4 Must Visit Vineyards in Temecula, California

Late this fall, I discovered a hidden gem of a wine region between San Diego and Orange County thanks to two of my girlfriends Nicole and Ashley. These two lovely ladies meticulously planned the perfect girls trip, and decided to include wine tasting in the mix — which is always a good idea! I was so impressed with the variety of grapes and vineyards throughout our tour, I decided to share this perfectly curated list of vineyards should you choose to visit Temecula one day for yourself! Enjoy!

Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend, never drank wine.

LEONESS CELLARS

The first and best vineyard on our wine tour was Leoness Cellars!

Address:
38311 De Portola Road
Temecula, CA 92592

This vineyard was the highlight of our wine tour, since it was divided into 3 amazing experiences! Upon arrival, we were greeted by our lead sommelier for the morning – Jodi. Jodi was very knowledgeable and built the anticipation of our tour by telling us a little bit about Leoness. She explained that the word Leoness means “village of dreams”, and was founded in 2003 by Mike Rennie and Gary Winder.

Village of Dreams? At that point, I wondered what would be included in our tour?! To start, our driver for the day escorted us to the initial tasting room, called the “Barrel Room” as shown below:

In the first tasting room, Jodi gave us 4 rules for tasting wine: (1) Sight: Look at the color of the wine first prior to tasting. (2) Smell: Smell the notes of the wine prior to tasting. (3) Taste: Taste the various notes and flavors of the wine. (4) Hear: If you hear anything inside your wine glass, then you’ve had too much to drink! Haha! 🙂

Jodi also educated us on their aging and storing process. Leoness uses a combination of imported French Oak and domestic American Oak barrels.  

Once we completed our initial tasting in the Barrel Room, Jodi guided us to the beautiful rolling hills of their vineyard, to embark on a walking tour. We learned about how their corks are custom made, and how they treat the local sand to protect the grapes for optimal growth and sustainability. A nice touch to the second part of our tour was being allowed to sip the wine as we explored their different crops.

For the third and final part of our tour at Leoness, we were guided through a beautiful garden, passing patches of lavender to the final tasting area connected to the estate’s restaurant. The 2016 Petite Sirah and 2017 Zinfandel were my two favorites from the final tasting. So much so, I asked for some to be shipped home as keepsakes from our amazing morning at Leoness! If you’re planning a trip to Temecula, this vineyard is a must visit for sure!

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly without fear for newer and richer experiences.

eleanor roosevelt

AKASH WINERY & VINEYARDS

The second vineyard during our wine tour was Akash Winery & Vineyards

Address:
39730 Calle Contento
Temecula, CA 92591

This is a charming yet modern vineyard that is family operated. During our visit, we even met the manager and son of the estate – Akash in the photo below. If you’re a fan of citrus balanced white wines like sauvignon blancs (my favorite!), this vineyard is the one for you! Compared to most vineyards, Akash had a very small tasting menu, however, the quality of each wine made up for small number of options.

The best wines are the ones we drink with friends.

VINEYARD ROSE RESTAURANT at SOUTH COAST WINERY RESORT & SPA

If you’re endeavoring on more than two vineyards in one day, then you definitely need to stop for a bite to eat! Nicole and Ashley selected a beautiful location for our afternoon lunch, the Vineyard Rose Restaurant at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa

Address:
34843 Rancho California Rd
Temecula, CA 92591

Upon arrival, it felt as if we were stepping into an enchanted garden. There were beautiful water fountains, rose and ivory halls before stepping into the cozy restaurant. This beautiful location also included a tasting room as well.

Since reservations were arranged ahead of time for our large group, we were given a fixed menu, with a lot of tasty options. I was very impressed with the staff’s knowledge of the menu, and their wine pairing recommendations for each of the menu items. My favorite wine at this location was their merlot rose!

WILSON CREEK WINERY

Our final vineyard for the day was the Wilson Creek Winery!

Address:
35960 Rancho California Rd
Temecula, CA 92591

I fondly remember Wilson Creek Winey for their casual atmosphere and huge gift shopping area. This vineyard was a bit more crowded and bustling than the other wineries we visited throughout the day, but their wines did not disappoint. My favorite wine at this location was the sparkling almond flavored wine. It may sound a bit strange, but trust me, you will be tempted to take home an entire case after your first tasting. This location also offers many other flavored sparkling wines as well.

During our tasting, I also fell in love with their reds. My favorite red wine during this tasting was the Teroldego 2016.

There is so much to see and do in this hidden gem of a wine region. I hope this post inspires you to take a trip with some of your wine-loving girlfriends, family, or new friends. If you have any other travel tips you wish to share, please let me know in the comments below!

You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.

Miriam Adeney