Filippi is wine writer for Foothills Reader.

He can be reached at ginoffvine@aol.com.