How to Tour the Wine Country in Temecula, California
Tour the wine country in California's Temecula Valley to taste some of the best wines in southern California. The 21 wineries scattered among the rolling hills throughout the valley offer year-round events to welcome visitors and acquaint them with their award winning, world class varietals and blends. Located along interstate 15, 90 miles south of Los Angeles and 60 miles north of San Diego, the 1,500-foot elevation makes Temecula Valley an ideal growing region for a wide variety of wine grapes.
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Instructions
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Start the year with the Winter Barrel Tasting in January. Designed to let visitors sample previous years' harvests, most wineries offer tastings right from the barrels as the wines begin to mature. In many cases, the wine makers themselves are on hand to introduce their products, answer wine lovers' questions and suggest the ideal pairing with food. You can usually get a good discount on the wines you like at this event (see Resources below).
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Taste more than 100 wines from all over the West Coast at the Ultimate Regional Wine Tasting in March. Vintners from Baja California to British Columbia bring their best wines to this one-of-a-kind event. You can make side by side comparisons of the same varietals produced in different regions to understand how soil, climate and appellation affect the same grapes. Ticket holders at this event can get a real sense of how taste and place makes each of the represented regions special (see Resources below).
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Let Temecula Valley's winemakers introduce you to their favorite wines during the Winemakers' Choice Weekend in May or the Winemakers' Gold Dinner in July. These two-day events feature great lunches and dinners pairing the winemakers' choices of the wines they love with the food they believe best compliments their selections. It's impossible to leave the valley thirsty or hungry after either of these events (see Resources below).
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Join some of the valley's wine growers in their own vineyards during the Vine 2 Wine events in August. See how skilled craftsmen turn the lush grape crop into premium wines. You'll travel around the valley in a private, air-conditioned shuttle to the vineyards in the morning, lunch at a selected winery and an afternoon of wine tasting at several tasting rooms, ending with a sunset barbecue hosted by the Temecula Winegrowers Association (see Resources below).
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Celebrate the grape harvest at the year's most popular event, the Harvest Wine Celebration in November. This self-guided tour along Winery Row (Rancho California Road) allows you to take all the time you need to make your own choices among the 21 wineries along the route. Sample a variety of wines and share your discoveries with other wine aficionados around the tasting room wine bars. See the Resource section for a touring map.
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Get a unique view of Temecula Valley on a sunrise hot air balloon tour. You'll ascend to a level of about 3,000 feet to get an overview of the valley in the still morning air. Choose the size balloon and basket that fits the size of your party from a small, one passenger wicker basket to a 16 passenger gondola. All ages are welcome, but each passenger must be at least 48 inches tall. See the Resource section for more information and reservations.
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Tips & Warnings
You can take a self-guided tour of the valley any time during the year, but most of the special events require advance reservations and event tickets. See the Resource section for information and schedules.
