Wine from Temecula has progressively improved over the last thirty years. Many of the wineries have restaurants and live music. Some have hotels. There area is beautiful with wine grapes covering miles of rolling hills. The last time we stayed in Temecula was at the Pechanga Casino RV park.
Temecula Valley AVA, Wine
Grapes were planted in the late 1960s. One of the first was Ely Callaway of Callaway Golf in 1969. The Temecula AVA wasn’t established until 1984. Now there are over 40 tasting rooms. On the weekends the area gets extremely busy because it draws from nearby San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside. In addition, wine limos, weddings, bachelorette parties, and all the lodging can pack the tasting rooms and restaurants. We never visit on a weekend…or a Friday. Weekdays are less crowded, more friendly, and the staff have time to explain what they are pouring. Temecula gets warm in the summer, so it is well suited for Rhone varietals as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. It isn’t well suited for wine that requires cooler climates like Pinot Noir.
Ponte Winery
Ponte has been in Temecula for a while. We were wine members in the early 2000s and frequently visited.
Their wines are good and we love their restaurant. After many years, the crowds began to drive us crazy so we cancelled our membership and sought out smaller wineries.
Robert Renzoni Vineyards
We started going to Renzoni when it was just a small tasting room, affordable, friendly and frequently Robert Renzoni was there pouring. Back then we paid a minimal tasting fee, nobody kept track, and we left after we were satisfied and sampled everything we wanted to before deciding on what to purchase. They expanded, created a huge tasting room, a nice outdoor restaurant and live music. They offer a number of 92-93 point Wine Enthusiast rated wines.
Wilson Creek Wine
Wilson Creek has been in Temecula for a long time. In the past they were known for their almond sparkling wine. Wilson Creek wines have gradually improved over the years. They frequently have live music and they also have a restaurant.
We still love to visit the area. Unfortunately tasting fees are about $30 per person for 5 samples at most Temecula wineries. Instead of spending $60 for the two of us to taste less than a glass each at one winery, we buy a bottle and enjoy a meal, take the rest of the wine home and savor it again later. When we want to taste we go to the Ramona Valley AVA and seek out the smaller wineries that are less crowded and maybe get lucky enough to get a winemaker or owner to pour and talk about their wine and find a new favorite.
