We’re driving by Temecula on the way to San Diego and we want to stop at a few places for wine tasting. We’ve never been to Temecula and we don’t have high expectations, but I was hoping there might be a hidden gem you guys would know about. Any recommendations for good wineries to try in the area? We usually prefer reds, but also open to white varietals if those are better. Thanks!
Wasn’t any 10 years ago when I was there but maybe that has changed.
There are some really nice golf courses there. Cross Creek Golf Club is a must play. https://www.crosscreekgolfclub.com/
Not really. Closest best wine region to SD is Valle de Guadalupe.
The bigger question for wine makers on this board is: Can they make good wine? I personally think the heat is too big of an issue and they don’t get the nightime coolness of regions like Sonoma. When I was there the wines that were $40 were not even as good as a Columbia Crest Grand Estates for $8.00.
Au contraire, John. EliCallaway pioneered the area and he made some exceptional wines… in his day. They can make great wines in Temecula… if they would choose to do so.
Tom
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I haven’t been there in several years but found Doffo and Palumbo to be passable then, although Doffo’s pricing was pretty insane. It’s always amazed me that even the wineries that bring fruit in from other regions don’t seem to be able to make wine as good as that made where the fruit comes from.
If you’re in Escondido there’s a young couple there doing some interesting things at Sans V winery. Their labels are Vesper and Stehleon. Not sure they’re open due to Covid though.
One note: Many of the wineries in that area are only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Just my 2¢.
I wouldn’t waste the time. Nothing worth the time. As someone else mentioned Valle is a much better choice (food and wine) but of course those pesky international travel rules come into play
I would enjoy visiting Temecula because it’s actually pretty nice there, but the prices for the wines you’re getting… sheesh.
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I’d suggest visiting wineries in the Escondido area (northern San Diego County) over those in Temecula, based on my limited experience.
I did a Grape-Nutz write-up on those areas about three years ago:
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Have more fun driving to Vista and drinking craft beer in mecca version of the “wine ghetto” for hops.
It’s not a great region for wine but I haven’t been there in a few years and I’m always open to trying something. Cougar winery was OK but pricey for what you got. He was smart though because he specialized in Italian grapes, which was a good approach.
A lot of the others made Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, etc., grown pretty much right next to each other. There’s a place called Leoness that was very popular and they did a nice tasting for me but nothing really impressed me all that much. And don’t go on a Saturday - that’s when all the bachelorette parties make their appearances. That’s why the wineries don’t really care if they make outstanding wine - there’s no reason to when they make people happy and sell out. Good luck!
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It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but I doubt the region has changed dramatically in terms of quality. I visited quite a few wineries and bought nothing. I think that answers your question, at least in my experience and opinion.
Had never been to Vista Village and got invited to a happy hour two months ago. That area was always kind of the hood. Was very pleasantly surprised
Basically the theme here is wines are really expensive and under deliver. In MN people will pay up to $30 for a wine from a MN winery. I believe places like Temecula are there as people love the exerience of going to a winery.
Was through there about 3 years ago and thought that Hart, which is one of the older wineries, had the best wines at more reasonable prices. As others have said, this might be the lowest QPR wine region on the planet. We did enjoy our stay at South Coast Winery, where our villa was right on the vineyard.
I was happy to read a good review of Vesper in your article. They’ve combined Vesper (they’re venture) with Stehleon (I believer her father’s) into the Sans V Tasting Room.
Of the Temecula wineries I visited three years ago, Thornton was the best. Reasonable prices too, unlike a number of other places whose websites I checked out before visiting the region. Thornton has a new winemaker since my visit (I’d had previous good experiences with the old winemaker, David Vergari, when he had his own winery in the North Coast area) so I don’t know whether things have changed there.
Agree with most of what’s been posted already, but I did enjoy my experience at Lumiere. Very good service and higher quality than other wines I’ve tasted from the area.
In my experience (and it’s been a few years since I’ve been), I would compare it to a Carnival Cruise Line “Booze Cruise”. It serves a purpose, but wouldn’t say that it serves the purpose of providing top notch wines.
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