Dorothy J. Gaiter and husband John Brecher wrote in the Wall Street Journal mentioning wines they had tasted from the Temecula Valley of California: “If you haven’t heard of the Temecula Valley, you’re hardly alone. But now is a very good time to start getting to know some of the lesser-known wine regions of the US. Temecula (pronounced te-MEC-u-la) is about an hour north of San Diego.”
James Laube wrote in California Wine: “ Whites, led by Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and some Viognier have an edge over the reds, but that may change as winemakers study Rhone varietals, including Syrah. The area is inland and warm, but the Rainbow Gap lets through the afternoon breezes which cool things off by late afternoon & evening.”
Temecula wineries and grape growers take advantage of their unique regional terroir to produce wines with remarkable fruit character and true varietal flavor from varieties such as Syrah, Viognier, Sangiovese, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. While most Temecula wineries employ small barrel aging, the regional approach tends to showcase a rounded, well balanced fruit-forward style of wine.
Twenty four wineries call the valley home with the first commercial vineyard planted less than 40 years ago by pioneers Vince and Audrey Cilurzo. My host for the afternoon tour was Linda Kissam, executive director of the Temecula Winegrowers Association. Wine tastings were at Mount Palomar, Stuart Cellar and Wilson Creek; lunch was at South Coast Winery Hotel & Spa(www.wineresort.com); overnight and dinner was at the Temecula Creek Inn (www,temeculacreekinn.com). At 1,500 feet above sea level there is a perfect balance between geography, microclimate, soil and cool nights to produce excellent family owned hand-crafted wines. There are about 1,100 acres planted to grapes and total production is about a half-million cases a year (one winery, Callaway made about 40% of that total).
Temecula is easy to find with most of the wineries along the main road leading out of town. There is a good and bad side to being small. No long lines and buses at the tasting rooms and often you will be served by the owner/winemaker. On the other hand, almost none of the wines are available outside California. Depending on the interpretation of the recent Supreme Court ruling re direct shipping of wines, you may soon simply order online and have the wines you like delivered directly to your home. All of the wineries I visited have online stores, so there is hope that you can very soon “Taste the Place” for yourself.
Temecula is about a 90 minute drive from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Palm Springs (without the infamous California traffic). It’s easily accessed off the I-15. Take the Rancho California Road exit and head east. Just 6 short miles and you pop right into wine country.
You should get on the mailing list for the Winegrowers Association quarterly events that pair wine and food. The Harvest Wine Celebration takes place the third weekend of November, the Winter Barrel Tasting the first weekend of January and Big Red Weekend the third weekend of April. All three are two day events that allow ticket holders to visit and taste wine and are good at each Temecula winery one time over the two-day period. A new event added this year shows just how far this wine region has come in terms of standing up to the larger appellations. . On March 11, 2006 the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association hosted fourteen regional wine associations, in a one-day food and wine gala showcasing California wines. Among the participants are giants Napa, Sonoma and Monterey. If you’re in the area you should think about attending in 2007.
It’s interesting visiting a wine region that puts so much emphasis on the food and wine connection. Temecula is unique in it’s ratio of restaurant to winery mix. There are six restaurants in wine country. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available year round. Everything from five-star dinning to casual deli noshing is offered. According to Lynn Alley, San Diego Tribune’s food critic, “If you still think of Temecula as a culinary backwater, you've got another think coming. With the advent of Vineyard Rose, the new 12,000-square-foot restaurant at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, Temecula can hold its own among the best San Diego County has to offer.” I agree. My lunch at South Coast Winery featured world-class cuisine with breathtaking vineyard vistas. What more could I ask for?
Temecula is a great day trip or weekend escape. Besides the wineries, leave some time to visit Old Town Temecula with over 640 antique stores, book a round of golf at Temecula Creek Inn, or reserve one of their wine country packages that includes a great room, dining and winetasting. Nearby Pechanga Casino and Resort offers Vegas-style gambling and nightlife. If you’re up for some an early-morning adventure, try a hot air balloon ride that will give you an eagle-eye view of all that Temecula Valley wine country has to offer.
More than 200 years ago winemaking began in California at the Mission San Juan Capistrano and the first winemakers were the mission padres. Temecula (means “where the sun shines through the mist;” the Luiseno Indian word for sun is temet) is a relatively young region with the first commercial winery opening in 1968. The late Ely Callaway (equally famous for the Big Bertha golf club) opened the first tasting room in 1975. By 1984 Temecula was an official winemaking region as recognized by the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms which now is known as the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau- TTB). It is one of two California AVA (Approved Viticultural Area) south of Los Angeles.
Temecula is located 500 miles south of San Francisco, resulting in a slightly higher angle of the sun and greater solar intensity. This along with a relatively low rainfall creates an early growing season. The vineyards are irrigated from large underground aquifers, which are refilled by rainfall from the surrounding mountains. The cool air flowing inland from the Pacific Ocean (22 miles away) moderates the daytime temperature and creates warm sunny days and cool nights, ideal conditions for the vineyards. Since Temecula vineyards are located around 1,500 feet above sea level cold night air creates a double cooling effect at night which adds to the development of high quality grapes. Grapevines also like well-drained soils that are not constantly wet. The local decomposing granite soils permit the water to drain easily without adding an herbaceous flavor. The results are stronger vines and smaller grapes, ideal for highly concentrated flavor.
For a free color brochure call the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association at (800) 801-WINE or visit the website at www.temeculawines.org.
